About
Dial-A-Prayer:
Excerpt from the book "Eternal Impact!" The Life and Ministry
of R.R. Schwambach. Published 1991 authored by Geneva Schwambach and
Rev. Steve Schwambach
"When Dick
first began the 24-hour Dial-A-Prayer service Thanksgiving Eve of 1955,
he thought it might just be a novelty for a season and then fade off
the scene as passe'. At first, so many calls jammed the lines, the telephone
company recorded a backlog of more than 5,000 busy signals in two 24
hour periods. We were required to install additional lines and answering
units to handle the load of calls. Of course, as the new wore off, so
did the load level. However, in the 35 years of providing this service,
we have received many letters and testimonies telling how God used this
quiet ministry outreach to help them through a life crisis. Dial-A-Prayer
has prevented a number of suicides, including that of a trapeze artist
in town, who found the number in the Evansville Yellow pages. When the
weather is dreary or in time of national crises, incoming calls are
up. Also on holidays when people are lonely and depressed, the calls
are about double the normal number. The Dial-A-Prayer service still
averages about 300 calls per day. As long as he can continue to have
a word of prayer with that many people each day, I know Dick will consider
it well worth the time and expense. "
The Evansville Courier – Wednesday, November 23, 1955
Lonesome? Sick? Need Spiritual Help? Tomorrow You Can Dial-A-Prayer
By Howard Hall
Courier Religious Editor
A “Little grey gadget” –in Bethel Tabernacle will
become an instrument of comfort and hope for distressed persons beginning
on Thanksgiving Day.
No the “gadget” isn’t a mechanical brain
that solves highly complicated scientific problems with a push of a
button and a flashing of multi-colored lights. It’s a better and
in a way, more mysterious machine than even that wondrous invention.
For this “gadget” answers problems that would strip the
gears of even the fanciest mechanical brain.
Power of Prayer
And yet it makes use of nothing more unusual than the human voice and
the power of prayer. All of which means that “dial-a-prayer”
service has come to Evansville. The service, which has caught on in
a number of other cities, has been arranged by the Rev. Richard R. Schwambach
along with the technical assistance of the Indiana Bell Telephone Co.
The 43 second non-denominational prayer may be heard beginning tomorrow
by dialing HArrison 5-1311. The prayer for tomorrow will be a special
Thanksgiving reading given by the Rev,. Mr. Schwambach. Persons feeling
the need of comfort, hope and inspiration may call at any hour of the
day or night. “Our prayer may be just the thing needed for persons
who are insomniacs, tossing and turning through the night because of
anxiety and worry.” Rev. Schwambach said.
Spiritual Lift
“Many people,” he added, “need the spiritual lift
of prayer through their working day. Often the strain of business or
domestic chores becomes distressing and a prayer is the best way to
ease the tension.” Hard pressed businessmen and overworked housewives
aren’t expected to be the only ones using the system. Hospital
patients waiting for the dawn, mothers with sons far away in the service
or at college, and just people with problems are expected to keep the
phone ringing busily.
Rev. Schwambach said he would record a new prayer each day on the automatic
answering unit. He anticipates that the dial-a-prayer service will become
so popular it may be necessary to install additional units at the church.
Charles Hatley, sales manager for Indiana Bell here, said other churches
and organizations are interested in the dial-a-prayer system and that
units will probably be installed soon. “The dial-a-prayer system
was introduced first in South Bend and has caught on tremendously there
since.” Hatley said. “We expect it to become just as popular
in Evansville.” he added.
Typewriter Size
The service may be installed for $2.50 a month. A unit about the size
of a typewriter is connected to the phone. It is operated by turning
the function selector to “dictate” and pressing on a control
key. When the red “dictate” light flashes, the person recording
the message speaks into the mouthpiece of the telephone as in an ordinary
phone conversation. Upon completion of the message, the control key
is released and the phone hangs up. The red dictate light will start
to flash a warning near the end of the maximum recording period.
There are, of course, problems connected with the dial-a-prayer undertaking.
One is that persons with similar numbers may suddenly find they are
receiving requests for prayers when they answer their phones.
A few pranksters also may be expected to have some “fun”
by tricking peple into dialing for the prayer. In one city where the
system was used a man who had become angry over a poor golf score was
duped into calling the prayer number by his playing partners.
Such incidents, however are fairly infrequent and most of the curiosity
seekers and pranksters soon stop calling. These minor hazards of the
system are of little significance against the good that is accomplished,
many clergymen believe.
Storms Bring Calls
National disasters have had an effect of booming the use of dial-a-prayer.
When the recent hurricanes battered the eastern states, listeners could
hear a special prayer for safety while the storm was in progress.
Part of this prayer read “We may without fear abide all storm
and troubles of this life.” A special prayer also was recorded
for President Eisenhower after he was stricken with a heart attack.
Some churches found their lines so jammed that many additional machines
had to be installed.
An East Cleveland, Ohio, church now has 10 units in operation and averages
almost 13,000 calls a day. Other churches report that calls are coming
in at a rate of one a minute, 24 hours a day.
It looks as if the dial-a-prayer is due to be with us for a long time
to come.
The Evansville Courier – November 1955
Belwoods Pray You'll Watch Dialin' Finger
The
telephone rang early and late yesterday at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
William E. Belwood, of 740 Negley Ave. It also range in between time
and almost all the time. To make matters worse most of the people who
called hung up when Belwood or his wife said hello.
After a "couple of dozen" such calls Belwood suspected something
was wrong. When the next caller asked for a "prayer" he knew
something was wrong.
Belwood questioned the called and found out he thought he had called
the "dial-a-prayer" number.
Belwoods exchange is HArrison 3-1311. the number of the "dial-a-prayer"
service, which goes into operation today, is HArrison 5-1311.
The somewhat harassed family has requested that persons wishing the
"dial-a-prayer" service make sure they have the right number
before calling.
