The Calvary Hour Explained

The Calvary Hour was a religious radio program based out of Ohio that was broadcast internationally. It was probably the earliest use of mass media by the Mennonite Church.^[1]

The Calvary Hour began in November, 1936, founded by the pastor of Sterling, Ohio’s Pleasant Hill Mennonite Church, William G. Detweiler shortly after his ordination.^[2] The program was based in Orrville, Ohio.^[3] It was not centered around Mennonite teachings, but was generally Evangelical in nature, focusing on general preaching and Bible readings. For more than twenty-five years the featured musical artists were the Amstutz Sisters Trio,^[4] who also accompanied Detweiler on tour^[5] and produced a series of 78 rpm records on their own record label, Faith.^[6]

Although produced by Mennonites, the program never had any official standing within any Mennonite denomination, in fact many refused association with the broadcast.^[7] In 1951 a schism developed between followers of Detweiler's program and the denomination's Franconia Conference.^[8] In 1952 the program was carried by 21 radio stations in the United States, but was available worldwide over HCJB. William died in 1956, and the program continued from Orrville, Ohio, under his twin sons Bill Detweiler and Bob Detweiler. In 1988 the program was heard over 30 radio stations across North and South America.^[9] For the final fourteen years, the program was recorded at Colors Audio in Akron, Ohio. Production of the program ended in 2007 upon Bill Detweiler's retirement; the last show was broadcast on December 30 of that year.^[10] The governing board felt that the audience would not transition to another speaker after the program had been in a single family for such a lengthy time period.

The program was broadcast on WDAC for the entire length of production.^[11]

Notes and References

1. Book: Kraybill, Donald B.. 2014 . Mennonites and Media: Mentioned in It, Maligned by It, and Makers of It: How Mennonites Have Been Portrayed in Media and How They Have Shaped Media for Identity and Outreach . Wipf and Stock Publishers . 102–103 . 9781630877736.
2. Book: Hostetler, Beulah S. . 2002 . American Mennonites and Protestant Movements: A Community Paradigm . Wipf and Stock Publishers . 244 . 9781579109066.
3. Shelly . Andrew R. . April 1952 . Mennonites on the Air . Mennonite Life . North Newton, Kansas . Bethel College . VII. 2. 65.
4. News: . Obituaries . Mennonite Weekly Review . April 2, 2012 . May 24, 2016.
5. Book: Burdge . Edsel . Horst . Samuel L. . 2004 . Building on the Gospel Foundation: The Mennonites of Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and Washington County, Maryland, 1730–1970 . Herald Press . 551 . 9780836192650.
6. Amstutz Sisters Trio. If I Gained the World / I Do Don’t You . 78rpm phonograph record . en . Faith Records . 5004/5.
7. Book: Scott, Stephen . 1996 . An Introduction to Old Order and Conservative Mennonite Groups: People's Place Book, Issue 12 . Good Books . 154 . 9781561481019.
8. Book: Hostetler, Beulah S. . 2002 . American Mennonites and Protestant Movements: A Community Paradigm . Wipf and Stock Publishers . 267 . 9781579109066.
9. Book: Dyck . Cornelius J. . Martin . Dennis D. . 1990 . The Mennonite Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Reference Work on the Anabaptist-Mennonite Movement . 5 . Mennonite Brethren Publishing House . 101 . 9780836131055.
10. News: Jackson . Rachel . January 13, 2008 . Kidron's Calvary Hour ends era as pioneer of Christian broadcasting . The Daily Record . Wooster, Ohio . May 24, 2016.
11. Book: Burkholder . Jared S.. Cramer . David C. . 2012 . The Activist Impulse: Essays on the Intersection of Evangelicalism and Anabaptism . Wipf and Stock Publishers . 9781630876210.