Broadcast Ministry
The final words Jesus spoke on earth to his followers were to “be my witnesses, in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” In this day of world-wide media, that command is no less compelling. First Baptist Church of Memphis is engaged in spreading the Good News through radio and television in a Broadcast Ministry that has touched the lives of thousands of people for many years.
Perhaps you know of someone who cannot attend church on Sunday for some reason. Through our radio and television broadcasts, they can be part of our church family in Bible Study and Worship.
Television
In February of 2011 our television broadcast moved to a new station, WPTY-Channel 24 (ABC), with a new 30-minute format, at 9:30 a.m. Please help us spread the word to family and friends!
This television outreach extends into western Arkansas, northern Mississippi, the Missouri boothill and across west Tennessee, reaching many thousands every week. Although the church hires a part-time director, all of the audio and camera people are volunteers. You would be welcome to assist in these tasks, and training is available. For more information, call Rev. Ray Hatton at 454-1131.
Prayer Line
9:30 a.m. Worship, WPTY-TV Channel 24 ABC
Each Sunday morning for over thirty years, volunteer counselors have answered telephones on the Prayer Line, as viewers call in with prayer needs, requests, and spiritual questions. In this way, the church is able to minister beyond its walls, meeting the needs of hurting people and seekers from many walks of life.
Television Donations
The church has never made appeals for money on the air, despite the very large cost of the Television Ministry in air time and equipment. The church budget has largely covered these needs. However, in recent years, people have expressed that the service has meant to much to them or to loved ones, that they have asked to underwrite the cost of a worship service, and the present cost is $2,500 per Sunday.
Giving a television broadcast is a great gift to the church, since it frees up budget money for other areas of ministry, and it is a great gift to the community, since many thousands of people watch the church program each Sunday.
If you would like to donate a TV service, please call Rev. Ray Hatton at 454-1131 for details and to choose a date. You may wish to partner with someone else to make the donation, or with a group. The service may be given in memory or in honor of someone special. There will be a printed acknowledgment in the Sunday order of worship (similar to the giving of flowers), and there will be a full-screen acknowledgment at the end of the TV broadcast. Please consider your part in sharing First Baptist with our community in this very special way.
TV Endowment
Another way to underwrite the church’s Television program is through gifts to the Television Ministry Endowment Fund to insure the continuation of this remarkable ministry to the community. When the endowment reaches an adequate level, the interest it generates will pay the entire cost of the ministry, freeing the church budget for other vital uses. For more information on how you can help, contact Rev. Ray Hatton at 454-1131.
Radio
9:30 a.m. Radio Bible Class, ESPN 680 AM and ESPN 92.9 FM
11:00 a.m. Worship, ESPN 680 AM and ESPN 92.9 FM
First Baptist Church made history in 1924 when it launched WGBC (World’s Greatest Bible Class) one of the earliest radio stations in Memphis. Launched by the men of the church, it provided a Sunday morning Bible Study for listeners (it was not until some years later that the church began broadcasting the morning worship service). When the church sold the station, it retained a 99-year lease to broadcast each week, and for over 80 years, that ministry has touched the lives of travelers in cars, jail inmates, hospital patients abd nursing home residents, as well as many people listening in their homes.
The Radio Bible Class at 9:30 is taught by Dr. Mac Hodges and Dr. Ben Bledsoe, two gifted Bible scholars, and is followed at 11:00 by the live broadcast of the worship service.
