June 17, 1914 Evangelist Lester Roloff was born in Dawson
Texas. To help pay for his education he brought a cow with him and milked it to
pay for his room and board. Early in his ministry Lester preached in small
towns and in revival meetings. During World War II he became the pastor of Park
Avenue Baptist Church, and his popularity spread.
Soon after he started a radio broadcast, “The Family Altar,”
which is still a successful program even years after Lester’s death. He
eventually left Park Avenue to become a full-time evangelist on the radio and
in revivals. He would later found Alameda Baptist Church is Corpus Christi as a
base of operations for his ministry.
Lester founded the “City of Refuge” for alcoholic men and
their families. Lester is quoted as saying, “this
is a work of faith, entirely dependent upon the gifts of God’s people. You talk
about an opportunity for evangelism! This is it, when we have men, women, boys
and girls for at least ninety days to preach the gospel of deliverance to them.
Some have suggested that we appeal to the state for funds, but his is a work of
faith and there must be no strings attached that would keep us from preaching a
full gospel and ministering to the spiritual needs of people. This is not a
social institution. This is a salvation institution.”
This
need to be disconnected to the state would later prove troubling for his later
works.
He founded the “Lighthouse for Boys,” and the “Rebekah Home”
for girls. These provided a place for troubled children, some who were
homeless, addicted to drugs, alcoholic or pregnant. These homes were put under
pressure because Lester didn’t want to license the homes. He argued that he
didn’t take a penny from the state of Texas; they shouldn’t be able to tell him
how to run his homes. Lester was willing to serve two short jail sentences to
stand for his beliefs.
Fighting legal battles took a toll on Lester, and he announced
on one of his last “Family Altar” programs that he had not only taken all of
the money out of the bank, but had also taken a loan to keep the ministry
going. Shortly after he crashed a plane he was piloting, he passed away along
with his three passengers. The National Religious Broadcasters indicted Lester
into their Hall of Fame.
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