1949 The Bible Institute of the Air

1949 - The Bible Institute of the Air

Bible Institute of the Air - Ray Loyola, Faith Turner, Pepe Andrade and John Christiansen.

Bible Institute of the Air radio program - Ray Loyola, Faith Turner, Pepe Andrade and John Christiansen.

The growth of the Bible Institute of the Air led the mission to begin printing its own materials.

"We need more Bible Training" was the plea Clarence Jones heard during his five-month survey of 21 Latin American countries in 1945.

In 1949 the mission began the Academia Cristiana del Aire (Bible Institute of the Air) to help provide Bible and theological training through radio programs and correspondence courses.

Thousands of Latin Americans completed the courses. Students included pastors and lay pastors (who had no other access to formal training), church leaders, and many prison inmates.

In Cuba, unbeknownst to HCJB, some churches created copies of BIA materials so that students could complete the coursework. Local Cuban pastors would then review and grade their answers.

Bible Institute of the Air Donald Turner at mic and Mel Whitaker at the controls.

Russian translation of a Bible Institute of the Air course.

HCJB's Bible Institute of the Air and Russian Radio staff celebrate the arrival of BIA courses printed in Russian.

Next: 1949 - The beginning of missionary medicine in Ecuador.

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