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Strong Tower Radio testimony.
Picture Credit: Strong Tower Radio Variety Hour file photo
Strong Tower Radio Testimonies
for Local Missions Stories and Sermon times
Fourth Quarter 2024
A selection of three Strong Tower Radio (STR) testimonies follows: Please share these during church service, either during a mission feature time or incorporated into several sermons.
Changed Lives: #1– Genita [“Nita”] Gardner
Genita Gardner was raised Baptist and learned to love Jesus at an early age. She had painful experiences in her teen years that stirred her desire to know God more, yet the rigors of daily life competed with that yearning. Over time, Nita was convicted to begin attending a Lutheran church where she experienced further spiritual growth. That growth plateaued, however, and Nita wanted more; she wanted answers to her spiritual questions, answers from the Bible, not tradition.
Then the Covid-19 experience happened, and her church and nearly all churches closed in-person services for an extended period. Nita wanted a church family and keenly felt the absence, yet she was impressed not to return to her local Lutheran church. She continued looking to Jesus for guidance and spent time in God’s waiting room as the answer developed.
While this was occurring, Strong Tower Radio (STR), with the generous support of the area Seventh-day Adventist churches, purchased two radio stations in the Battle Creek/Kalamazoo area. Broadcasting began in July 2021 and within a few weeks of this, Nita discovered one of them, 97.3 FM, Kalamazoo, while driving to work. She listened to Your Story Hour, then Bible Answers Live, and for the next year continued listening to more of Strong Tower Radio. She was gaining answers to her Bible questions and became convicted to keep the seventh-day Sabbath. Where would she find a church that kept the Bible Sabbath?
In the Spring of 2023, Nita decided it was time to find a church family that followed the entire Bible. She has the delightful habit of talking to Jesus out loud, and as she went to her car one Friday afternoon, she said “I’m going to look for a church, Jesus are you coming with me?” After more than an hour of driving past many churches in Kalamazoo and receiving no clear impression, Nita said “sorry Lord, I just wasted an hour of time and fuel” as she turned onto Nichols Road and headed home.
Kalamazoo Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) church is located on Nichols Road, and as Nita was about to pass the church’s driveway entrance, the Lord sent an angel to intervene. Nita doesn’t know the details; she simply went from driving along Nichols Road to suddenly being parked in the Kalamazoo SDA church parking lot behind the church. As she regained clarity and realized she was behind a church, not driving on Nichols Road, she looked down at her dash and the car then turned off (did not stall). She started to laugh, wondering what was happening, then saw both the church sign and a Strong Tower Radio sign and burst into tears. “Lord, this is where you want me to attend” she cried out? As Nita sat marveling at what God had just done, she confidently stated “I’m coming to church here tomorrow.”
Nita walked into church Sabbath morning and was warmly greeted by numerous members, thoroughly enjoyed the worship service (especially the truth-filled sermon from the Bible) and knew that the Lord had guided her directly to her new church family! Bible studies began within a few weeks, and on February 6, 2024, Nita Gardner publically embraced the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ, signified by baptism at the Kalamazoo SDA church. Praise God for another life changed, and the first fruits of the newer station 97.3 FM, Kalamazoo!
On that note, several members of Kalamazoo SDA church had begun praying for the Holy Spirit to bring them a STR listener. “Lord, we want a STR testimony for our church” they prayed. Within a few weeks, the Lord brought Nita, who’d been listening to STR for over one year. Nita was asking God for a church family that kept the seventh-day Sabbath and could answer her Bible questions, and church members were praying for God to bring them a STR listener. All those prayers authorized God to intervene markedly. Hallelujah!
Nita still enjoys listening to STR and praises God for this ministry by which He brought her to the truth and provided her new church family. Glory to God for your prayers and financial support of this radio ministry through which the Holy Spirit continues changing lives!
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Changed Lives #2: Anthony Cary
Anthony Cary was raised in a Christian home, regularly attending a Protestant Christian church. This church’s leaders taught, “The Ten Commandments were mere guidelines, not requirements since we are now under grace.” Yet these same leaders would also state that certain actions should or shouldn’t be done, yet without God’s law, they had no authority. By his late teen years, Anthony viewed them and the church as irrelevant, moved in with his girlfriend at age 17, and did not look back. He saw no reason to marry, as the church provided no reasonable basis or authority for it.
Anthony embraced many harmful life practices during this decade of life. He viewed them as freedom and happiness. From ages 15 – 27, he also fed his mind daily with a rock music station, starting with the Bob & Tom show each morning. It was not a positive influence, and he had much time to listen while working in large, timber industry equipment 12 hours a day. Thinking back to that time in his life, Anthony described himself as “the furthest thing from a Christian that you could think of, though I was raised in a Christian home.” The morning show was discontinued, and Anthony despised the new program that replaced it. God used this change and stirred Anthony to search for better radio-listening content!
He found Ranger Bill on Strong Tower Radio (STR), 90.9 FM, WUPJ, in the early morning, then tuned elsewhere when the Musical Meditation program began. He discovered Your Story Hour and Youth With A Mission between noon and 1 p.m. and really liked the stories, yet initially not the Christian aspect. One day at 8 a.m., however, he turned into a series from pastor John Lomacang and kept listening. “How can these things be so!?” he asked. The series wasn’t as in-depth as Ken Cox or Stephen Bohr’s series, (which he would enjoy later) yet it met Anthony’s interest level then. The Holy Spirit is the Master choreographer!
After a while, Anthony was listening to STR most of the day. Motivated by what he was hearing, Anthony opened his Bible to see if these things were true versus what he was taught at the church he attended in childhood. He found it was all true! Finding STR in his late twenties was an eye-opener for him.
Anthony describes all that STR listening as “more content in one week (50+ hours) than most Christians gain in 1 year of church attendance” (52 weeks, 1 hour/week). He realized that God was calling him to a total transformation, including lifestyle change in all areas of his life! During the following 3 years, with God’s power, Anthony pressed through those changes.
Anthony had a large friend group, and they wanted to know why he left the bar and pool hall scenes. Soon they were saying “Anthony’s getting married, what’s going on?” Most walked away, but several were drawn to the new Anthony. One friend started going back to the Lutheran church after a long absence. Anthony shared STR with a fellow timber industry worker, Matt, who began listening. Matt was amazed at what he heard on 90.9 FM and commented, “Wow, listen to this!” as they compared their listening experiences. Matt would keep listening and moving forward in faith as a result of Anthony’s sharing what he was hearing on STR. (another STR testimony)
He also shared with his younger brother, Justin, who listened to STR, listened to series by David Klinedinst and Ken Cox. Convicted by what he heard, he pursued Bible studies and was baptized before his older brother! Praise God for positive influence!
Anthony publically testified of his commitment to Jesus Christ through baptism at the Wilson SDA Church in April 2022, praise God!
Anthony still listens to STR, though not as much as the first few years. Now operating his own company, business on his phone often interrupts his radio listening. He sets an alarm to help him catch Joe Crews classic message each afternoon on STR, stating that “he needs that 15 minutes, it’s very powerful.” Regarding Joe Crews, he states “I don’t know how somebody could pack that much into 15 minutes.”
Anthony still enjoys listening to the Bible in Living Sound on STR each evening while driving home from work. He works 6 days per week, from dawn to dusk, and looks forward to Sabbath rest. Time to spend with God, worshipping with fellow believers, restful time with family, he finds the Sabbath to be such a blessing! Anthony likes to share his faith and STR. Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to open doors for Anthony to share the everlasting gospel within his influence circle.
Thank you, friends, for your support of Strong Tower Radio. God is changing lives through this ministry!
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Changing Lives #3 - Jenn Marie Brandys
When asked how she first discovered Strong Tower Radio (STR), Jenn Marie Brandys states that “the Lord brought it to her attention, nobody told her about it directly.” Using the Tunein Radio app, she discovered STR and began listening. Jenn found the content well balanced and a blessing, even when she heard a program twice.
Jenn was adopted into a Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) family at 8 years old where she first learned to love Jesus. She later walked away from her faith as an adult, had some rough experiences, and 5 years ago escaped drug addiction through recovery in Jesus Christ. There was no blazing light, no audible voice or dream. Jesus never left her and drew her back to Himself one step at a time as Jenn realized her need through the trauma of her daily life and yearned to be free!
Angels intervened to protect Jenn from an abusive ex, physically preventing him from hitting her when he tried. Realizing he was overpowered, he exited her life. Jenn recognized God’s work in her life and began reaching out to Him in response. While in a court-ordered recovery program, she began attending nearby churches. God placed a Seventh-day Adventist at the recovery home where Jenn was living, and this encouraged her to return to where she first learned to love Jesus. Upon completing the program, she continued rebuilding her life, gained employment, and soon began attending her local SDA church.
While listening to STR recently, Jenn learned that we’re to be transparent in our works to God, to “do them in such a way that God is seen, not you/me.” “God’s wonderful work in my life is about Him, not me. When people ask me why I’m so happy and smiling often, I tell them of God working in my life to change me and deliver me from drug addiction. My current mission field is the manufacturing facility where I work.” The Holy Spirit is stirring within Jenn a greater desire to reach the unreached with the message of freedom in Jesus Christ!
Jenn currently works the 3rd shift and enjoys programs like Night Sounds with Bill Pierce, the first program she hears on STR as she begins her work shift. When asked to name her favorite program, she enthusiastically shares “I love it all, it’s such a blessing to me!”
Praise God, another person nurtured and blessed by Strong Tower Radio broadcasting the everlasting gospel 24/7/365!
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Source: Kam Ferguson, Development Director, Strong Tower Radio
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