• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • LCA Portal
  • Staff Login
  • Login to (old) LAMP
  • LCA Online Donations
  • IT Help
  • Contact

Lutheran Church of Australia

where love comes to life

MENUMENU
  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
    • A BIT ABOUT US

      The Lutheran Church is the largest Protestant church in the world, with over 70 million members. This website tells the story of Australian and New Zealand Lutherans, following Jesus Christ – where love comes to life. Whoever you are, whatever your story, you're welcome here with us.
    • MORE ABOUT US

      • OUR PEOPLE
      • OUR LOGO, OUR MISSION
      • OUR BELIEFS AND TEACHINGS
        • WHAT LUTHERANS BELIEVE – VIDEO SERIES
      • HOW WE WORSHIP
      • OUR STRUCTURE (GOVERNANCE)
        • NOMINATIONS
      • OUR HISTORY
      • LUTHERANS WORLDWIDE
        • WHAT LUTHERANS BELIEVE
          • WHAT LUTHERANS BELIEVE – VIDEO SERIES
        • HISTORY OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH
  • THE LATEST
    • THE LATEST

      • COVID-19 UPDATES
      • CHURCH@HOME RESOURCES
      • CHURCH@HOME WORSHIP
      • DAILY DEVOTION
      • STORY OF THE WEEK
      • SPREAD THE WORD bulletins and announcements
      • NEWS
      • FEATURE STORIES
      • COLUMNS
      • THE LUTHERAN
      • LCA FACEBOOK
    • THE LATEST

      • NEW! CHRISTIAN CARE SUNDAY
      • BULLETIN INSERTS
      • CALLS – EMPLOYMENT – VOLUNTEERING
      • eNEWS LISTS
  • DEPARTMENTS & AGENCIES
    • DEPARTMENTS

      • DEPARTMENTS – OVERVIEW & SEARCH
      • DISTRICTS
      • OFFICE OF THE BISHOP
        • LCA INTERNATIONAL MISSION
      • LOCAL MISSION
        • CHILD YOUTH & FAMILY MINISTRY (GROW MINISTRIES)
        • CROSS-CULTURAL MINISTRY
        • LUTHERAN MEDIA
        • CARE MINISTRIES
        • GOD’S LOVE OUR CARE
        • CHRISTIAN CARE SUNDAY
        • NEW & RENEWING CHURCHES
    • DEPARTMENTS & AGENCIES

      • MINISTRY SUPPORT
        • CHURCH WORKER SUPPORT
        • COMMUNICATIONS
          • THE LUTHERAN
        • FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
          • INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
        • LUTHERAN ARCHIVES
        • PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
      • EDUCATION & TRAINING
        • AUSTRALIAN LUTHERAN COLLEGE
        • LUTHERAN EDUCATION AUSTRALIA
      • AUSTRALIAN LUTHERAN WORLD SERVICE
      • FINKE RIVER MISSION
      • LLL
        • LUTHERAN TRACT MISSION
    • COMMISSIONS & MINISTRY GROUPS

      • COMMISSIONS
        • SOCIAL AND BIOETHICAL QUESTIONS
          • LUTHERANS FOR LIFE
          • CAMPAIGN AGAINST DOMESTIC & FAMILY VIOLENCE
        • THEOLOGY AND INTER-CHURCH RELATIONS
        • WORSHIP
          • VISUAL ARTS
      • MINISTRY GROUPS
        • DEAF MINISTRY
        • LUTHERAN NURSES
        • LUTHERAN MEN
        • LUTHERAN SINGLES
        • LUTHERAN WOMEN
        • YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY
  • SERVICES & RESOURCES
    • SERVICES & RESOURCES

      • OVERVIEW & SUMMARY
      • BIBLE READING PLAN
      • BULLETIN NOTICES
      • BUSINESS PARTNERS
      • CAMPAIGN AGAINST DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE
      • CHILD SAFETY
      • CHILD YOUTH & FAMILY MINISTRY (GROW MINISTRIES)
      • CHRISTIAN CARE SUNDAY (NEW!)
      • COMMUNICATIONS
      • CONGREGATION WEBSITES
      • CONSTITUTIONS
      • DAILY DEVOTIONS
      • DOCTRINAL STATEMENTS & THEOLOGICAL OPINIONS
      • EMPLOYMENT & VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES
      • ENEWS
      • FORMS
      • HUMAN RESOURCE SYSTEM
      • INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
      • LAMP2
    • SERVICES & RESOURCES

      • OVERVIEW & SUMMARY
      • LCA DISASTER & WELFARE FUND
      • LCA FACEBOOK
      • LCA LEARNING HUB
      • LCA LOGO
      • LCA POLICIES & STANDARDS OF ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR
      • LCA SONG
      • LUTHERAN ARCHIVES
      • CARE MINISTRIES
      • NEW & RENEWING CHURCHES
      • REGULAR ELECTRONIC GIVING (REG)
      • STORY OF THE WEEK
      • STUDY ASSISTANCE
      • STUDY GUIDES
      • TELECOMMUNICATIONS
      • THE LUTHERAN
      • TRACTS
      • WORSHIP
      • WORSHIP LIVE STREAMING AND DVDs
      • VOLUNTEERING & EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
    • CONFERENCES & TRAINING

      • TRAINING – Continuing Education for Pastors
      • TRAINING – Professional Standards
      • TRAINING – LCA Learning Hub
      • TRAINING – Campaign against Family & Domestic Violence Resources and Training
      • TRAINING – New Horizons
      • TRAINING – Renew Mission Life
      • TRAINING – Grow Coaching
  • PROJECTS & EVENTS
    • PROJECTS, CONSULTATONS & EVENTS

      • OVERVIEW: PROJECTS, EVENTS, CONSULTATIONS & DIALOGUES
      • CONSTITUTION REVIEW
      • ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE ADJUDICATION AND APPEALS REVIEW
      • CALL PROCESS REVIEW
      • LUTHERAN AGED CARE AND COMMUNITY SERVICES
      • WORKING GROUP – COMMISSIONS & INQUIRIES
    • PROJECTS, CONSULTATIONS & EVENTS

      • OVERVIEW: PROJECTS, EVENTS, CONSULTATIONS & DIALOGUES
      • CONVENTION OF GENERAL SYNOD 2021-22
      • RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN
  • FIND A …

Witnessing over the airwaves

1 April 2021

by Helen Beringen
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Going GREYT! 1 Peter 4:10

In Going GREYT! we feature stories of some of our ‘more experienced’ people within the LCA, who have been called to make a positive contribution in their retirement. We pray their examples of service will be an inspiration and encouragement to us all as we look to be Christ’s hands and feet wherever we are, with whatever gifts and opportunities we’ve been given.

by Helen Beringen

Being called a ‘Ham’ may not be too flattering for most people, but for Western Australian retiree John Stephens it is a badge of honour.

That’s because the 85-year-old has been a ‘Ham’ for most of his life – an amateur radio operator that is.

What started with childhood tinkering with crystal radio sets has progressed into his Christian witness through a community radio station in Albany, Western Australia.

This labour of love includes rising at 4.30am every Sunday to host the Christian Breakfast show on Albany’s Great Southern FM radio station, which he has led for 20 years. He also started a Bakelite Radio show on Thursday afternoons, which features music from the 1920s through to the 1950s.

It was during the days of Bakelite radios, which were the first commonly used moulded plastic radios of the 20th century, that John discovered his love for radio.

John’s talents were directed into Christian radio early in life, through his local church in suburban Perth.

‘As a young child of four years of age, I was taken to the Church of Christ Sunday school at Maylands by two young girls who were neighbours and lived across the road from my parents’, John says.

In those days people walked to church, so young John was pushed in a stroller to the church in the neighbouring suburb by the girls, whose Christian family played a big part in his life.

‘I married my school days sweetheart Edna in that church. Both of us taught Sunday school … in those days of big Sunday schools we had 180 students ranging from kindergarten to seniors’, he recalls.

John and Edna, who were married for 58 years before her death in 2015, were active on church committees. They went on to raise two daughters and two sons, and have nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren who live in Western Australia and the United States.

It was through the church that John became involved in Christian radio.

‘Churches of Christ had a Christian radio Sunday school operating out of one of the commercial radio stations in Perth and country stations in Northam’, John says.

‘This was a live program with young people representing several of the local churches attending the studio and singing on each Sunday morning.’

While at high school, John’s love for the technical elements of broadcasting led him to the technical production of radio, through work experience as a control room operator.

This led to an apprenticeship in electrical engineering after completing high school, culminating in a 38-year career in technical education.

‘I was also encouraged by one of the members of our Maylands Church who had been a radio operator in the navy during WWII to study for AOCP, which is the Amateur Operator Certification, commonly referred to as a “Ham’s licence”. This means you can operate your own radio station on shortwave and talk to other “Hams” around the world’, John says.

‘I was successful in achieving a call sign, VK6KJS, and became an active SWL – shortwave listener. This enabled me to listen to Christian broadcasting stations around the world. I still maintain that call sign today!’ That guided John along another volunteering pathway – the Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC). FEBC is a global media ministry spreading the gospel to inspire people to follow Jesus Christ, broadcasting in more than 50 countries in 30 different languages.

‘While a representative for FEBC, I visited Singapore, China and Manila and witnessed the activities in the mission field’, John says.

John’s volunteer work in Christian radio has been inspired by a book by Australian Uniting Church minister Vernon Turner called God gave me a microphone, a forerunner in Christian radio ministry.

‘His book reminded me of me in my early days, as we both began with crystal radio sets’, John says.

Since retiring in 2000, John has continued that Christian witness at the crack of dawn each Sunday, with his own 6am to 9am Christian program on Great Southern FM (100.9 FM), which broadcasts to the southern area of Western Australia.

John’s grateful for the support of Christian groups such as the LCANZ’s Lutheran Media, which supplies its Messages of hope outreach ministry’s radio spots he shares with listeners, along with Christian hymns and songs.

His favourite message of hope comes from the hymn ‘To God be the Glory’ which reminds him that even in countries where missionaries are unable to work, radios are still able to beam messages of God’s love into people’s homes.

Helen Beringen is a Brisbane-based writer who is inspired by the many GREYT people who serve tirelessly and humbly in our community. By sharing stories of how God shines his light through his people, she hopes others are encouraged to explore how they can use their gifts to share his light in the world.

Know of any other GREYT stories in your local community? Email the editor lisa.mcintosh@lca.org.au

Messages of hope

Lutheran Media’s Messages of hope radio programs are broadcast by more than 800 commercial, community and Christian stations around Australia and New Zealand, as well as into Papua New Guinea and Asia, the latter via shortwave.  

For more information, go to www.messagesofhope.org.au or www.messagesofhope.org.nz  


This feature story comes from The Lutheran April 2021. Visit the website to find out more about The Lutheran or to subscribe.

READ MORE STORIES ABOUT radio, technology, WA

« Stamps make a world of difference
Grannies share ‘mother lode’ of wisdom »

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • Church Worker Support
  • Church@Home
  • Columns
    • #youngsavedfree
    • bring Jesus
    • Dwelling in God's Word
    • Going GREYt!
    • Little Church
    • Movie Reviews
    • Rhythms of Grace
    • Stepping Stones
  • COVID-19 response
  • Cross-Cultural Ministry
  • Daily Devotion
  • Feature Stories
  • Features Homepage
  • LCANZ Bishop
  • New and Renewing Churches
  • News
  • Our Lutheran Family
    • New Zealand
      • Palmerston North, St Lukes
    • Victoria-Tasmania
      • Hobart St Peter's
  • Presentations & Papers
  • Reconciliation Ministry
  • Story of the Week
  • Uncategorized

Tags

Aboriginal/Indigenous aid ALC ALWS appointments awards bishops children church workers COVID-19 cross-cultural ministry ecumenism forms fundraising Grow Ministries international International Mission LCA bishop local mission Lutheran Education LWF music new and renewing churches NSW NZ ordination pastors PNG policy prayer professional standards Qld Reformation refugees Royal Commission SA-NT schools social issues technology training Vic-Tas WA women in leadership worship youth and young adults

Archives for all Posts

  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • Don't be the last to find out!

    Join over 4000 people receiving LCA eNews in their inbox every fortnight. It brings you the latest of everything, including updates from this page. It's free, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

    Sign up here

    Footer

    Quicklinks

    • HOME
    • DEPARTMENTS & AGENCIES

     

    • SERVICES, RESOURCES & TRAINING
    • PROJECTS & EVENTS
    • FIND A …

    Contact us

    197 Archer Street
    North Adelaide SA 5006

    08 8267 7300
    email us

    © 2022 Lutheran Church of Australia

    Privacy Policy • Disclaimer

    Designed by LCA Communications