Wilbur Nelson, pioneer religious broadcaster
Hyfler/Rosner
LAGUNA WOODS, CA - Wilbur Nelson, prominent pastor and pioneer religious
broadcaster, passed away on August 22, 2003, in Laguna Woods, California, at
the age of 92.
Nelson, who founded the nationally syndicated daily radio ministry, The
Morning Chapel Hour, in March of 1944, excelled as a pastor, preacher,
broadcaster, author, tenor soloist, song writer, choral conductor, and
trombonist.
"Dad was a 'real' broadcaster," says his son Norm Nelson, who continues to
direct the radio ministry, now known as Compassion Radio. "Today, most radio
teaching ministries consist of recycled recorded sermons which were preached
in church and then edited for radio by the pastor's technical staff. And, of
course, there's nothing wrong with that. It's a very effective approach. But
Dad created something new each day especially for the radio listener. For
years he even did his own tape-editing. He was a hands-on guy who loved and
mastered the entire broadcasting process."
Wilbur Nelson was well mentored for his many-faceted ministry. In the 1940s
he sang for Charles E. Fuller's Old Fashioned Revival Hour broadcasts, and
was a frequent guest speaker for "First Mate Bob" on the Haven of Rest
program. He was also on the staff of Dr. Floyd B. Johnson's Los Angeles
Evangelistic Center, where he co-hosted the center's radio program with Bob
Pierce, who eventually founded World Vision.
Nelson founded and pastored two California churches: Grace Church of
Huntington Park; and the Evangelical Free Church of Paramount. For several
years, he pastored the historic Country Church of Hollywood, where he and
his wife of 67 years, Ethyl, were married. He also pastored the Evangelical
Free Church of Wheaton, Illinois, which in those days included such
evangelical leaders as Dr. Ted Engstrom and Dr. Bob Cook among its members.
Norm Nelson recalls, "Dad loved serving in pastoral ministry and he gave it
his best on a full-time basis. But he also loved his radio work, and he gave
it a full-time effort as well. His God-given boundless energy enabled him to
do two full-time jobs very well. But in his later years, he confided to me
that perhaps he should have concentrated more on radio. Whatever inner
tension he may have felt about that, I'm sure that parishioners and radio
listeners alike are glad that he labored equally in both vineyards. He
touched so many lives via the pulpit and the microphone."
The radio ministry was honored with two industry awards from the National
Religious Broadcasters: the Award of Merit, and the Milestone Award.
Music was always a centerpiece of Wilbur Nelson's ministry. Gifted as he
was, both as a preacher and a tenor soloist, he was a popular speaker/singer
at leading Christian conference centers across America. He also used both
those gifts as Director of the Long Beach (CA) Youth for Christ rallies in
the 1940s.
Wilbur Nelson was a native of Colorado, born in the town of Brighton on
September 25, 1910. He was the fourth oldest of 10 children. He came to
California at the age of 19, intent on entering the ministry. He had
attended Pilgrim Bible College in Colorado Springs and pursued studies at
Pasadena Nazarene College in Pasadena, CA. He received Honorary Doctorates
from Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, CA, and from the National
University of Korea in Pusan, Korea. He was declared an Honorary Citizen of
Pusan, the second largest city in South Korea.
He was responsible for the building of Evangel Children's Home in Hong Kong,
a Christian orphanage created to rescue refugee children who had fled to
Hong Kong following the Communist revolution in China. The radio ministry
has supported the home ever since. He also built a 2000-seat
chapel/auditorium for Isabelle Christian School for Girls in Pusan, Korea.
The auditorium still bears the name "Nelson Hall", in honor of Wilbur and
Ethyl Nelson.
Norm Nelson says, "My dad had a strongly compassionate heart. He was always
an advocate for the little guy, the underdog, the abused and mistreated. It
may well have been his most Christ-like characteristic. Of all his virtues,
it made the strongest impact on me."
Norm continues: "His most memorable comment to me was, 'Take your
Christianity from Christ.' By that he meant focus on Christ; follow Christ;
learn from Christ; live like Christ; think like Christ; be empowered by
Christ. His theology was intensely Christ-centered. He was distressed by the
way evangelicals today have become politicized. He saw that as a defection
from the Christological center of our faith, a concession reflecting a lack
of confidence in the unique power of Christ's Gospel to redeem persons,
society and history.
