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Biographical Sketch of Dr. Stuart E. Lease / Bible Messages by Dr. Stuart E. Lease |
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TESTIMONIAL INTERVIEW on WDAC-FM Radio, Lancaster, PA
Dr. Stuart E. Lease (May 17, 1979)
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Welcome to
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Biographical Sketch of Dr. Stuart E. Lease / Bible Messages by Dr. Stuart E. Lease |
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Ralph Haneman: “It’s a joy to have in our
studio this afternoon Dr. Stuart Lease who is now President of
SCRIPTURE-CENTERED MINISTRIES here in Lancaster.
Welcome, Dr. Lease!”
Dr. Lease: “Thank you, Ralph. It’s a privilege
for me to be here, and I’m grateful to you and to Paul Hollinger
for this opportunity to share something what we believe the Lord
has in mind for us in these days.”
Ralph Haneman: “Dr. Lease, many of the folks have
been praying for you for some time now, because of a throat problem.
I see that’s much better now.”
Dr. Lease: “Yes, praise the Lord. I had my fourth
vocal chord operation back in February, February 21st; and it
seems as if everything is really going fine now, and I hope it
will not ever again be necessary to have that again. The doctor
told me that he literally will have to slit my throat the next
time, and I hope that we can avoid that.”
Ralph Haneman: “I certainly hope so, likewise. That
wasn’t very pleasant to go through, and I’m sure this
wouldn’t be either.”
Dr. Lease: “Yes, I’m— like the fellow said,
“I’m glad it came to pass, and I hope it’s past.”
Ralph Haneman: “Well, that’s good. You were born
in this area, were you not?”
Dr. Lease: “Yes, I was born in a little town of Jacobus,
just six miles south of York in York County— the last of
thirteen children.”
Ralph Haneman: “Is that right?”
Dr. Lease: “I often say, I’m glad they didn’t
just have a regular dozen, but went on to have a baker’s
dozen, or I might not even be here today. But I also usually add
that I’m so glad that I was born into a Christian home, and
I never felt unloved, unwanted, or unappreciated; and I know some
homes where there are only one or two children, that that can’t
be said.”
Ralph Haneman: “Yes.”
Dr. Lease: “And I’m grateful that my parents
loved me in the Lord and nurtured us in the Lord; and early in
life, I did come to know Christ as my Savior.
Ralph Haneman: “What was the occasion for that?”
Dr. Lease: “It was in a children’s meeting, in
what was then Pengrove Camp. I think it’s called Camp Pamadeva
now, over near Hanover; and Stan Cook was in charge of the children’s
meeting. He was at that time a song leader and trombone player;
and he, toward the end of the meeting, gave an invitation and
asked young people or children to pray a prayer that he gave,
and I did that; and I believe that’s the time when I received
Christ. It was August the eleventh, 1939.”
Ralph Haneman: “So you were still below your teen
years at that particular time?”
Dr. Lease: “Yes.”
Ralph Haneman: “You graduated from school; and I image
probably like the many young fellows, you met a young lady that
became your wife.”
Dr. Lease: “Yes, I might say about school that I’m
not sure to attribute this to, but I always liked school, from
the first day of school till all the years that I’ve been
involved in school work. I always enjoyed school; and actually,
I was in my, oh I guess, in my junior year at Lancaster School
of the Bible when I met the young lady that became my wife. She
was Barbara Rudisill, the middle child of five, in the home of
Mr. & Mrs. Jim Rudisill— many people knew Jim Rudisill,
one of the finest Christian businessmen that I’ve ever known,
a great soul-winner, great lover of people; but he loved the Lord
first, last, and always, and was a fervent witness for Christ
wherever he went.”
Ralph Haneman: “That’s a good testimony for your
wife’s father. Tell us a little about how the Lord called
you into Christian work.”
Dr. Lease: “I was in my senior year of high school;
and my brother, George, who looks ten years younger than I but
is two years older, had an experience with the Lord of giving
his life to the Lord. And, I was so challenged by George’s
example (and George always lived the Christian life in our home)
that when he gave his life to the Lord, I just kind of emulated
that and it wasn’t long after that that I really gave my
life to the Lord. I really did not live for the Lord the way I
should from the age of about (I was saved when I was nine) from
the time I was twelve— I really didn’t live fully for
the Lord as I should— and I dedicated my life to the Lord
when I was a senior in high school; and then the Lord challenged
me to go on to Bible school; and I’ve often said that I was
so glad that I got into the Word of God first before I got other
training in higher education.”
Ralph Haneman: “You think that’s necessary, for
young people today?”
Dr. Lease: “I recommend it very highly. I really believe
that there’s nothing better or firmer or more beneficial
than the eternal Word of God.”
Ralph Haneman: “Yes.”
Dr. Lease: “And the sooner you get into it and the
longer you stay in it, the better you are.”
Ralph Haneman: “It does affect all areas of thinking
in your higher education, doesn’t it?”
Dr. Lease: “Yes, indeed it does; and I guess that’s
why we call our new ministry, SCRIPTURE-CENTERED MINISTRIES;
because when I dedicated my life to the Lord, the Word of God
became central in my life and I want it to continue to be so in
my ministry for Christ.”
Ralph Haneman: “Now, from getting married then and
you and your wife went to Bible school, or how was that?”
Dr. Lease: “I finished Bible school, what was then
Lancaster School of the Bible, graduated; and we had felt the
Lord was leading us to Alaska to serve there, but through various
circumstances, the door closed and I went on to Gordon College
in Boston and served churches while I was taking schooling there;
and then graduating from Gordon and then from Boston University
with a Master’s Degree. Then the Lord led me back to Lancaster
in 1956, after serving four years in pastorates in New England.”
Ralph Haneman: “And now, you are married. How about
the children?”
Dr. Lease: “Well, we were married more than seven
years before we had a child; and Timothy came along. My wife,
sort of jokingly said about Tim (he was rather strong-minded);
and when she was bearing our second child, she said, “I hope
the Lord doesn’t give us II Timothy.” And the Lord was
gracious and gave us Rebecca, instead; and we’re grateful
they both know the Lord. Tim is preparing at Millersville to become
a clinical psychologist, and Becky has just concluded her freshman
year at Lancaster Bible College and is now going to Millersville
where she’s going to pursue Special Education of Handicapped
Children.”
Ralph Haneman: “Well, that’s a wide open field,
and perhaps down through the years it’s been a much neglected
field. It certainly is needed now, perhaps becoming a little bit
more aware of the possibilities of working with handicapped children
and developing them.”
Dr. Lease: “Yes, it kind of takes someone with a gift
for that. I think you and I were talking about that earlier, Ralph,
that we’re not so sure that that would be our gift; but Becky
has tremendous patience (and I think as you and many of our radio
audience know, Becky was found of having Hodgkin’s Disease
back in 1975 and she’s currently symptom-free of that, although
she’s not as physically strong as she would be if she had
not had that. But, she has a tremendous temperament of patience
and being willing and able to help other people, and God I believe
has gifted her in this way— and I think that that’s
a gift that she’ll be able to exercise in a ministry to handicapped
children.”
Ralph Haneman: “I sort of suspect that that gift was
enforced or reinforced....”
Dr. Lease: “Yes, sharpened by her own experience,
I believe that’s true.”
Ralph Haneman: “And she’s doing well now?”
Dr. Lease: “Yes, we praise the Lord. She’s currently
symptom-free, and we trust that it will continue that way.”
Ralph Haneman: “We’re talking this afternoon
with Dr. Stuart Lease, president of the SCRIPTURE-CENTERED
MINISTRIES here in Lancaster; and Dr. Lease, you mentioned
before you were out of school that you were ministering in churches.
Will you tell us about that?”
Dr. Lease: “Yes, we served three different churches
over four years in New England. Being a student at the time, we
couldn’t take a permanent ministry, so we took what were
known as interim ministries. I served the first church, which
was a Swedish Covenant Church, and they were lovely people—
most of them had immigrated from Sweden; and then I served a church
in Brocton, Massachusetts which was a Baptist Church. And then
for two years I served as pastor of an Armenian Church, folks
who had come from Armenia— some of the dearest people I have
ever met in the world, some of them had seen their children freeze
to death as they left Armenia because of their faith in Christ
when the land was turned over to the Turks. They faced either
staying there and renouncing their faith or leaving in the middle
of winter; and many of them left and.....I spoke to one couple
who saw their two children freeze to death. They just had to leave
them by the roadside as they came out of Armenia. So, I had some
very tender memories of dear, lovely, Godly people in that little
church in Watertown, Massachusetts.”
Ralph Haneman: “How about radio ministry? Were you
involved in that before you.....?”
Dr. Lease: “Yes, actually, we began in radio in a
music ministry with Johnny Hallot back in 1948 over in York, Pennsylvania;
and we incorporated in what was known as the Sunday School of
the Air, “The Bible School of the Air.” I think that
we ran that for two or three years. Johnny later had to go on
to other work; and for a while I ended up leading the choir which
isn’t my major gift, but someone had to do it. And, we enjoyed
that ministry. It was carried on in York, Pennsylvania.”
Ralph Haneman: “I see. I’ve heard you sing, and
you have a very fine voice, so I can understand you being used
in that field as well. Where did you go then, after that?”
Dr. Lease: “Well, then we went on to Bible school.
We were in Bible school at that time; and then of course, on to
New England; and then while I was pursuing my Master’s Degree
at Boston University, I received a letter from Rev. William Randolph,
who was President of Lancaster School of the Bible, asking me
if I would consider returning to my alma mater to serve as Dean
of the School. And, we prayed about it and felt the Lord would
have us come; and that was the Fall before we came. He had approached
us in the Fall if 1955; and so the following summer, late in the
summer we moved to Lancaster, Summer of ‘56 and began my
ministry here in Lancaster as Dean, of what was then Lancaster
School of the Bible, later to become Lancaster Bible College.”
Ralph Haneman: “And you went on to become President
of the School later on?”
Dr. Lease: “In 1961 and five years later.....Dr. Figart
used to say,”Old Deans never die. They just lose their faculties.”.....and
I guess that’s what happened to me in 1961, and I became
President of the School and served in that capacity until this
January when the Lord led us forth from there. I had considerable
administration responsibility, and I’m grateful for the opportunity
I had to serve at Lancaster Bible College. It was for me, a great
learning experience and a great outreach experience for Christ;
and I’m grateful for the stand of the College on the Word
of God; and I subscribe wholeheartedly to their theme verse, which
is sort of the theme verse of mine from I Peter 1:25, “The
Word of the Lord endureth for ever.” As I’ve often said,
there are only two things that are eternal— the Word of God
and eternal souls of men! And, the greatest work is imparting
the eternal Word of God to the eternal souls of men! And that’s
the work that Lancaster Bible College is primarily involved in,
and that’s the type of work that I believe God has led me
to continue to do in my own ministry for Him.”
Ralph Haneman: “I noticed being a resident here in
the County for some years now that the School has grown considerably
in recent years, in buildings and enrollment likewise.”
Dr. Lease: “Yes, there were fewer than a hundred students
enrolled in the day-school, when I became President in 1961; and
we went up to around four hundred and fifty and were back to around
four hundred and twenty five this past semester; and we’re
grateful for the ones that God has led there to be trained for
His service in the Word of God. It’s been a real challenge
and a privilege to work with young people through these many years.”
Ralph Haneman: “What do you think is the most rewarding
experiences that you’ve had, when you have been at Lancaster
Bible College?”
Dr. Lease: “I suppose, meeting with the alumni and
seeing how that having invested our lives in them, how they are
now investing their lives in others— giving out the Word
of God and also seeing lives transformed by their ministries as
they serve Christ, in various places around the world.”
Ralph Haneman: “Even as President of Lancaster Bible
College, you had a number of opportunities to speak in local churches
and Bible conferences. Would you tell us a little about the Bible
conference ministry?”
Dr. Lease: “Yes, I had almost constant opportunity
to be ministering in churches, sometimes as many as forty five
different churches in a course of the year, and then a great number
of Bible conferences. I’m afraid that in some areas, the
Bible conference is somewhat deteriorating in attendance. I really
believe that the greater emphasis now almost has to be upon local
churches; and I believe that God is working in and through the
local church, and I envision our future ministry to be involved
very largely with local churches— individual churches in
various localities I believe are God’s means for reaching
those areas for Christ, and it’s that type of thing I want
to encourage pastors and people to be involved in the work
of the Lord. I think that this is the teaching of Ephesians 4
where is says that gifted individuals are given to the church,
“For the perfecting [or for the maturing] of the saints [literally,
to involve them] in the work of the ministry...” So,
I envision my work as going out and stirring up the saints to
involve them in the work of the ministry which I believe God wants
us to do; and then that leads to “the edification of the
body of Christ.” So, I see our work in the future as edification
of believers and evangelization of the lost.”
Ralph Haneman: “Dr. Lease, the Lord has seemed to
have led you into a new ministry. Now will you tell us a little
about this, please.”
Dr. Lease: “It’s essentially, Ralph, to engage
in ministries of Bible teaching, writing, and counseling, to edify
the saints, and to evangelize the lost— working essentially
through local churches and encouraging the pastors and people
there, to do “the work of the ministry,” which God,
I believe, has called every believer to be involved in. I don’t
believe that the work of the ministry is just to be done by the
minister. He is to involve the people in the work of the
ministry; and I think that in a ministry, like mine, there are
times I can come in and say maybe some of the things the pastor
has already said, but being an outsider and coming in and saying
them with a new emphasis or new twist, they’ll get the message
maybe a little more forcefully, and we hope to be able to do that.”
Ralph Haneman: “It’s been encouraging to me to
know many times how the Holy Spirit works in reinforcing what
the pastor says with someone else.”
Dr. Lease: “Yes, actually, we don’t feel like
we’re competing with pastors or anyone else. It’s a
cooperative work to encourage the saints in the work of the Lord;
and of course, also to evangelize the lost. I’m asking the
Lord for myself as well as for others of using maybe new
ways of reaching the lost— for example, I just read through
a copy of Beyond Death’s Door by a medical doctor
concerning what really happens after people are clinically dead;
and he has found some have actually gone to Hell, and I’ve
gotten a number of copies of those and subscribing them to the
medical doctors who have served me; and I’m hoping that this
will be a ministry to them, that hopefully will win them to Christ;
and we’re looking for other ways like that to reach the lost,
maybe in ways that are a little different than just going up and
saying, “Do you know the Lord?”— but reaching them
in means that will be effective for them.”
Ralph Haneman: “Do you think that certain people are
gifted in certain ways to serve the Lord, for instance, maybe
not all are soul-winners or all Bible teachers or all pastors?”
Dr. Lease: “Oh, yes. I’m sure that’s true;
and yet I think every one of us— our lives should be a witness;
and when the Lord gives us opportunity to share our faith, I think
that should be done quietly, not ostentatiously— but I think
that people do have various gifts.”
Ralph Haneman: “All right....What is the extent of
the outreach of SCRIPTURE-CENTERED MINISTRIES? And,
by the way, is it incorporated?”
Dr. Lease: “Yes, actually, it was incorporated April
26th of 1979. We’re still seeking State Tax Exemption and
IRS Exemption which we hope and trust will come through very shortly.
But the extent we expect to cover, probably will be mostly on
the East Coast of the United States, although I do envision some
possibilities of ministering in the foreign field to missionaries,
as I’ve done before. And this is one of the reasons why we’ve
incorporated this Ministry, so that people can and will pray for
us and support us, so that we can go to places that could not
afford of themselves to have us come.”
Ralph Haneman: “Especially, the mission field.”
Dr. Lease: “Yes.”
Ralph Haneman: “Yes.”
Dr. Lease: “Yes, that’s true.”
Ralph: “And maybe small churches.”
Dr. Lease: “That’s correct.”
Ralph Haneman: “All right,....What is your present
and potential outreach?”
Dr. Lease: “Well, we expect that we’ll be serving
in churches and to individuals; and we believe that God has already
opened many doors for us, in fact, I have very few times open
between now and next Fall. I think I may have five Sunday services
that I may give out between now and October— so that the
schedule is filling in very well with church commitments and Bible
conference commitments. I’ll be, Lord willing, at Sandy Cove
this summer and Ocean City, Lake Erie Bible Conference, as well
as on what remains of the Harrisburg circuit— I’ll be
there in the Fall.”
Ralph Haneman: “All right, and are you available also
for counseling?”
Dr. Lease: “Yes, in fact, I’ve had people already
call me and come in and share in counseling, individuals; and
we look forward to that opportunity of doing that. If people want
to reach me, our phone number is * ______; and we’ll be happy
to try to be of help in whatever way we can; although I do try
to channel people back to their pastors. I’m not trying to
run a counseling service in competition with pastors or local
churches.”
Ralph Haneman: “I think that many times, even pastors
would appreciate someone to talk to— maybe they might be
new in the area or maybe they want to share something with another
person that perhaps is a little out of their denomination.”
Dr. Lease: “Yes, and God has given me that opportunity
to minister to quite a few pastors already and to help them both
in problems and in doctrinal problems they’ve had.”
Ralph Haneman: “We want to thank Dr. Stuart Lease,
President of SCRIPTURE-CENTERED MINISTRIES based
here in Lancaster; and by the way, do you have an address?”
Dr. Lease: “Yes, we have a post office box, that’s
easy to remember. It’s Box *______, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
*_____..”
Ralph Haneman: “And your telephone number, what’s
it again?”
Dr. Lease: “Area code 717- *_______..”
Ralph Haneman: “Thank you very much, Dr. Lease, President
of SCRIPTURE-CENTERED MINISTRIES in Lancaster.”
*— At the typing of this Testimonial-Interview on February
17, 1998, the address and phone numbers as of 1979 are no longer
in use. So, to avoid any confusion, these numbers were left out.