Spotlight

‘Christ for You’

KFUO Radio celebrates 100 years of continuous operation.

Story by Stacey Eising | Photography by Erik M. Lunsford | Fall 2024

We celebrate pastors on the anniversaries of their ordinations, marking their years in service to the church. We extol our missionaries who have spent years — sometimes decades — on the mission field.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of another Lutheran voice that has tirelessly proclaimed the Gospel of “Christ for you”: KFUO Radio.

In October 1924, KFUO performed its first on-air test from the campus of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and it began continual operation two months later — making it the oldest continuously operating Christian radio station in the world. Its growth was explosive almost immediately. By 1928, in response to demand, the station was airing all-day programming Monday through Saturday, with Sunday programming starting at 3 p.m.

The station’s content in those days was similar to today: music and hymns, chapel devotions, talk shows, Bible readings, and reports from the mission field.

Deborah Sivia remembers listening to KFUO from the time she was a little girl: “As far back as I can remember, every morning, my father would listen to KFUO. When we would get ready for church on a Sunday morning, there was KFUO; when we drove to church, there was KFUO; after church into the late evenings in our home … you guessed it: KFUO.”

Now a grandmother, Sivia has listened to KFUO with her grandchildren for years.

KFUO, which is now operated out of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod’s International Center, continues to fulfill its founding purpose — and so much more.

Throughout its early history, KFUO worked vigorously to expand its reach from coast to coast. Today, the station’s broadcasts can be heard around the world, thanks to online, 24-hour streaming.

A regular listener from Bucharest, Romania, said: “I listen to you with great love from Eastern Europe almost every day. For me, KFUO is a river of blessings that teaches me how to become a better Lutheran, and how to get closer to Jesus Christ. Especially when I listen to the hymns, I feel like I’m in heaven with Jesus. … Thank you, [KFUO], for filling our hearts with the love of Jesus Christ.”

In addition to Bible studies and teaching programs, weekend worship services, and talk and interview shows, KFUO produces other shows that are released exclusively as podcasts, including “The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge.” Programs like these can span the generations, joining younger and older listeners in Lutheran community and theology.

Longtime listener Elizabeth Wrage said: “KFUO Radio was part of the background of my youth. I remember being at my grandparents’ farm many Sundays with ‘The Lutheran Hour’ playing as we shared time together. From the moment I began listening to ‘The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge’ in the fall of 2019, it brought me back 30-plus years ago to my grandparents’ kitchen.”

Wrage’s daughter, Ellie, also started listening with her mother a few years ago and was quickly hooked: “I’ve become a bit of a superfan — participating in ‘Write This’ challenges, researching and choosing a [Lutheran] camp last summer that was 480 miles from my home because of the camp episode, acquiring my own set of Hymnal Companion books and proudly considering myself a #hymnerd. … I have grown in my faith and love of Christ because of what I’ve learned and discussed with my mom from the ‘Ladies’ Lounge’ episodes.”

The cultural and technological changes since 1924 are hard to fathom. Yet, through them all, KFUO has grown and adapted to continue proclaiming “Christ for you” to people across the nation and around the world.

We give thanks to God for His faithfulness in preserving this wonderful station and its testimony to Christ’s love.

Learn More

Listen at kfuo.org

Make a gift to support KFUO Radio

Stacey Eising

Managing editor for The Lutheran Witness.