Sprouting Seeds of Faith
How our Organization was Founded
People ask how the COACB started. My reply is that all great things start with a simple seed. Our viewers know about our humble beginnings. We started over thirty years ago recording church services with a black and white camera to broadcast over the local cable public access channel. Today, our organization grew to operate three television stations, a production studio, an intercity relay, and internet web site. All of them geared to reach over 2.3 million people in central Ohio and countless millions through the internet, bringing the lost and downhearted to the saving glory of Jesus Christ. All of this started from just a very tiny seed of faith.
Our story starts forty years ago, when a young man, David R. Aiken received his draft notice. During that time the Army made the offer, if David would serve three years, he would be trained in electronics and become a field radio repairman. After receiving training, David began serving with the first maintenance battalion in Germany. David learned the skills needed to repair anything electronic that the army could transport to the field by plane, semi, helicopter, or by foot. His commander saw potential and sent David to Bavaria for advanced training in solid State Electronics. Little did anyone suspect that God was preparing the seeds for the COACB.
After serving three years in the Army, David was very happy to come home to his longtime sweetheart Carolyn. They married in January 1969. David was soon back to repairing radios and TVs. He learned that a radio station in Galion, Ohio had a transmitter that need to be rebuilt. The station was new and strapped for cash. David was a new preacher, that was experienced in transmitter repair, and had a great desire to spread the gospel. David traded repair services for airtime. Carolyn named his program “The Word of Truth” This is where David officially became “hooked” on broadcasting.
Well radio was wonderful but David kept noticing the power of television. The cost of television was entirely out of reach. The local Marion cable company said he could broadcast over their cable system provided he would furnish his own equipment. David and Carolyn sought the Lord’s help with prayers and tears. Why was the desire to reach out through television so great? There appeared to be no way possible to accomplish this. David just couldn’t find any way to acquire the equipment.
Journeying to J.C. Penney’s store one day David saw a table full of broken CB Radios with a sign saying “Broken make Offer”. David looked them over and decided to buy them all to repair. After repairing the radios he started selling them. They sold like hotcakes! One, two… five. Before he knew it he was down to his last two radios. Just then he met a man who wanted those two base C.B. radios. The man offered to trade a black and white camera and recorder for the two radios. David now had the camera and recorder needed for a television broadcast. This simple Black and White Camera was the start of what we all know as the Central Ohio Association of Christian Broadcasters. Soon churches were asking to borrow the equipment, so they too could have a television broadcast. The Seeds of Faith had started to sprout. First there was a broadcast, then numerous churches having broadcasts over CATV. Next came the forming of the Central Ohio Association of Christian Broadcasters as a not for profit organization. Later there came the construction of channel 39 in Marion, the purchase of TV56 (later changed to TV45) in Delaware, the construction of TV-39‘s intercity relay TV48 in Kenton, and the purchase of WGCT TV-8 in Columbus, Ohio. The seed has grown into a Glorious flower that has reached untold thousands with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In this we are very thankful. However, with Jesus in our hearts and broadcasting God’s love on the airwaves, we know the best is yet to come.
-Jonathan Aiken