Carl Richardson invited Mary Nell and I to a meeting on September 23, 1977, at the Sheraton Inn in Gatlinburg, TN where a group of Pentecostal businessmen formed Vision Foundation for the purpose of using the electronic media to proclaim the gospel to the largest number of people at the lowest possible cost. At this meeting Carl Richardson founded Vision Foundation in 1977. Mary Nell and I became charter members. Being a member of the board of Vision Foundation has had a great effect on my life. Vision provided Christian friends, fellowship and a vehicle to utilize his talent and resources for the Kingdom of God. When you operate a large business, sometimes friends who don’t understand money tend to set you aside or make a difference in you. Dan did not want his local church brethren to exalt him or treat him differently because of his giving or business success. It had become awkward making large financial contribution in a small local church. He desired a place through which he could channel his contributions without being so visible. He knew the money that God had blessed him with could help to pave the way for sinners to hear the gospel message. Giving brought such joy to His heart, and he wanted to sow into good ground. Vision provided a niche for businessmen to minister without being spotlighted by their local brethren. Being able to fellowship with other successful Christian businessmen who were a part of Vision Foundation was a tremendous experience that was not available with any other group he knew. He felt the spirit of the Lord was present and blessed him in a special way at every Vision meeting. I was greatly impressed by this group of people. They were primarily Christian laymen and attending various churches in the Church of God. Their meetings were always very exciting as they sought way to proclaim the gospel using electronic media. The members shared exciting ideas as how to raise money and preserve the corpus while contributing the interest income to the ministry.
Arthur Hodges served as President and Hugh Statum served as Vice President during the meeting of the Board of Directors. These couples became lifetime friends to me. Hugh Statum, Art Hodge, Al Taylor, Carl Richardson, Raymond Wolfe, Jim Hamilton, Frank Hildreth, Bill Hildreth, Don and Carolyn Medlin, Roger and Kay Medlin and others.
The second of five proposals in the preamble to the Articles of Incorporation stated:
To inspire and enlarge the vision of Christian ministers and laymen in the use of the electronic media as the God-given tools for reaching the greatest number of people in the shortest amount of time at the lowest cost.
Most of those present at this first general meeting were lay men and women of the Church of God and all were excited at the prospects of uniting their efforts under an umbrella that gave them opportunity for ministry involvement with a new and promising format. Vision Foundation offered these leaders from all walks of life a heretofore unknown opportunity to invest personal time, talent, and money in ministries which, they felt, could literally reshape and change the world.
During the business meeting the Holy Spirit moved on Mary Nell and she gave a message in tongues.
These were the most exciting meetings I had ever attended. I was 45 years of age, and my business and personal life were terribly busy. I was experiencing great success in the five businesses I was operating. I was earning more profits than I had ever dreamed possible.
Carl always looked forward to attending the board meetings. One event that was special to him was traveling to Cleveland, TN and being there with Al Taylor to throw the switch for the new WQNE Radio Station on behalf of Vision Foundation. Knowing that he was a part of something so great was very important to him. He had dreams that the radio station would become a training center for Lee College students. Another exciting venture was participating in acquiring the Pan Southern Office Building in Cleveland in December 1978. It was then transferred to the Church of God International Headquarters and became the home of Forward in Faith and other ministries of the church. Members of Vision have become some of the most important friends in his life. Dan held the office of president of Vision Foundation from 1979 to 1983 and has served as chairman since that time.
Vision Foundation soon in 1978 purchased the Pan Southern office building located next to Cleveland Utilities office on Guthrie Street for the purpose of providing much need office space as an annex for the Church of God International Office which was located at the corner of Keith and 25th street. The Pan Southern building became the headquarters for the Spanish ministries. Rental income provided the funds necessary to meet the payment of the $144,017 purchase price.
I admit I did not fully understand the transaction, however I had great confidence in Bill Hildreth, who was president of a bank in Lenoir City, Tn., Jim Hamilton, and other member of the board of directors of Vision.
In December of 1978 ownership of the Pan Southern Building was transferred to the Church of God General Offices.
Several of the directors knew Roger Gupton and highly recommended him for the position. I had no knowledge of Roger, however I concurred with their recommendation and Roger was hired and moved from Minnesota to Cleveland.
Al Taylor brought to our board an offer for Vision to purchase radio station WQNE.
I always looked forward to attending the board meetings. One event that was special to me was traveling to Cleveland, TN and being there with Al Taylor to throw the switch for the new WQNE Radio Station on behalf of Vision Foundation. Knowing that I was a part of something so great was very important to me. I had high hopes that the radio station would become a training center for Lee College students. Another exciting venture was participating in acquiring the Pan Southern Office Building in Cleveland in December 1978. It was then transferred to the Church of God International Headquarters and became the home of Forward in Faith and other ministries of the church.
Members of Vision became some of the most important friends in my life. I held the office of president of Vision Foundation from 1979 to 1983 and then served as chairman until Vision was dissolved abut 2009.Those were 30 exciting years.
When I began to use the Internet, I wanted the people of Vision Foundation to catch the vision of using websites and Facebook to proclaim the gospel. Somehow, they failed to accept my invitations to become involved, although they congratulated me for what WinWorld, and Jesus Saves Network were doing.
Al Taylor became president about 2008 and soon dissolved Vision when he transferred the funds to Church of God World Missions and accepted a position with them.
The Vision Foundation
On September 23, 1977, Carl Richardson invited Mary Nell and me to a meeting at the Sheraton Inn in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. There, a gathering of Pentecostal businessmen came together with a single, shining purpose: to harness the power of electronic media and proclaim the gospel to the greatest number of people at the lowest possible cost. It was at this meeting that Carl Richardson founded Vision Foundation, and Mary Nell and I were honored to become charter members.
Few decisions have shaped my life as profoundly as that one. Serving on the board of Vision Foundation gave me far more than a title—it gave me Christian friends, rich fellowship, and a meaningful vehicle through which I could pour my talents and resources into the Kingdom of God.
A Place to Give Freely
Anyone who has operated a large business understands a quiet truth: success can change how others treat you. Friends who do not understand money sometimes set you apart, or look upon you differently. Dan never wanted that. He did not wish for his local church brethren to exalt him or treat him as anything other than one of their own simply because of his giving or his business success. In a small local congregation, making large financial contributions had grown awkward, and he longed for a place through which he could channel his gifts without being so visible.
He knew that the money God had blessed him with could help pave the way for sinners to hear the gospel. Giving brought such joy to his heart, and he wanted to sow his seed into good ground. Vision Foundation became exactly that—a niche where businessmen could minister quietly and faithfully, without ever being spotlighted by their local brethren.
To fellowship with other successful Christian businessmen within Vision Foundation was a tremendous experience, unlike anything available in any other group he knew. He sensed the Spirit of the Lord present at every Vision meeting, blessing him in a special way.
I, too, was deeply impressed by these people. They were, for the most part, Christian laymen who worshiped in various congregations across the Church of God. Their meetings were always alive with excitement as they searched for new ways to proclaim the gospel through electronic media. The members shared bold and inspiring ideas—how to raise funds, how to preserve the corpus, and how to give the interest income faithfully to the ministry.
Friends for a Lifetime
During the meetings of the Board of Directors, Arthur Hodges served as President and Hugh Statum served as Vice President. These couples became lifetime friends to me: Hugh Statum, Art Hodge, Al Taylor, Carl Richardson, Raymond Wolfe, Jim Hamilton, Frank Hildreth, Bill Hildreth, Don and Carolyn Medlin, Roger and Kay Medlin, and many others.
The second of five proposals in the preamble to the Articles of Incorporation captured the spirit of it all:
To inspire and enlarge the vision of Christian ministers and laymen in the use of the electronic media as the God-given tools for reaching the greatest number of people in the shortest amount of time at the lowest cost.
Most of those present at that first general meeting were lay men and women of the Church of God, and every one of them was stirred by the prospect of uniting their efforts beneath a single umbrella—one that opened the door to ministry through a new and promising format. Vision Foundation offered these leaders, drawn from all walks of life, a previously unknown opportunity to invest their personal time, talent, and money in ministries that they believed could literally reshape and change the world.
During the business meeting, the Holy Spirit moved upon Mary Nell, and she gave a message in tongues.
These were the most exciting meetings I had ever attended. I was forty-five years of age, and both my business and personal life were tremendously busy. I was experiencing great success in the five businesses I operated, earning more profit than I had ever dreamed possible.
Ventures of Faith
Carl always looked forward to attending the board meetings. One occasion stood out as especially meaningful to him—traveling to Cleveland, Tennessee, and standing beside Al Taylor to throw the switch for the new WQNE Radio Station on behalf of Vision Foundation. Knowing that he was part of something so great mattered deeply to him. He dreamed that the radio station might one day become a training center for Lee College students. Another exciting venture was helping to acquire the Pan Southern Office Building in Cleveland in December 1978. The building was then transferred to the Church of God International Headquarters and became the home of Forward in Faith and other ministries of the church. The members of Vision became some of the most important friends in his life. Dan held the office of President of Vision Foundation from 1979 to 1983 and served as Chairman from that time forward.
In 1978, Vision Foundation purchased the Pan Southern office building located next to the Cleveland Utilities office on Guthrie Street. Its purpose was to provide much-needed office space as an annex for the Church of God International Office, then located at the corner of Keith and 25th Street. The Pan Southern building became the headquarters for the Spanish ministries, and rental income provided the funds necessary to meet the payments on the $144,017 purchase price.
I will admit that I did not fully understand the transaction. Yet I had great confidence in Bill Hildreth—president of a bank in Lenoir City, Tennessee—as well as Jim Hamilton and the other members of Vision’s board of directors.
In December of 1978, ownership of the Pan Southern Building was transferred to the Church of God General Offices.
Several of the directors knew Roger Gupton and recommended him highly for the position. I had no personal knowledge of Roger, but I concurred with their recommendation, and Roger was hired, moving from Minnesota to Cleveland.
It was Al Taylor who brought to our board an offer for Vision to purchase radio station WQNE.
I always looked forward to attending the board meetings. One event remains especially dear to me—traveling to Cleveland, Tennessee, and being there with Al Taylor to throw the switch for the new WQNE Radio Station on behalf of Vision Foundation. Knowing that I was part of something so great was deeply important to me. I held high hopes that the radio station would become a training center for Lee College students. Another exciting venture was participating in the acquisition of the Pan Southern Office Building in Cleveland in December 1978, which was then transferred to the Church of God International Headquarters and became the home of Forward in Faith and other ministries of the church.
Thirty Exciting Years
The members of Vision became some of the most important friends in my life. I held the office of President of Vision Foundation from 1979 to 1983, then served as Chairman until Vision was dissolved around 2009. Those were thirty exciting years.
When I began to use the Internet, I longed for the people of Vision Foundation to catch the same vision—to see how websites and Facebook could carry the gospel to the world. Somehow, they never quite accepted my invitations to become involved, though they graciously congratulated me for the work that WinWorld and the Jesus Saves Network were doing.
Al Taylor became President around 2008 and soon dissolved Vision, transferring its funds to Church of God World Missions and accepting a position with that ministry.
Yet the vision itself never truly ended. It lives on in every soul reached, every friendship forged, and every seed sown in faith—a testimony to a group of ordinary men and women who believed they could help change the world for the Kingdom of God.
