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"What we don't want is the Lincoln community to feel that, as an international ministry, we don't have an outreach to our local constituents here," [Woodrow Kroll] said. "So we've been doing some things this year specifically designed for the Lincoln audience."
"While you and I know of Lincoln because of UNL or because of the football team," he said, "if you mention the name 'Lincoln' in most places in the world, the first thing that comes to people's minds is Back to the Bible."
"People remember you the way you were in the '50s or the '70s or the '90s," he said. "Almost everything we do is edgy, although it's not perceived as edgy because, frankly, people inLincoln don't know us all that well."
One day in 1939, a young preacher from Oklahoma walked into Lincoln's KFOR radio station and bought a week's worth of air time for $65, all the money he had in his pocket.
With much of the world surrounded by conflict and confusion, Theodore Epp's vision was to proclaim the message of Christianity.
Epp's short devotionals attracted a wide audience and more and more stations signed on for them.
Sixty-seven years later, the organization that began with those first broadcasts now reaches about 3.6 billion people across the world.
This past year, however, the international radio ministry headquartered in Lincoln has been looking closer to home, said Woodrow Kroll, president of Back to the Bible and a senior Bible teacher.
"What we don't want is the Lincoln community to feel that, as an international ministry, we don't have an outreach to our local constituents here," Kroll said. "So we've been doing some things this year specifically designed for the Lincoln audience."
Such programs have included hosting concerts and the "Livin' It" extreme sports exhibition with actor Stephen Baldwin.
But the organization's biggest project is just now reaching completion.
Early this month, Back to the Bible started opening a new complex specifically for Lincoln area residents, Kroll said. The center, known as "Edge64," encompasses the east side of the organization's headquarters building at 6400 Cornhusker Highway.
Edge64 eventually will feature a skate park, concert venue, coffee house, research center and recording studio, said Elaine Baldwin, chief marketing officer for Back to the Bible.
"We're very excited about this avenue of the ministry," she said.
The skate park, known as Skate the Edge, opened last Friday . Admission is $1 per session.
Kroll said Back to the Bible wanted to provide young people with a place "that is safe, wholesome and fun."
Baldwin agreed, adding that the organization has enough skating ramps to change the setup every three to four months.
The coffee house portion of Edge64 will be full-service, Kroll said. It is scheduled to open next Friday.
"The intent is not to compete with restaurants," Kroll said. "We wanted to have a way to reach out to the Lincoln community."
Edge64 will also provide opportunites for local Christian bands, Baldwin said.
The concert hall has a capacity around 500, she said, and every weekend Back to the Bible hopes to host two or three bands or DJs, both local and national, also beginning Friday. Admission will be minimal, Baldwin said.
Additionally, the organization will help bands create demos in the "state-of-the-art" recording studio, she said. Details will be negotiated individually with each band.
Lastly, Edge64 will feature a Bible Literacy Center, Kroll said, describing the research center as a way to discover how people want to connect with God.
The high level of participation at the organization's events last summer inspired the creation of Edge64.
"The problem with success is, if you only do it one time, it's not really success," Kroll said.
Kroll said he also wants to see Lincoln residents become more familiar with Back to the Bible.
"While you and I know of Lincoln because of UNL or because of the football team," he said, "if you mention the name 'Lincoln' in most places in the world, the first thing that comes to people's minds is Back to the Bible."
The ministry Epp started now has offices in 14 countries. Back to the Bible broadcasts can be heard on more than 700 stations worldwide and in eight languages.
While Kroll is proud of the organization's longevity, he said it also has made it more difficult to keep the local community interested.
"People remember you the way you were in the '50s or the '70s or the '90s," he said. "Almost everything we do is edgy, although it's not perceived as edgy because, frankly, people inLincoln don't know us all that well."
Nevertheless, Kroll said, the city has treated Back to the Bible well, and, with the new complex, the organization is hoping it can give something back.
"All of this grew out of the fact that we discovered there was a need for all these sorts of things in Lincoln," he said, "and we thought we could fill it."
Reach Hilary Stohs-Krause at 473-7254 orhstohs- [email protected].
Caption: The ministry Theodore Epp started now has office in 14 countries and ministries in many others. Flags outside Back to the Bible's international headquarters on Cornhusker Highway symbolize part of the ministry's outreach. Back to the Bible broadcasts can be heard on more than 700 stations worldwide and in eight languages. JILL PEITZMEIER Lincoln Journal Star
Credit: LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR
Copyright Lee Enterprises, Inc. Mar 5, 2006