The ministry of Gospel Recordings was founded in Los Angeles in 1937. At that time Joy Ridderhof lay on her sickbed after returning from her time as a missionary in Honduras. All she felt was a deep sense of disappointment and sorrow at having to leave her beloved converts behind – people who in most cases were unable to read or write and relied on a verbal message to bring them to a saving knowledge of Christ.
If only she could have left behind recorded messages in their native Spanish, how wonderful a legacy! In this way the existing converts could be built up in their faith and other people reached … after all, “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”
Thanks to several friends’ generosity, Joy was able to see the beginning of this coming to fruition as she recorded the first gospel record in Spanish in the last day of 1938. What started out as a trickle soon became a veritable flood as enquiries for the Spanish records started coming in thick and fast not only from Honduras, but increasingly from other Spanish-speaking countries in Central and South America, as well.
A turning point was reached in 1940. Joy was asked to make a number of gospel recordings for the Navajo Indians in Arizona. Each additional language would lead to requests for more languages to be recorded. She agreed, and so began the fulfilment of the wider commission – to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Gospel Recordings has developed into an international mission with centers and bases in over 30 countries.
Recording work is done in makeshift recording studios in church buildings, classrooms, or just out under a tree. This material then has to be edited and have some music or songs added to it, to make it ready for distribution.
Distribution is done by teams of people moving from village to village, or through missions or churches that have been established in the particular language area. Recordings are also played or made available in clinics, schools and in market places. Villagers hear (in many cases for the first time), the Word of Life – and in a language that they fully understand.
The Mission is constantly seeking to update its equipment and methods so that people might be more effectively reached; there are thousands more new recordings to be made and older ones to be updated; new Recordists to be trained; and new distribution methods such as mobile technologies to be developed.
Please support the work of GRN by praying for the Members serving around the world, and for the projects in which they are involved. Pray also for a constant flow of new workers to carry on the task. There is so much yet to be done to bring the gospel to every tribe and tongue and it can only be done with the prayer support of God’s faithful people.
1939: The ministry was founded by Joy Ridderhof in Los Angeles USA. Because of her impoverished position Joy was totally dependent on the Lord for financial provision. Thus the ministry was founded on a clear understanding of God’s trustworthiness, and continues to maintain that position.
1953: Joy Ridderhof visited Australia en route for recording Gospel messages in PNG. She stayed with and enthused Stuart and Molly Mill, who with men such as Paul White, Ken Griffith and others commenced Gospel Recordings Inc Australia, situated in Sussex Street Sydney. Stuart Mill was Director. The main products were gospel messages on 78rpm gramophone records, and spring wound gramophones.
1957: Operations moved to a newly constructed factory at Eastwood. Staff expanded as young Christians saw this as an exciting field for evangelistic service. The Phonette was invented as the first hand wind, motorless record player. New Centres were spawned: GR-USA commenced a base in the UK; and Australia, with help USA, supplied the plant and machinery and staff for a centre in Bangalore India. Meanwhile recording technicians were trained and sent to many countries.
With the emergence of the cassette recorder and their use in Missions, research commenced into producing a reliable hand wind, batteryless cassette player. Development progressed through a number of models until the Messenger became the recognised work horse for missionaries and national Christians working in remote locations.
1974: As an adjunct to the spoken message on cassette, the first of our Bible teaching picture series were printed.
1977: Dick McLellan was appointed General Director of the mission.
1978: The Good News picture series – an overview of the Bible’s redemptive message was released and, with a recorded commentary, became an effective tool for oral communicators around the world.
1985: The Look, Listen & Live Bible teaching series of flipcharts were published, providing greater in depth teaching on many Bible themes.
1987: The Mission moved to an industrial complex at Castle Hill. This enabled us to develop a purpose built complex for both player production and studio facilities, plus office, research and development, packing and dispatch areas. With some of the proceeds from the sale of the Eastwood property, residential properties were purchased for use by the mission’s members.
1988: The organisation in Australia and some other countries changed from Gospel Recordings to Language Recordings.
1993: At various times in their history GR-US and LRI Australia and other Centres attempted to form a fellowship of the expanding family of organisations having common roots and vision. Finally the Gobal Recordings Network came into being as an umbrella fellowship of the 20 GR/LRI Centres around the world.
1996: GRN expanded to 22 Centres forming the GRN Council, and there are 7 developing bases. The GRN Executive Committee made up of the Directors of four Centres was appointed.
1997: The Living Christ loose leaf series of Bible pictures were published with a focus on reaching the minds of Muslim peoples of the world.
2000: Graydon Colville was appointed National Director/CEO of the mission.
2002: The 20,000th Messenger player was produced.
2003: 50th Anniversary in Australia. Technology developments continue, with recording starting to be done straight to portable computers.
2004: The name has changed again from Language Recordings to Global Recordings Network, to reflect the wider global fellowship of centres and bases in more than 30 countries.
2008: The Saber hand wind digital player was released. This was a successor to the various hand wind cassette players that GRN had produced over three decades.
2012: Graydon Colville became International Director of GRN. Christine Platt was appointed Australian CEO. To handle the expansion that was occuring the mission moved to larger premises in Prospect, including six purpose-build studios for sound editing and processing.
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