We’re making an exciting announcement about a permanent display at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.! Later this year, the popular museum will add two artifacts from The Tide ministry for its millions of visitors to see. Included in an exhibit will be a 1939 songbook and a microphone used to broadcast Gospel programming to listeners around the world so more could hear Jesus Christ’s salvation message.
The process began in October 2018 when The Tide Director of Development Mark D. Story visited the Museum of the Bible and was pleased to see that, in additional to biblical texts and artifacts, the museum carefully included organizations that have based their existence and mission on sharing the truth and hope that comes from the Bible.
“With 72 years of history, I knew The Tide ministry merited inclusion at the museum as a way to help visitors gain a broader picture of the impact of the Bible in America and across the globe through radio and song,” Story said. “In our archives, we retained a stunning microphone that was used to record our Gospel messages and songs. We also secured an original printing of our namesake hymn in a 1939 songbook and believed these items were worthy of public conservation.
“After discourse with the curation staff at the Museum of the Bible, I was delighted to learn that The Tide ministry will be included as part of the permanent exhibit in 2019,” Story added. “It is refreshing and validating for a Smithsonian-style museum in Washington, D.C., to deem our organization as meritorious and worthy of public exhibition.”
The microphone from The Tide ministry is the actual microphone used by Tide staff to record in-studio. It is an RCA ribbon type 77DX supplied from Atlas Sound in Brooklyn, first purchased and put into use in 1963. Still in working order, the microphone is mounted on a stand. The first song in the songbook is “Let the Gospel Tide Roll In,” copyrighted in 1939 by Stamps-Baxter Music and Printing Co., Inc. The Tide staff purchased the songbook from an online book retailer; and three academic libraries also hold copies, but they are not available for purchase or lending. No additional copies of the book have been located.
The Tide radio ministry began on Aug. 11, 1946, when the Rev. Charlie B. Byers broadcast live on WCHA in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. His goal was to teach the Bible using the radio and to include choir music on the broadcasts. He named the ministry “The Gospel Tide,” after the title song in the book. Since that time, The Tide radio broadcasts have expanded to reach eight countries on three continents in 25 languages, with more than 870 million people within listening range.
“Truly, the spread of the Gospel has been a tide,” said The Tide Director Don Shenk.
The microphone and the songbook will very likely be on display by this fall, when The Tide ministry takes its second annual bus trip to the Museum of the Bible on Oct. 17.
For the trip, travelers will again engage in a self-guided walking tour of the Museum of the Bible and enjoy an evening meal together on the way home. Transportation will begin from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and further details will be shared in the coming months.
Six floors of exciting biblical exhibits await visitors to the Museum of the Bible. Marking its grand opening to the public in November 2017, Museum of the Bible’s 430,000-square-foot building is located just three blocks from the U.S. Capitol and aims to be among the most technologically advanced and engaging museums in the world. The grand entrance welcomes visitors with two 40-foot high bronze panels flanked by an architectural re-creation of the printing bed of the first page of Genesis from the Gutenberg Bible. Showcasing rare and fascinating artifacts spanning 3,500 years of history, the museum offers visitors an immersive and personalized experience with the Bible, and its ongoing impact on the world.