As a young boy in Belize, Ray Young loved radio. In fact, he remembers creating and recording his own programs with his father’s tape deck. He had always wanted to be involved with radio. When Ray and his wife Debbie moved to Ypsilanti, Michigan, and joined the Ypsilanti Adventist Church, he found a need and stepped in to help with the audio for the church service. There was very little equipment to begin with, but slowly Ray began realizing his boyhood dream.

Debbie said it all started in the second bedroom of their home. From time to time Ray came home with another piece of electronic equipment that could be used to record programs. A radio ministry soon began with a series of one-minute spots, then five-minute programs, and then a 30-minute religious variety show. Through long-distance interviews listeners learned how Adventists were contributing to the world community by meeting a whole variety of needs.

In those early days of production, Debbie stood at her microphone in the spare bedroom while Ray taped a little lapel mic to the speaker on the phone to pick up the other person’s voice. Their program, Quiet Moment, was heard on the largest religious radio station in Detroit. Soon the program was being carried by stations on the Adventist Radio Network, including the Adventist World Radio station on Guam.

They formed partnerships, which resulted in more people contributing to the content of the program. They took a mock radio program on the road to demonstrate what Quiet Moment was about. One of the churches that became a key partner was in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Ray and Debbie continued to produce the radio programs from their home until the neighbor’s dog developed a pattern of barking every time they started a recording session. So the Ypsilanti church board voted to support the ministry by providing space in the basement of the church. They built a studio room, control room, and a small office which serves as the home for the ministry today.

The ministry has changed with the industry. With the support of Adventist-Laymen’s Services and Industries (ASI), the Youngs purchased television cameras and for the last couple of years have streamed the church service live over the Internet. Since they began this phase of the ministry, they have received e-mails from as far away as China.

“This is really exciting!” exclaimed Debbie. “You work hard in your ministry and you believe in it, but it’s sure nice to have some validation—some affirmation." They started getting more e-mails as people also discovered their website.

Debbie and Ray first started the ministry realizing the importance of a genuine relationship with God. It wasn’t about the equipment; it was about the relationship. Debbie says that the theme of their marriage has been, “What are we going to do about evangelism? How are we going to tell people about Christ? What are we doing in our community?"

Those questions continue to guide Ray and Debbie in their marriage, and their ministry.

Gary Burns is the Lake Union Herald editor.