Montrose obtains license to launch a station
After years of prayer and dreams, church members from the Western Slope of Colorado are rejoicing in the miracles God has worked on their behalf to now position them to operate a full-power FM radio station sharing the Adventist message 24/7 in their communities.
For years Gale George, a member of the Montrose Church, dreamed of having an Adventist radio station in the area. In 2000, he became aware that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was offering a license for a low-power station that covered most of the city of Montrose. He gathered church members together and in January 2001 the Montrose Christian Broadcasting Corporation (MCBC) was formed. Although they applied for the license, it was awarded to another group in town. So, they waited patiently for another opportunity.
In 2009, 3ABN World published a list of areas chosen by the FCC for new radio licenses. Our team was very excited to see that the small town of Olathe, located just north of Montrose and on the southern border of Delta County, had the opportunity for two full-power FM stations.
The MCBC board quickly held a meeting. There was much business to transact since board chairman Gale George had passed away in February 2007, and other churches in Delta County were anxious to join the endeavor. The Delta, Cedaredge and Paonia churches elected representatives to the MCBC board, which joyfully submitted the application in February 2010.
After a long wait, in June 2013 MCBC received notice from the FCC that pending an Environmental Impact test, we would be awarded the license. While the news caused great excitement, a problem arose. The owner of the property for our tower site had died and her heirs chose not to honor her promise. A new site was quickly found and an amended application resubmitted to the FCC in the summer of 2013. To date, we have heard nothing from the FCC.
But God had a special blessing awaiting us in the form of another person in the area who had obtained FCC approval and a construction permit but decided to sell the permit instead of constructing their own radio station. This was providential because this full-power station can reach a much wider area. God’s miracle effectively put us years ahead of where we have been and also gave us a larger potential population.
Yet this blessing comes with a faith-building catch. Usually, FCC approval allows three years in which to collect funds, purchase equipment and get everything installed and tested. This set-up time expires on October 31, 2014 for this station, so we must do the majority of our fundraising by then.
The constituent churches, with memberships of 30-100, have responded generously to our call for funds, but much more is needed. If the Lord impresses you to help, please consider giving a one-time gift before October 31, 2014. Because MCBC is a non-profit organization, any donations will be tax-deductible. Please be sure to include a return address so we can send the receipt.
Address correspondence to: Montrose Christian Broadcasting Corp. (MCBC), 1134 N. Townsend Ave., Montrose, CO 81401.
This article was originally printed in the September 2014 issue of OUTLOOK. It was written by Janice Lee Grant, who attends the Paonia (CO) Church.
