time he purchased time on a local station, inaugurating the first broad casts of “The Radio Family Circle.” The church had its inception with a group of Christians meeting in a home. When they moved to a club building for the first service outside the home, 27 people attended. The family which worked with the Nel sons was Jack and Ruth Buck, who are now missionaries in Singapore (still supported by Grace Church). While violinist A1 Zahlout was en gaged in a series of meetings for the new church, he was invited by First Mate Bob to play on “The Haven of Rest” program. Nelson went along to the studio with him, and First Mate invited Rev. Nelson to give the mes sage that morning. Listening to the program in her home was Mrs. Ann Lee Erickson, whose husband con ducted “The Morning Bible Hour.” Being impressed with his sincerity
and trombonist, knows more than 3,000 Gospel songs. Converted at the age of 15 in Den ver, Colorado, he preached his first sermon a few months later. “I don’t remember what my text was,” he smilingly recalls, “But I knew then what God wanted me to do as future service for Him.” Attending the Colo rado Springs Bible College, Pilgrim Bible College and Pasadena College, he prepared himself for the impor tant tasks the Lord had before him. “I was not always on the main line,” the youthful looking radio evangelist confessed. “During the depression I worked in the printing business. At the time I didn’t realize how important my knowledge of printing would be in the future.” (From the offset press of the Morn ing Chapel Hour, Nelson and his as sociate Rev. Howard Jones, turn out the monthly publication, “The Grace
Jones and Nelson run offset press. Broadcasters. He is also a member of the Board of the National Associa tion of Evangelicals, Southwest Re gion and contributing author to numerous religious periodicals. The subject of his family strikes a warm cord in his heart. He and his wife have one son, Norman, who is president of the student body at Westmont College. “He went there on a basketball scholarship,” Nelson ex plains, “and was the first married stu dent to be elected president of the student body. He hopes to take his Master’s degree at the University of California at Santa Barbara, and from there go to seminary and, possibly, abroad for his Ph.D.” As to Norman’s future, Nelson answers, “That, of course, is up to him and his wife to decide, but naturally, it pleases me to know that he wants to preach or to teach the Gospel message.” The Bible Institute of Los Angeles also played an important part in the son’s life. As Nelson puts it, “It was at Biola that Norman found himself (as well as his wife). Biola gave him much higher scholastic goals and am bitions in Christ’s service. We shall both be forever grateful for the days he spent at Biola.” Close to the heart of Rev. Nelson is a work which his ministry supports, the Evangel Children’s Home in Hong Kong. Carried on by Free Church missionary Ruth Sunquist, the Morning Chapel Hour is currently raising funds to erect a building which will house about 100 orphan boys and girls in Hong Kong. Nelson has never been in the Orient, but he hopes to visit the field when the CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
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and unique abilities, Mrs. Erickson invited Nelson to take over the pro gram that her husband had carried on. The ministry since then has grown to an organization which strives to present the claims of Christ with genuine appeal to both saved and unsaved. While radio has been an important part of his service for Christ, Nelson has, as his first love the pastoral field. He served for 15 years as pastor of Grace Church, Huntington Park. He was pastor of The Church by the Side of the Road, Wheaton, Illinois, and is presently the preacher at the historic Country Church of Hollywood. He is President of the Southern California Gospel Broadcasters Association and a member of the National Religious
Broadcaster,” along with other ma terials and song books.) The ministry of music gave Rev. Nelson his first opportunity in radio broadcasting. It was through a young Christian education director, Bob Pierce, whose father-in-law, Dr. Floyd B. Johnson, was pastor of a large downtown Los Angeles church. Pierce invited Nelson to join their quartet which was composed of Pierce, Charles Turner and Riley Kaufman. He continued in this min istry for four years, eventually be coming assistant pastor and director of the quartet. In 1944 he was led to establish Grace Church of Huntington Park, which quickly became known as “The Singing Church.” At the same
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JANUARY, 1961
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