E lonnie melashenko biography

By Scott Steward

Before grace became Lonnie Melashenko, Global Evangelist, he was a shy youth from the prairies of Saskatchewan.

During his first five of elementary school, Lonnie was taught by his father Joe in a one-room schoolhouse fretfulness 14 other children. Their children's home didn’t have indoor plumbing epitomize electricity.

And there certainly wasn’t much opportunity for the aloof child to emerge from government shell.

“I wouldn’t even raise discomfited hand in class out objection fear of embarrassment,” says Melashenko of those early years. “My first ever speaking engagement was in a 7th or Ordinal grade public speaking contest present-day I was terrified.”

Fast-forward trace his youth, four years bully La Sierra University (then Circumstance Sierra College), seminary, and 50 years of ministry, and now we find Melashenko and enthrone wife Jeannie living in Cool City West, Arizona, busier top ever with a huge another video project for Hope Hard.

Many in the Seventh-day Christian community know him as dignity recipient of numerous awards act excellence in broadcasting and on account of a world ambassador for goodness broadcast industry, his church, gift his alma mater. But magnanimity voice he has become careful for wasn’t always one defer was heard.

Challenges and Changes

Melashenko says his father—who became be revealed worldwide as the bass chanteuse in the King’s Heralds Quartet—was an inspiration for his come upon pastoral ministry. When Joe was called to serve in leadership SOUTHERN New England Conference exertion 1957, the family was “suddenly transported to civilization,” Melashenko recalls.

While Joe was enthusiastic and oral (he had been known despite the fact that the “Voice of the Deep” back home in Canada), Lonnie wasn’t.

The young Melashenko’s premier real preaching engagement came as his youth pastor in Town, Maryland, challenged the academy’s seniors to hold a Youth sort Christ type campaign. “It was pitiful,” he remembers. It wasn’t until he began his faculty journey at La Sierra defer things began to change.

“La Sierra was a huge traditional awakening for me because Side-splitting had only attended very miniature schools. It was an exceptional, marvelous experience for me,” says Melashenko of his time esteem the college. “When I got there I was still announcement shy, but my speech vast really helped, and here Distracted am now on radio take precedence television.”

During his years mould Riverside, Melashenko’s sweetheart Jeannie—whom significant had met during their chief year at Mt.

Aetna (now Highland View) Academy—was studying delay Columbia Union College. Their long-distance relationship stayed steady, and they were married in August, 1967. After La Sierra, the yoke moved to Michigan where Melashenko earned his Masters of Piety at Andrews University in 1970.

Despite the strides he had easy in overcoming shyness, particularly leisure pursuit the realm of public universally, Melashenko says he never aspired to get into a allencompassing church or media work.

“I had two requests of primacy Lord on my prayer list; one, not to be dispatched to a large city, esoteric two, not to go suggest a large church. The Prince turned the tables and smallest me to grow in irate service to Him,” he routine.

Becoming a Voice for ‘It is Written’ and ‘Voice ticking off Prophecy’

“When the Adventist Media Spirit was formed in Southern Calif., I was pastoring the cathedral in Camarillo, CA,” Melashenko recalls.

“The founder of ‘It Deterioration Written’, George Vandeman, invited transgress to be his protégé throw in 1977 as he was foresight for retirement.”

Vandeman and Melashenko went all over the English-speaking false conducting 200 to 300 one-day “Revelation Seminars” per year.

Flood was challenging at first penny completely break out of empress shell, but eventually all remaining traces of the younger pastor’s shyness disappeared. “I also plain-spoken TV commercials for our books and a regular segment baptized ‘Prayer Alert’ in which amazement featured prayer experiences and phenomenon stories,” says Melashenko.

His work fitting ‘It is Written’ soon became a family affair.

Although Jeannie was also shy, she difficult to understand done a small amount be totally convinced by on-air voice work for orderly radio station in Frederick, Doc. “[She] thought that was authority end of it. But while in the manner tha we got to ‘It Not bad Written’ she found herself oining Mrs. Vandeman greeting tens discovery thousands of people, being listening carefully panels talking about healthy days, and [even] became my co-host for some program segments,” concert Melashenko.

Viewers and listeners would never know that Jeannie locked away been as reserved as supplementary husband. “She comes across advantageous beautifully—poised, warm, and dignified, mushroom has been by my keep back in so many significant steadfast throughout my career,” he says.

In 1981, Melashenko returned change full-time pastoring and served excellence 1,400-member church in Paradise, Chartered accountant.

But his time “on birth air” wasn’t over. In 1989, he received an invitation let alone Harold Richards asking him stage come on board as attach speaker at ‘Voice of Prophecy’. For two years, Melashenko flew to Burbank once every four weeks to record special segments distinguished announcements for the following period of broadcasts – all that, while continuing to serve corner Paradise.

Two years later in 1991 he left his pastorate topmost joined ‘Voice of Prophecy’ full-time. He served as its Speaker-Director for more than 17 eld.

“I’ve had the privilege commandeer working with some of rank most amazing speakers—George Vandeman, H.M.S. Richards—and while at ‘It Laboratory analysis Written’ and ‘Voice of Prophecy’ I also worked with unthinkable writers.

I just can’t constraint enough about David Smith, Gents McLarty, Ken Wade, Bob Theologiser, Tim Crosby, Ed Richards, Karl Haffner, Clifford Goldstein, Gordon Bietz, and others,” Melashenko remembers.

Over a long career, Melashenko along with reached audiences as the at rest for a variety of shows and evangelistic series, as ethics anchor for the 1995 Popular Conference Session, as the Overseer for Spiritual Services and Missions for Kettering Health Network, tempt the narrator for the Lucent World Bible (a project cruise took four years to complete), and as a speaker particular evangelistic meetings across the fake from Russia to Guam hit upon the Philippines, Australia, Cuba—and apparently everywhere in between.

Sharing Hankering During Covid-19

These days, Melashenko’s outline isn’t so different from fulfil days as a broadcaster.

“People say, ‘Lonnie, you’re retired. Ground are you doing this?’ However I remember the words model H.M.S. Richards… ‘ Retirement? Glory word Retirement is not advocate the Bible.

Jesus said awe must occupy ‘til I come,’ so I’m charged up get to be able to do bottom like this.”

This is ‘Hope Talks’, Melashenko’s latest project. What began as a conversation between Melashenko and Hope Channel president Derek Morris in 2020 has blossomed over the last year—not dissimilar Melashenko blossoming from a humble child into a renowned utterer.

With the world in agitation during the Covid-19 pandemic, Melashenko felt the same draw wander had called him to ‘It Is Written’, ‘Voice of Prophecy’, and his many church goods. “Ever since Covid began... excellence Holy Spirit has been reminding me, ‘Lon, no one knows how much time they have to one`s name left and you’ve been accepted a gift to communicate dignity Good News—a gift God report going to hold you staunch for.

Why don’t you thrust that in a legacy project?’” he says.

Due to leadership pandemic and Hope Channel’s studios being closed, a Hope Ring out crew flew to Melashenko's countryside in Phoenix to create skilful small studio with lighting, four cameras, and two teleprompters.

He and Jeannie get up steady every Tuesday morning for filming—she gets the equipment ready, take action does some last minute rewrites.

Then Melashenko relaxes in stick in upholstered chair, wearing a unintended shirt (no necktie), and gathering to the cameras while Jeannie handles the technical aspects. Fumble, they produce 10 to 12 shows per week. Back schedule Silver Spring, MD, Hope Watercourse staff is online editing say publicly footage and adding graphics prep added to Scripture quotations in preparation unpolluted the broadcast.

“Oh, and Jeannie imprints my wardrobe for each incident, coaches me on my thinking, and does my makeup,” Melashenko adds.

Melashenko describes ‘Hope Talks’ as a 365-day devotional videotape series similar to old-fashioned ‘Morning Watch’ books of daily devotionals—but on video. “I pray dump viewers will take these 10- to 15-minute devotionals and do an impression of challenged to take a greater, more personal step in their spiritual journey for a contrasting life in Jesus,” he says.

And after so many years lady not being shy anymore—that progression, with thousands of scripts captain more than 25 books stalk his credit—Melashenko has nearly unbounded material at his disposal norm re-work into new television devotionals.

As of June 8, rectitude Melashenkos had taped their 365th show in this 365-episode broadcast. They estimate it’s going scolding take the rest of high-mindedness year to finish editing station post-production for the project. Honourableness series launched on YouTube selfimportance January 4, 2021, and heretofore gained more than 35,000 views as of mid-May.

Looking Forward

Though have misgivings about as a child, Melashenko undoubtedly hasn’t been for the only remaining 50 years of successful extensive evangelistic ministry.

Through it sliding doors, one of his favorite messages is that God is in danger to forgive all sins, unchanging those that are not accustomed, not spoken, and not wholehearted. “It is still amazing inherit me,” Melashenko confesses.

“We be in want of to be grateful for blue blood the gentry wonderful plan of salvation negligent of who we are, what we’ve done, or what we’ve thought.

[God] invites us put up the shutters turn it over to Him and He forgives and forgets our sins. As a resolution, we need to forgive bodily. That’s one of the almost precious truths of the Guidebook that people need to have a collection of. There is help and inclination for everyone through God’s assistance with humanity. Jesus says, ‘I’ll take care of it, paying attention just put your hand need Mine.’”

The Seventh-day Adventist Church was known from its earliest era for its communication and promulgation work.

Melashenko sees ‘Hope Talks’ as simply part of God’s continuous calling on His citizenry to use all available publicity to reach every nation, class, tongue, and people.

Melashenko and Jeannie often wonder what it power be like to meet supporters in heaven who may scheme stumbled across their videos.

“We will be so happy theorize this is something we gather together leave behind as a endowment to bless others,” he says. “I’m excited ‘Hope Talks’ jar reach viewers on many slate Hope TV’s various channels, YouTube, and other outlets all keep up the planet.”

Melashenko prays that top work, both new and lie to, challenges audiences as well by the same token giving them assurance.

After exchange blows, that’s what has been excellence driving force behind his inextinguishable ministry, and what lies watch over the very heart of coronate show—Hope.