About Our Founder
Dr. Oliver B. Greene founded The Gospel Hour in 1956 as a Christian outreach using radio, personal appearances, books, and audiotapes. The radio program, which began on one station in Georgia, spread in syndication until it reached a nationwide audience. At one time, the program was heard on more than 150 stations. The program is currently heard on more than 80 stations in the United States; on Caribbean Radio Lighthouse, which broadcasts the program throughout the Caribbean region; and worldwide via the Internet.
Dr. Greene began preaching as an evangelist in the early 1940s and went wherever he was invited to preach. This eventually led to his standard practice of holding revivals in churches and arenas during the winter and tent campaigns in the summer. His tents were quite impressive, the largest one being 300 feet long and 150 feet wide.
He also traveled extensively overseas, visiting and raising money for missionaries in many different countries. He was truly a “triple threat,” spreading the Gospel through public speaking, the Written Word, and the medium of radio. His personal ministry ended suddenly on July 26, 1976, when he died of an aneurysm. Through the prayers and donations of many friends, this ministry has continued and reaches thousands daily throughout the world.
After his death, his son, Dr. David B. Greene, along with his widow and his other son, Tom, continued the ministry. David has been involved with The Gospel Hour since childhood, always traveling with his dad in meetings and helping at The Gospel Hour headquarters. He brings to the ministry a scientific and mathematical background, as well as a law degree. David is a practicing attorney in Greenville, South Carolina, at The Greene Law Firm, P.A.
The Gospel Hour Statement of Faith
We Believe In:
- The Bible is the God-breathed, fully inspired, and forever settled Word of God, both the Old and New Testaments
- One God, Existing in Three Persons: Father, Son, & Holy Spirit
- The Deity, Virgin Birth, & Sinlessness of Jesus Christ, God in Flesh
- The Substitutionary Death of Jesus Christ on the Cross for the Sins of Mankind, & His Bodily
- Resurrection & Ascension
- Salvation by Grace through Faith in the Shed Blood of Jesus Christ, the One & Only Savior of the World
- The Person & Work of the Holy Spirit — Convicting of Sin, Drawing & Regenerating Sinners, Indwelling Believers
- Water Baptism by Immersion — Not as a Means of Salvation, but Signifying the Death, Burial, & Resurrection of Christ & the Believer’s Identification with Him
- Jesus as the Head of the One True Church, the Body of Christ, Made Up of All Who Are Born Again, through Faith in Christ
- The Complete Independence of the Local Church, an Assembly of Baptized Believers
- The Literal, Visible, Personal, Premillennial, Pre-Tribulational Return of Jesus Christ to Take Believers Out of the World
- The Literal, Bodily Resurrection of the Righteous Dead at His Coming
- The Everlasting, Conscious Blessedness of the Saved & the Everlasting, Conscious Punishment of the Unsaved
Timeline of Dr. Oliver B. Greene's Life & Ministry
- Feb. 14, 1915 – Oliver B. Greene Born
- Sept. 9, 1935 – Oliver B. Greene Saved
- Feb. 29, 1936 – Called to Preach
- 1938 – First Preached on the Radio in Georgia
- July 24, 1939 – Ordained as a Baptist Minister at Morgan Memorial Baptist Church in Greenville, SC
- Sept. 10, 1939 – Married Aileen Hazel Collins
- 1939 – 1968 – Held Tent Revival Meetings along the East Coast
- March 8, 1942 – Son, Thomas Greene Born
- April 8, 1942 – The Gospel Hour Ministry Began
- 1943 – First Recorded Sermons on Radio, WSTP in Salisbury, NC
- March 9, 1946 – Son, David Greene Born
- March 1947 – First Edition of the Monthly Newspaper – The Gospel Hour News, Printed
- Oct. 8, 1956 – The Gospel Hour Incorporated
- May 27, 1960 – Received Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree, Immanuel Schools of Atlanta
- January 1961 – First Printing Press Installed at The Gospel Hour Facilities
- October 1961 – Canceled Tent Revival Meetings Due to Medical Reasons
- Summer of 1968 – Last Tent Revival Meeting on the Grounds of Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, VA
- July 26, 1976 – Dr. Greene Went Home to be with the Lord
Notable Accomplishments
In five years (1939-1943), Dr. Greene’s unwavering commitment to spreading the Gospel saw him preach over the radio an astounding 1,600 times, leading to the salvation of 1,700 souls and inspiring 25 individuals to embark on a full-time Christian service journey.
Even before the official incorporation of The Gospel Hour in 1956, Dr. Greene’s selfless endeavors knew no bounds. He fervently supported missionaries in far-off lands such as Alaska and Brazil, while also conducting impactful tent meetings and publishing the influential monthly newspaper “The Gospel Hour News.”
Dr. Greene’s extraordinary efforts also bore fruit in other tangible ways, as he successfully raised funds to build a hospital in the Congo and a church in the Holy Land. The far-reaching impact of his radio program, The Gospel Hour, resonated on numerous stations, laying the foundation for the extraordinary global outreach that would follow.
