Haven Today is a national broadcast Christian radio program.[1] The radio program was founded in 1934 as The Haven of Rest by Paul Myers, who became a radio personality known for Christian ministry.[2] The program has had four hosts: Myers,[3] Paul Evans, Raymond C. Ortlund Sr.,[4] and Charles Morris. The daily broadcast is currently on over 600 stations in North America and overseas.[1][5]

Haven of Rest
Haven Today Logo
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English, Spanish
StarringDavid Wollen
Created byPaul Myers
Original releaseMarch 16, 1934 (1934-03-16)
Websitehaventoday.org

History

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Prior to founding his ministry, Paul Myers was a Los Angeles radio personality and station manager. He credited the founding of Haven to hitting rock bottom: kicked out by his wife and passed out on a beach during a drunken bender, he was awakened by a ship's bell; back at his hotel, he opened a Gideon Bible and felt called to ministry.[4] After returning to his wife and family, he was back on Los Angeles airwaves on KHJ (AM), and in 1934 started the radio broadcast The Haven of Rest on KMPC.[4] Myers gave the show a nautical theme, hosting under the name "First Mate Bob" and starting each show with a ships’ air horn, Eight Bells, and an in-house quartet singing 1890 hymn “The Haven of Rest."[4]

Myers retired in 1971 and turned the program over to Pastor Paul Evans, who hosted the show until 1981.[citation needed] In 1981, Evans was replaced by Dr. Raymond C. Ortlund Sr., the former long-time Senior Pastor at Lake Avenue Congregational Church in Pasadena, California, where he had broadcast services over KRLA.[6] By 1988, the Haven of Rest was on 275 stations. Ortlund hosted the Haven of Rest radio broadcast from 1981 to 2000.[7] Ortlund also served as a teaching pastor at Mariner's Church in Newport Beach, California in the 1980s.[citation needed] In 2008, Ortlund was inducted into the National Religious Broadcasters Hall of Fame for his years of hosting the Haven of Rest.[8][citation needed] In 2000, the program was taken over by Charles Morris, a former news reporter and editor for United Press International who also worked as press secretary for two former U.S. Senators.[citation needed] Morris changed the program's name to Haven Today[citation needed] and replaced the live in-house quartet with contemporary Christian music in 2001.[citation needed] Morris has co-authored several books with Janet Morris, his wife, including Saving a Life, Jesus in the Midst of Success, and Missing Jesus.[1][5] [9]

The Haven of Rest broadcast moved to a new station about every 2 years: KNX (AM), KHJ (AM), KMPC, then the KFI AM studio in Los Angeles, then the NBC Blue Network and NBC Red Network.[1][10][11]

Haven of Rest historical building

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In 1941, Paul Myers commissioned a nautical-themed two-story building at 2432 Hyperion Avenue in the Silver Lake District of Los Angeles for the Haven of Rest broadcast.[12] In 1998, the Haven program moved out of the nautical building to Costa Mesa, California, then to Riverside, California. On December 5, 2007 the building was awarded site number 895 on the Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments list for its unique architecture. The building has porthole windows, gangway ramp and promenade deck hand rails. The interior studio was equipped with a pipe organ for the program.[13][11]

Present day

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David Wollen is the host of Haven Today. The thirty-minute program is a mix of Christian music, biblical teachings, interviews and a discussion of current events.[citation needed] The program airs 5 days a week on over 600 stations in North America. In addition to the radio program, Haven Today continues to publish a devotional guide called The Anchor Daily, founded by former host Pastor Paul Evans in the 1970s.[5][14]

Haven Quartet

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The Haven of Rest Quartet was started in 1934,[citation needed] the same year that the radio program began. Referred to on air as the "Crew of the Good Ship Grace," the group performed traditional hymns and gospel songs a cappella or with organ accompaniment. From 1934 until the 1950, all songs were performed live on air.[citation needed] With the addition of their own ship-like recording studio and modern tape recorders in the 1950s, the quartet started to record their songs in advance for playback on the show.[citation needed]

In the 1980s, the group began to incorporate a more contemporary sound, but it still lagged behind the most popular trends in contemporary Christian and worship music.[15] A name change to The Haven Quartet in 1989 failed to increase the group's recognition beyond its established audience.[15][16] By 2003, the quartet was no longer consistently included on the radio broadcast.[15]

Members of the quartet since its inception included:

The quartet's discography included the following albums:[33][34][35][36][37]

  • Favorites (1961)[38]
  • His Name Is Wonderful (1962)[39]
  • Glory to His Name (1969)[40]
  • The Music of Haven of Rest: Collector's Edition (1978)[41]
  • We're Just the Singers of His Song (1979)[42]
  • Starboard (1983)[43]
  • Precious Memories: 50th Anniversary Album (1984)[41]
  • Tidings of Joy (1984)[41]
  • Awesome God (1989)[16]
  • Christmas with Haven (1989)[41]
  • With One Voice (1995)[41]
  • A Cappella
  • An Acappella Christmas
  • A Cappella Hymns
  • Anchored[41]
  • Best of Christmas by Haven
  • Best Of Vol 1
  • Best Of Vol 2
  • Be Ye Holy[44]
  • Come Let Us Adore Him
  • Coming Home[44]
  • Crew of the Good Ship Grace[45]
  • Enter In
  • Everything's Gonna Be Alright in Christ
  • Haven of Rest[41]
  • The Hope[41]
  • The King Is Coming[41] (This was a solo album by Jim Bergthold)
  • Leavin' on My Mind[41]
  • Shipmates of Song[41]
  • So Many Ways To Praise
  • Something To Sing About
  • With One Voice
  • Glory to His Name

Hosts

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Host Years
Paul Myers 1934–1971
Paul Evans 1971–1981
Raymond C. Ortlund Sr. 1981–2000
Charles Morris 2000–2024
David Wollen 2024–present

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Haven Today: Bringing the gospel to the masses for 80 years". Orange County Register. Dec. 29, 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  2. ^ Bruns, Roger A. (2002). Preacher: Billy Sunday and Big-time American Evangelism (2nd ed.). Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press. p. 297. ISBN 978-0-252-07075-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  3. ^ Balmer, Randall Herbert (2004). Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press. p. 480. ISBN 9781932792041.
  4. ^ a b c d Melton, J. Gordon; Lucas, Phillip; Stone, Jon R. (1997-01-16). Prime-Time Religion: An Encyclopedia of Religious Broadcasting. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-89774-902-2.
  5. ^ a b c "Haven Today, about". haventoday. Haven Today. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  6. ^ Independent Star-News from Pasadena, California, Page 118, April 3, 1960
  7. ^ "Celebrating 80 Years of Haven Today, by: Haven Today, March 26, 2014". Archived from the original on November 15, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  8. ^ "The National Religious Broadcasters Hall of Fame induction Ray in 2008". Archived from the original on 2015-11-06. Retrieved 2016-11-18.
  9. ^ "RELIGION: Haven Christian radio broadcast celebrates 80 years". Press Enterprise. 2014-12-24. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  10. ^ The Silver Lakenews, ‘Good Ship Grace’; Haven of Rest Radio Ministry 1941, July 27, 2015
  11. ^ a b Locke, Michael (2013-10-29), Haven of Rest Ministry, "The Good Ship Grace" c.1941, retrieved 2023-07-02
  12. ^ "2432 Hyperion Avenue 90027 – Haven of Rest". Los Feliz Improvement Association. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  13. ^ "the Good Ship "Grace" - Los Angeles, California". wikimapia.org. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  14. ^ My Faith Radio, Haven Today
  15. ^ a b c McNeil, W. K. (2013-10-18). Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music. Routledge. ISBN 9781135377076.
  16. ^ a b "The Haven Quartet* - Awesome God". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  17. ^ a b c "Starting Young". Haven Today. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  18. ^ "The Haven Quartet". Haven Today. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  19. ^ a b c "Haven of Rest quartet | FEBC International Archive". febcintl.org. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  20. ^ "Haven of Rest, 1936 | FEBC International Archive". febcintl.org. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  21. ^ Memoirs of Lorin J. Whitney, Edited by Bob Kalal [verification needed]
  22. ^ "Shoemaker, Glenn--LinkedIn".
  23. ^ "Herman Hosier". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  24. ^ "Seedsower Music". www.waltharrah.com. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  25. ^ "BIOGRAPHY | Randy Crenshaw". Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  26. ^ "Bill Cantos | BIO/QUOTES". billcantos. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  27. ^ "Haven Quartet - Haven of Rest". www.singers.com. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  28. ^ "One of the Faithful . . . A Tribute to Truitt Ford Archives". Haven Today. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  29. ^ "Through it All with Paul Sandberg Archives". Haven Today. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  30. ^ "Steve & Rachel Ragsdale". steveandrachelragsdale.com. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  31. ^ "Haven Quartet at Singers.com - Contemporary Christian A Cappella Group". www.singers.com. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  32. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The Haven Quartet - The Archives". HavenToday.org. 2020-09-10. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  33. ^ Singers, Haven Quartet [verification needed]
  34. ^ discogs.com, The Haven Quartet [verification needed]
  35. ^ Photo of the Haven Quartet [verification needed]
  36. ^ God's Report, He gave the winds a mighty voice: Bob Bowman 1915-2014, March 19, 2014, By Mark Ellis Archived November 19, 2016, at the Wayback Machine [verification needed]
  37. ^ Singers, Haven Quartet today [verification needed]
  38. ^ "Haven of Rest Quartet--Favorites". Discogs.
  39. ^ "Haven of Rest Quartet--His Name Is Wonderful". Discogs.
  40. ^ "Haven of Rest Quartet--Glory To His Name". Discogs.
  41. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Searching for ""haven of rest quartet""on Discogs". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  42. ^ We're Just the Singers of His Song by Haven of Rest: The Quartet * Truitt & Dean, retrieved 2019-05-04
  43. ^ Starboard by Haven of Rest, retrieved 2019-05-04
  44. ^ a b "Haven Quartet at Singers.com - Contemporary Christian A Cappella Group". www.singers.com. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  45. ^ "Haven of Rest Quartet--Album". Discogs.
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