Christian Radio, Mark & Carrie in the Morning, WGNJ 89.3 FM

Taste and See that the Lord is Good!
The Beginnings of Great News Radio...
by Carrie Burns

The Bible is full of accounts concerning meals and banquets, and we know that the Lord loves the pleasing aromas of good food and warm fellowship. God's Word says, "taste and see that the Lord is good!" (Psalm 34:8) Mark and Carrie Burns have tasted and have seen how good the Lord is: let's take a peek back in time to see how God created the ministry of Great News Radio.

I think that if God had a kitchen, He'd have wonderful cookbooks filled with incredible recipes. And I would also have to say, that in the "Main Dish Section," one might find a rather peculiar recipe that would read something like this: take 1 spicy feminist, mix with 1 grocery store manager; stir in lots of God's Word and lots of God's people and smother this mixture with thousands of prayers. Set mixture aside for a few years to develop and rise, and on Easter Sunday the dish may be served to the folks and families of east-central Illinois.

To tell you the truth, it sounds like an unusual recipe-- one that might not look too good at first glance. But we have learned that God is a Master at what He does. Here's an account of the dish God cooked up so that now, it is served 24 hours a day to thousands of people.

In the year nineteen hundred and ninety, a feisty little feminist in graduate school finished the last word on her thesis, submitted it to the printers, and crossed the street to the Jewel Food Store to buy her groceries. She was a pagan, and proud of it; she was single and pleased with that as well. But on this hot June day in 1990, something overpowered her so that upon entering the store, she took her cart and with a lunge, aimed directly for the stunned store manager. This manager, unbeknownst to the woman, was a man of God. This woman, unbeknownst to the manager, was someday to be his wife.

Well, it was arranged that they would go out for ice cream that night, and while sitting at the picnic table that hot June evening, the manager told the feminist about Christ, and about God's love. "For heaven's sake," she said to herself as she rolled her eyes in the privacy of her mind; "Oh my," her heart told her. "Listen. He has something to say."

This is where the thousands of prayers came in, and by July 2nd of that year, the woman had poured over the Psalms, Proverbs, and the Gospel of John. By July 2nd, she had met lots of God's praying people, and by this date in history, she had became convinced of God's love for her. She was also convinced that the Bible is God's Word. She turned her life over to him, and 2 weeks later, she came to accept Jesus as the lover of her soul who forgives all her sins.

The woman began to reconsider her ideas and ways and found that love is a better fuel for changing the world than anger, and that love is more powerful. Integrating this new truth into her everyday life was a process, but the journey in her newly- redeemed self had begun. The manager liked what he saw as he witnessed her growing into a woman of God. Wedding bells rang out on the last day of that year, and she and the manager became one in Christ and one with each other.

A few years passed and the couple grew together in their devotion to each other and to the Lord. Prayers and reading the Bible characterized this time, and when 1993 rolled around, the grocery store manager was ready to serve the Lord as a manager of volunteers for the Urbana 93 Missions Convention. He loved it. She grew to love it, and they thought then that life just couldn't get any more delicious than this. But God, the master chef, had more to add to the dish which He had begun.

At their Friday night Church Covenant Group, the manager and his wife heard a request by a family named Dunn to pray for a Moody Affiliate Radio station for the area. The couple were good-natured enough to pray, even though they thought the request was a little grandiose and a tad bit odd. Another Friday night came, and again the request was made. Then one day, the family named Dunn requested that the manager might consider running the proposed Moody station for which they had been praying. The manager and his wife thought "Now that's a horse of a different color!" and began to seek God with more of their hearts on this matter. Not only that, but they went straight to the Moody Bible Institute to talk with the Vice President of Broadcasting, and this Vice President was intrigued.

Meanwhile, and unbeknownst to most, a family living in Florida named VanZandt was busy with applications for a new Moody affiliate station in east-central Illinois. On a cold day in January 1994, the families Dunn and VanZandt met with the manager and his wife over Chinese food in Washington DC, and there, the prayers of all were answered. The radio project for east-central Illinois was on and ready to take shape. The family VanZandt would do the technical start-up work and provide the initial capital, and the manager and his wife would do the rest.

God stirred in more people, and more prayers. Taking a country drive with their Dairy Queen blizzards, the couple went out to search the skyline for towers. They knew that towers are extremely expensive and that space on them is rare because they are in such high demand. Well, they found what they thought would be the perfect tower in Fisher, Illinois. Approaching the neighboring farmer, the manager asked if he knew who owned the tower. The farmer thought it was Illinois Power out of Paxton. The couple filed away the information in their brains. The very next morning, the phone was ringing off the hook for the manager who was at that time managing a Promise Keepers outing. The last call the manager decided to take before calling it quits was from a man who wanted tickets. At this point, there were no PK tickets left, but the manager decided to take the man's name and information anyway. "Where are you from, Bob," he asked. "Paxton," came the reply. "Huh," thought the manager. He decided to ask the longshot question: "Hey, do you know anyone from Illinois Power out of Paxton?" "Why?'" Bob asked. The manager told him of the tower. Bob hesitated, then said, "Illinois Power doesn't own that tower, Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative does, and I used to be the Chairman of the Board!" Great News Radio now leases this tower and tower building, at a most wonderfully economical rate...

God stirred in more people and more prayers. A Gibson City tower man named Rhodes directed his capable crew high in the heavens to safely add 87 feet to the Fisher tower, then, knocked thousands of dollars off the bill.

God kept folding more of His people into the mixture. During this time, the manager's wife was learning to be like Esther. She read about Esther and studied her ways. She loved her boldness and beauty. She loved how Esther fasted and prayed, and she loved Esther's courage. One morning after fasting 3 days, the woman woke up early and drafted a letter that said to the couple to whom she wrote that, with Esther as her model of boldness, please receive this letter in the Spirit of God. With sweaty palms, the woman wrote, asking if the couple might be willing to loan any portion of the $100,000 she and the manager would have to find by April 7th to help establish the radio ministry. The wait began. The prayers increased. Then came the phone call. "How about if we wire you $80,000 tomorrow, and $20,000 next week. Does that sound good?" This couple had prayed, and talked, and asked questions, and felt totally stretched to provide these funds, but felt led of God to loan this capital, for 2 years, with no interest.

God kept stirring His people into His dish, and it was starting to get more delicious by the minute. Founding Partners began approaching the couple, asking if they needed more capital for the project. Money began coming in, some in chunks of 5,000 dollars, with others making payments over the next few years. Precious others began to give financial gifts, without fail, each and every month-- in quantities of five or ten or twenty-five dollars. The radio mixture was becoming enriched with the financial offerings of the saints. In addition to these benefactors, memorial gifts were received, making it possible for God's work to continue here on earth, even though some of His saints had reached their homes in heaven. God directed other people to join the mix by volunteering with their time and abilities. The volunteers built, answered phones, filled and made Tootsie Pop boxes, collated newsletters, made phone calls, encouraged others, and above and beyond all that, prayed.

The mixture was becoming a full-blown ministry, and then the day everyone had been waiting for, became a reality. On Easter Sunday, April 7th, 1996, the ministry was heard over the farmlands, prairies, and towns of east-central Illinois through the airwaves of 102.5 FM. God had done it. He did it in His own way, in His own time, with His own methods, and with the prayers, labor and love of His saints. He did it against all odds, and against all logic. He did it magnificently and with great flair. His recipe was a success, and now the people He loves can turn their radios on for themselves to "Taste and see that the Lord is good!"

This radio recipe that God has cooked up is served to thousands, and they have loved it. The manager and his wife have heard hundreds of stories first-hand of how the people have been taking in God's dish called WGNN, Great News Radio.

A woman from Elliott called to proclaim her gratitude, because her church closed its doors for the last time on Easter Sunday, and just as it did, God opened the window with the Great News of Christ on WGNN. A professional gentleman who moved here from India, has been partaking of this spiritual food and it is providing spiritual nutrition for him in his new country. The children have been feasting on godly refreshment on Saturdays, stopping from their play to sing songs they know and to hear stories of their Lord Jesus. God's most beloved widows from places like Champaign, Arthur, Rantoul and Cissna Park can make it through the long nights with comforting and loving nourishment from the scriptures and music. A Farmer City truck driver stumbled upon God's gift of Great News Radio, took notice, and recommitted his life to following the Savior. Over in Saybrook, a farmer harvesting his crops, called from his combine to pledge a financial gift to the Lord, for the Lord had given him so much through radio. A grandmother in Fisher who can't get out much any more, raises her hands in praise, because she now has the radio, reminding her of God's constant love and companionship. Lots of car-poolers from Danville to Decatur listen to God's Great News in their travels to and from school and work , starting the day off with a taste of God's Word. And, God is serving this special dish to those who seek the goodness and wholesomeness that will make them clean, and that will allow them to come into the light. These are the special ones. The prayers of the saints waft up through the heavens to God-- the saints want all to join in the banquet so that not one would be missing, so that all could taste and see that the Lord is good.

With this radio recipe, there's always enough to go around, and most every one who partakes of it wants more. It is a meal for the soul, and it is nourishing and wholesome and delicious. Yes, taste and see that the Lord is good.

We welcome you to Great News Radio, WGNN 102.5 FM. It is a joy to serve you through radio, and it is a delight to present to you this cookbook which celebrates the hospitality of the Great News Radio Family. May God bless you as you partake of Him.