Have you ever wondered how Heralds of Hope began?
Our organization started as a radio ministry around 58 years ago and has been producing radio programs ever since. Our mission has always been to provide Bible teaching that leads people to Christ. Over the years, the way Heralds of Hope does that has grown and changed.
J. Otis saw the need for sound Biblical teaching in the church and the world, and he saw the radio as a means of reaching many people in North America. The following quote is from a newspaper clipping from February 1967 about the new organization, “Present plans call for the production of two radio programs: The Voice of Hope, a weekly program of expository preaching, and The Children’s Hour, a daily reading of character-building stories.” (The Children’s Hour has since been discontinued but some are still available on Heralds of Hope – YouTube!)
In the late ’70s, Heralds of Hope was given the opportunity to broadcast internationally. J. Otis met the founder of TransWorld Radio (a major partner of ours today), who said, “The world needs your Bible teaching.” This partnership was the beginning of Heralds of Hope’s involvement in international ministry.
Partnership with TransWorld radio was also the beginning of our program, Hope for Today. Beginning in 1974, HFT was adapted from The Voice of Hope’s teaching for a non-American audience. It began airing in English internationally in ’74 at a station in Monte Carlo, France. Arabic then became our first non-English language, airing in 1978.
Many Hope for Today listeners wrote letters to HOH saying, “You want me to turn to a passage in my Bible and follow along, but I don’t have a Bible to follow along with. Could you please send me a Bible?”
For many years, Heralds of Hope recorded our programs on 7-inch tapes using a tape recorder. These tapes were then sent to the radio stations. With the invention of cassette tapes and CDs, the tapes were used less and less. By the ’90s, Heralds of Hope completely transitioned from analog to digital. At Heralds of Hope headquarters, we have a library of almost all the programs we have ever produced.
When Heralds of Hope headquarters moved from Lancaster to Harrisonville in 1978, we built a recording studio that is still used to record Hope for Today and The Voice of Hope.
Fast forwarding to last year (2024), we saw the need to adapt to the changing landscape of the internet and social media, and the Guide Through the Bible podcast was created.
Guide Through the Bible’s name is derived from scripture. When Philip encountered an Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:30-31, he asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The eunuch responded, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And this is our ultimate goal for GTTB—to guide hearts to Jesus through Scripture.
Just like our other programs, our host and Bible teachers use an expository method of Bible teaching to help people learn about Jesus.
All three of our Bible teaching programs still run to this day!
Our most long-standing program, The Voice of Hope, is now written and produced by J. Mark Horst. He has been involved in producing the program since 2001, when he took over for Dr. J. Otis.
Each episode is 30 minutes long, with acapella music at the beginning and the end.
The Voice of Hope is still distributed on many radio stations and is available through our call-in phone line. It is also available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Our shortest program, Hope for Today, is adapted from the Bible teaching from The Voice of Hope. Cultural references and illustrations that would only apply to North America are removed. We then distribute the teaching to our partners around the world, who translate it into their languages. Hope for Today is translated into 42 languages, and we are currently working on adding more languages!
Hope for Today is not just for our international listeners. Heralds of Hope produces this program in English, available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Guide Through the Bible is a biweekly video podcast with approximately 30-minute episodes. Our host, Anthony High, is joined by one of our Bible teachers to teach a lesson through conversation on a section of scripture. We have studied the Book of Ruth and the Book of Jonah. We are currently studying through the Gospel of Mark.
Join us to hear Bible teaching from an Anabaptist perspective! Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Telegram!
If you enjoyed this article and want to learn more about our history, watch A History Lesson.
Content Distribution Coordinator
