BELLFLOWER, CA—Ray Comfort’s ministry (Living Waters Publications) has had such phenomenal growth it is being forced to follow in the footsteps of Focus on the Family and other Christian ministries, and move out of California.

Comfort said, “Up until about the year 2000, Living Waters Publications consisted of my wife, Sue, myself, Daniel and Jacob (our two sons) working out of our garage. About that time, we moved into a much-needed and larger building. We soon outgrew that, and last year we moved into another premises that was five times larger, with a workforce also fives times as large.

“The new building was perfect . . . for about a year. Then there was talk about having to make another move. That made me nervous. With our present growth rate, it was unrealistic to think of purchasing anything less than a building three times the size of what we have. In California, that would cost upward of ten million dollars, and because of California’s Worker’s Compensation laws (we pay $6,000 a month, just in case one of the computers attacks a worker) and other financial pressures, it was unthinkable.”

One reason for the phenomenal growth was the success of Comfort and actor Kirk Cameron’s award-winning TV show “The Way of the Master,” and the popularity of “The Way of the Master Radio.”

Cameron said, “We receive a lot of email about the show. One was typical of its popularity. It simply said, ‘Since I began listening I can’t listen to anything else in my truck. I’m addicted! I need a 12-step program to get off it. My wife gave me an ultimatum. She said either the WOTM Radio goes or she goes. Man, I’ll really miss her!’”

So, what’s “addicting” about The Way of the Master Radio? Well, there’s “Phone Fishing,” where they have strategically placed people from New York to California who walk up to strangers and say, “Would you like to be on the radio, talking about what happens after someone dies?” They then pass their cell phone to atheists, psychics, Hindus, Mormons, Catholics, evolutionists, Jews, Moslems, agnostics and just ordinary everyday folks. Then Cameron and Comfort witness to them—LIVE . . . on air. It’s compelling. It’s addicting. It’s on-the-edge-of-your-seat radio, because you don’t know what’s going to happen next.

Comfort added, “There’s nothing like hearing an atheist backslide, or a Catholic come to Christ, or a Moslem softening his heart. You will not only hear about biblical evangelism, but you will hear sound theology. No it’s not dry and boring, because the show’s host (Todd Friel) dusts it off. He makes it interesting. Really. That’s his gifting. He not only studied to be a pastor (before he was saved!), but he also opened for Jay Leno, Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Maher as a stand up comedian. So he knows how to make you crack a smile, and you’ll get fed at the same time.”

Comfort also said, “The TV show, the radio program, and word-of-mouth have sky-rocketed our on-line School of Biblical Evangelism to over 7,000 students. And it’s growing daily because this month we freely offered $99 Basic Training Course (the cream of our TV show) for every paid registration. We want churches around the country to train up their people to reach the lost, and that’s what the course was designed to do. People who can’t afford to pay the registration fee can join the school free of charge. All this growth caused the ministry to burst at the seams.”

Last month, someone offered to freely give the ministry eight acres of land 30 miles north of Dallas, Texas, in the city of Denton. Comfort said, “As I listened to his offer, I was slightly tempted. That would mean that we could possibly construct our own building–with a much-needed massive warehouse. But when he offered the use of a 10,800 square foot building rent-free while we built the new facility, I shared it with the leadership, and we began to seriously pray.

“I asked for thoughts from different people and found that every godly person I asked said that it would be very wise to move the ministry to Texas. I was told that Focus on the Family, Campus Crusade for Christ, Christian Research Institute, and other ministries had been forced by California’s financial pressures to move out of the state. When I casually questioned our staff about Texas, I was shocked to find that most said that they would move there in an instant. Some were horrified at the thought of leaving their loved ones, but said that if God was in it, they would go. Over the period of about a month, hearts began to radically change.”

The best-selling author also said that being stationed in Dallas would save $36,000 per year on freight costs from their Florida printers. The families in the ministry would also be able to get affordable housing. The average Southern California house was around $500,000, which was unthinkable for most. The equivalent in a very nice area of Denton was $150,000. He added that it was important to note that it wasn’t just the benefits that prompted the decision to move, because it will still be difficult to leave their homes, churches, families, and friends. They are going because they believe that God wants to do something special through the ministry in that specific part of the country, and that He is going to use the biblical principals which the ministry teaches to spark an unprecedented world-wide revival.

Cameron also stated, “One huge benefit for being stationed in Dallas is its centrality. We are hosting “Transformed” on December 2nd in Atlanta’s First Baptist church, and already more than 7,000 people have registered. A Christian brother heard the radio show and was so impressed by it he put up a $50,000 sponsorship, so that registration could be free. He so believes in the teaching that he said he wants to sponsor six more around the country next year, and the centrality of Dallas will play a big factor for us.

“We are asking for Christians to pray for us as we seek out reliable architects and builders, and as we work out the logistics of the move. Hopefully we should be in our new building within a year.”

For further information about the ministry or to listen to the radio program see www.WayOfTheMaster.com.

From ASSIST News Service (ANS) www.assistnews.net