“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 NKJV
Percy Crawford began airing the Young People’s Church of the Air October 4, 1931, Sunday afternoons from Philadelphia’s Barnes Memorial Presbyterian Church.
Crawford was born in Canada, moved to Los Angeles in September 1923, and was “born again” at the Church of the Open Door, founded by R.A. Torrey. In 1924, Crawford enrolled in the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (which Torrey also founded).
At Biola, Crawford learned “evangelism is the saving of souls.”
In 1927, Percy Crawford transferred to Wheaton (Illinois) College. The summer of 1929, Crawford joined the Wheaton College quintet. They ended their summer tour in Vincennes, Indiana on September 1.
Crawford intended to enroll in Princeton Seminary, but learned that years before they had opposed Billy Sunday’s evangelistic ministry. So Crawford decided to attend Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia instead.
In “A Thirst for Souls,” Dan Crawford wrote: “Of greater concern to Percy was the Calvinist doctrine of divine election – that God has pre-elected those who are destined for eternal salvation. Percy struggled with this doctrine as a student because he saw that it was in conflict with the premise of his entire evangelistic ministry – that the individual must accept or reject Christ as Savior and that this choice would determine his or her eternal destiny. The doctrine that this choice was already determined and that the individual contributes nothing to it would, if true, make a mockery of all that he was doing.”
To follow up those who had decided to “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,” Percy brought the “Fishermen Club” concept to Pennsylvania, and by 1935 had started clubs in 12 states. My uncle, Carl “Buss” Dooms, actively participated in a Fishermen Club in Mt. Carmel.
The summer of 1931, Crawford became pastor of Barnes Memorial Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, and invited youth in the neighborhood to attend. Attendance increased and radio listeners connected.
Conducting evangelistic meetings up to three days each week, and the expanding radio ministry, presented the need for an attractive place to train and encourage youth.
As a result of consistent prayer and God’s miraculous interventions, Pinebrook Bible Conference in the Pocono Mountains was soon teeming with youth during the summer.
More radio stations began carrying the Young People’s Church of the Air program, and in 1944 the National Association of Evangelicals formed the National Religious Broadcasters, and Percy Crawford’s radio ministry became an affiliate.
In “A Thirst for Souls,” Percy’s son Dan Crawford wrote: “Percy’s expansion of the radio broadcast to a nationwide audience in the early 1940s opened up a new horizon for evangelistic enterprise. What distinguished his ministry from that of other prominent national broadcasters of that era – Walter Maier, Charles Fuller, Paul Myers, M.R. DeHaan, Theodore Epp – was the extent to which he took his evangelistic team on the road to gather the harvest of souls that the broadcast had made possible. Thousands had already turned to Christ through the broadcast. But many more souls would respond if they could meet the evangelist and his team face to face. Percy had been schooled in the methods of personal evangelism by T.C. Horton (Fishermen’s Club founder) and Reuben Torrey, and he never lost his appetite for taking the gospel directly to lost souls and meeting them on a personal basis.”
Percy Crawford was a visionary.
In “Young Man on Fire,” the Torrey Johnson story, Mel Larson said: “Unconsciously many Youth for Christ speakers have patterned their messages after Crawford’s preaching. He speaks the language of youth in a frank, sincere and fearless way. He wavers not a whit from the old-fashioned Gospel. In a somewhat high-pitched voice, he speaks rapidly, and hammers his points home with plenty of Scripture.”
“The Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword.” Hebrews 4:12 NKJV
God’s ABCs – A: Admit you’ve sinned. B: Believe on Christ. C: Confess Christ publicly – present specific scriptures.
Jesus shares the essence of the Gospel: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 NKJV
From October 1931 forward, Percy Crawford set the pace of presenting the plan of salvation in the most personable way.
For nearly 60 years, TTT Christian Youth Ministries consistently uses every means and media possiblpe to invite anyone, anywhere to receive God’s gift of eternal life when they “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Teams of Christian communicators are taking this message to county fairs across the Tri-state with “Fair Share,” July 7 through August 1.
Today can be your day of salvation when you personally “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Will you?