- Vermont Christian Radio (WJPL-LP located at 92.1 FM in the Barre & Montpelier, VT area) came by God in a marvelous incredible way. To God be all the glory! Here is a brief summary of how our station came in to existence.
- In the year 2001 God brought to our attention that there would be a small window of opportunity to apply for one available LPFM (Low Power FM) frequency in the Barre, VT area. These windows are rare and when they do come there may not be any frequencies available in your area. The fact that we even heard about this is an example of how God brings good out of bad. It was through the poor health of the dear wife of our radio president that they even found out about this opportunity. One of many things I’ve learned in all of this is when God calls, we need to listen. He doesn’t force us, but if we don’t follow His calling, we will be the ones to miss out on the blessing!
- With the FCC application Deadline coming we needed to locate a radio tower location along with a commitment. We went out searching but to no avail. Vermonters do not look kindly to towers marring their beautiful landscape. After many many hours of searching and phone time, we received a commitment from a local business that owned a mountain with towers. God came through for us and we were able to get our application submitted within minutes of the deadline.
- We learned that there was a competing application for the one and only frequency license that was available in this area. It was from our state government. It was ultimately dismissed and we were awarded the license. Praise God!
- After receiving the construction permit we proceeded with construction plans. But we were terribly disappointed to hear that we could not put our radio antenna where we had received the commitment. So began our search again with many more phone calls. Finally after several months we found a place owned by our town where we could rent space to place our tower.
- With the tower location reestablished, we began fundraising. We estimated that we would need about $30k. But with our school debt, there was apprehension about raising funds for a radio station. But as Danny Shelton of Three Angels Broadcasting network has said, God has more pies in the refrigerator – more financial pies to be tapped. God proved His support of this once again when He brought in all the funds and then some for this project by our deadline! He brought funds from as far away as Canada, CA, Hawaii, and many other parts of the country.
- A total of five permits were needed, including Act250 and a telecom permit from the town. God rewarded our efforts and we obtained all needed permits within about 2-3 months before our deadline when we needed to be on the air.
- Another challenge was that our Transmitter arrived damaged, a critical piece of equipment. We tested it with a low power output and it tested fine. So we proceeded with configuration and wiring. A couple of weeks later we were further along with the equipment setup and we tested it again, only to find that it failed. Now what do we do? If we send it back for repair it may not be returned in time before our deadline. If we don’t, then it may not run at the full power that we need once the antenna is installed. If we are not broadcasting at the power level allowed by the FCC by our deadline, we could be locked in at the level we’re able to broadcast – which means smaller coverage. In talking with our engineer and the manufacturer of the transmitter and antenna, they suggested we purchase a device that would allow us to fully test the transmitter without the antenna to try to identify the cause of the problem, was it the transmitter, antenna, or cable. God had it all figured out. The timing was incredible. We discovered this issue the Sunday before the antenna installer returned from his two week trip and was able to put up the antenna. We ordered the test kit and had it shipped overnight which arrived Tuesday, the very day the antenna was installed. After the antenna was installed, I tested the transmitter again at full power and would you believe it worked? It worked beautifully. I did not get a clear answer from either the antenna installer or the engineer as to why it is now working and didn’t previously, but I choose to believe it was another one of God’s wonderful miracles, at the very least, a big blessing.
- We went on the air, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week starting June 1, 2005 after a group of us had a prayer of dedication there at the transmitter building. Praise the Lord for all of his wonderful miracles and help. This station is a wonderful and humbling responsibility that we are working with God on. It is a beacon of hope for a deceived and dying generation that can provide hope and encouragement to all who listen. It is our goal that nothing is broadcasted that is not 100% Bible truth and not have even one thread of error mixed in.
- The Call Letters of our station are WJPL-LP 92.1 FM which is a double acronym for “We Just Praise the Lord for His Wonderful Joy, Peace, and Love”. The “LP” stands for Low Power, but this does not mean low impact. God has stretched this signal beyond the expected distance and we are not only covering Barre, our targeted area, but also much of Montpelier and surrounding towns. We have been spreading the Good News of God’s Wonderful Joy, Peace, and Love to our community for over 18 years! Praise the Lord for what He has done! Our prayer is that many will be lead to Christ and his enduring love as a result of this ministry.
Radio Ministry
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