Results From The June Bible Drive
Dave Andrews • July 23, 2020
Helping Others See Clearly Through God's Word
When the staff at KJOL first considered a Bible Drive this year, it was before COVID hit the country. It was originally dreamed up at the start of 2020 as part of our theme for our April 2020 Friendraiser. Ken Andrews recommended a Bible Drive, as part of our theme, 2020 Vision. The staff as one loved the idea and were immediately drawn to it, but we didn't want to sideline the Bible Drive for the Friendraiser, and visa-versa, so we decided to put it off until the following month, May 2020, to put more effort into it and do it right.
Then came March. COVID hit, and we started to realize God had been strongly leading us in our theme, in our goal to get others into God's Word, and the necessity for God's wisdom in the days we are living in. With that indication of His leading, we went ahead and held our April Spring Friendraiser. He came through. We had one of the best Friendraisers I can remember (and during COVID no less). But when the lock-downs came in May, we decided to let things lay over for a month, and try it in the month of June. It was just the right timing! The COVID rates had stabilized quite a bit in June, variances had been granted to several counties in the area, and we could finally accept walk-in donations.
We were blown away. God called and His people showed up. In total, we estimate around 1800 Bibles
were donated. Think about that. Potentially 1800 lives changed for the Kingdom of God. Thank you so much for answering God's call. Here's the results:
- An estimated 750 Bibles were donated on site at the KJOL Studio, Looney Bean in Montrose, and Ridgeway Community Church.
- $2612.00 was donated for purchasing Bibles for the Bible Drive.
- From funds donated, and because of bulk deals, approximately 1,050 more Bibles were purchased!
- An estimated total of 1800 Bibles donated.
As a result, 7 main ministries were recipients of 100% of the Bible Drive donations. It went farther than we expected too. An eighth ministry was also later added, as we also ended up with roughly 75 extra small New Testaments, which will now be handed out at the Canyon West Food Bank. Please pray for the following recipients, as these Bibles go forth.
American Bible Society- $400, or 80 Bibles donated for various projects, including someone who has never had God’s Word in their language before, an orphan or at-risk child, patient Chinese Christians, people suffering for their faith, and/or a U.S. military member who is defending our freedom.
Bible League International- $400, or 80 Bibles where needed most. Program locations include in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the US.
Father 2 The Fatherless International- $400, for purchase of native language Bibles on site in Uganda, Africa. They also received several boxes of your donated English language Bibles for staff in Uganda and local evangelism in the Western Slope.
Gideons International-$400, or 333 Bibles, donated to the Faith Fund, to purchase Bibles for people in countries where they are unable to purchase their own.
Good News Jail & Prison Ministry at the Delta Correctional Center- $400 worth- (6 cases or 144 Bible shipped to ministry). They also received two more cases of Bibles from local on site donations. They just ran out of Bibles and there has been a need for Bibles for inmates.
Love Packages- $225, or 3 cases of Spanish Bibles and 2 cases of ESVs (144 Bibles). Love Packages also was recipient of approx. 50% of the local on-site donations, mailed to their location in IL, and will go out all over the world.
Mesa County Jail Ministry- $400, or an estimated 144 Bibles shipped. MCJM in addition also received some of the the on-site donated Bibles. These will all be used to fulfill inmate requests and for prison Bible studies.
Pictures and testimonies are already starting to come in, including someone being led to the Lord in the Grand Valley this week, and who at the time was given one of the used Bibles donated to this Bible Drive. This new believer promised to read it! Praise God! Just think, one of those used Bibles you donated, which was likely no longer being used, is now going on to play a part in the spiritual formation of someone who just found Christ! Praise God!
Thanks for walking through this door with us. Let's look for more opportunities to serve our King together, because of our mutual our love for Him, and For His Kingdom!
-Dave Andrews
KJOL Station Manager
Recently I played a KJOL classic, “ Almighty ” by Wayne Watson . For those who don’t remember Watson, he had a string of hits during the 80s and 90s, including: Celebrate Friend of a Wounded Heart For Such A Time as This Home Free Another Time, Another Place (with Sandi Patti) Touch of the Master’s Hand As for “Almighty,” I found an article that explains the back story. In 1990, when Wayne was 36, a close family friend became ill and died, leaving behind her four young daughters. As Wayne struggled to understand how God could allow this tragedy, he sat at his piano and began to write a song that reaffirmed the sovereignty of God. Well time marches on, with the innocence gone, And a darkness has covered the earth But His Spirit still dwells, He speaks, "it is well, " And the hopeless still offered new birth He will break the leash of death, it will have no sting Let the prisoner go free, join the dance and sing Almighty (almighty) Most holy God Faithful through the ages Almighty, Most holy Lord Glorious, Almighty... When his friends heard the song, they told him he should record it. Wayne was reluctant, thinking it didn’t really match his typical style. Eventually he started singing it in his concerts, and the response was so strong, he included it on “ Home Free ” in 1991 and it became a No. 1 hit.
CeCe Winans was a guest at NPR (National Public Radio) this week, and took them to church. She performed a half-hour concert, called a “ Tiny Desk Concert , ” before a small friendly audience in the NPR building. Between the songs, she shared her faith: “God is faithful, and what I love about him, he stays the same. It doesn’t matter what we’ve done or where we’ve been, I just want everybody to know that God loves you with an everlasting love. And because He never changes, we can always run to Him. Just know that if God be for you, who can be against you!” She also appeared in an 8 minute interview on the NPR news program. The host said she had listened to Cece’s song “Alone In His Presence” when the host was a child. CeCe said, “Yep, his presence is definitely my hiding place, being in the spirit of God. And I live a life to please him, and that has brought me good success, you know?” She added, “I don't have to fear about what's going to happen because I serve a God who knows the end from the beginning. So I can actually experience true peace of mind and heart because of that relationship. So my hope is in him. You can hear CeCe’s latest song, “ Come Jesus Come ,” on KJOL right now. It was written and originally recorded by Stephen McWhirter in 2023. CeCe performed it for the American Idol Easter special in April.
The Newsboys were supposed to be touring Canada starting May 31. But the tour was abruptly canceled last week. Both the Newsboys and the promoter are claiming the other side is at fault. The Canadian promoter said it canceled the tour because there were too many unanswered questions about why Michael Tait abruptly left the band in January, just days before the Newsboys started their world tour. The Newsboys said the promoter breached the contract so the band canceled the tour. Neither Tait nor the Newsboys have given a clear explanation for Tait’s sudden departure . Band member Adam Agee took over as lead singer and the band quickly re-recorded their new single with Agee on lead vocals instead of Tait. The concert promoter said fans in Canada were confused about who the new lead singer was, wondering if this was the same Newsboys band they were expecting. Then on May 26, the promoter announced that Sanctus Real had agreed to be the last-minute replacement for the Newsboys. Sanctus Real had to hurry, because their first concert was just six days later in Canada! The timing works well for Sanctus Real, which just released their new single, The Difference , on May 29. Listen for it on KJOL in the coming days and weeks.
Every week, an estimated 30 million worshippers sing the most popular worship song of our generation, “Shout To The Lord” by Darlene Zschech and Hillsongs Australia. You’ve probably heard (and sung) it. But do you know the story behind the song ? Darlene Zschech wrote “ Shout to the Lord ” 30 years ago. She says the song was born out of a low point in her life. She had married at age 19 and moved to Sydney, where she began singing at the Hills Christian Centre. But at home her husband’s business was failing and times were tough One day she sat down at her daughter’s piano and started singing some words she’d been thinking about. She turned it into a song but was too shy to tell anyone. Finally she sang it for the worship director (but she made him turn around and not look at her!). He convinced her to sing it at church. By the end of the first chorus, people were standing to their feet and singing along! In 1994, the Hills Christian Centre recorded it, and in 1996, Hosanna Music released “Shout to the Lord” in the U.S. under the name Hillsongs Australia. It went straight to the top of the praise & worship charts. It has had more than 160 million views on YouTube just in the last 10 years.
We like to say around here that our Secretary Martha is the most famous person at KJOL. We mean it too! With a naturally likable personality, and an active disposition, a lot of people know her.
Tenth Avenue North is back with a new album Back in 2019, Tenth Avenue North announced they were retiring. They had formed in 2000 in Florida. Founder Mike Donehey said the name came “Tenth Avenue North” was supposed to be temporary. They had been scheduled to play at a conference and could not agree on a name for their band. So they chose the name of the street where they lived in West Palm Beach. And the name stuck for 25 years! In 2019, they released “ Greater Than All My Regrets .” And then they announced plans to retire, with a farewell tour in 2020. However, COVID interrupted that. In 2021, they finally played two farewell concerts. But four years after the break “sharpened the band’s focus and God used what they thought was an end to create room for them to experience Him in a new way.” So in 2024 they started recording new music , and the full-length album is being released on May 30. The Archers return! Fifty years after the Archers (siblings Tim, Steve, and Janice) made their debut in contemporary Christian music, they are back with a new album called “Legacy Medley.” It contains new versions of five of their previous hits: Give Us This Day 1980 It Won’t Be Long (Andrae Crouch) 1972 Make Me An Instrument 1977 I Never Knew Love 1991 (from their hit album “Spreadin’ Like Wildfire”) Pickin’ Up The Pieces 1979 The Archers debuted at Jesus festivals during the height of the Jesus Movement in 1971. They came to the attention of Andrae Crouch, Ralph Carmichael, and Pat Boone among others. (They were the first to record Crouch’s “Jesus Is The Answer.”) In 1975, they released their first major label album on Light Records. In 1994, they disbanded.
