John Connor “Called To”

A Story of Relationship, Legacy, and the Road to Kelowna

Some radio stories begin with towers, transmitters, and engineering plans. This one almost didn’t happen at all.

Long before Kelowna became a future launch location — before timelines, fundraising goals, or equipment orders — there were simply relationships formed quietly over years of shared ministry, prayer, and trust across Canada’s Christian radio community.

Among those relationships was UCB Radio CEO James Hunt, known by many peers less for visibility than for connection — bringing leaders together, praying through difficult seasons, and helping ministries discern faithful next steps when the path forward wasn’t clear.

But this story isn’t ultimately about organizations. It’s about people.

And at its heart is Dr. Jeff Lutes — a broadcaster with a missionary spirit, leading stations in the Moncton and Halifax regions while desiring to reach our nation with the Hope of Jesus.

What few people saw at the time was how heavy life had become behind the scenes.

During one particularly difficult season, conversations shifted away from strategy and toward care. James stayed closely connected with Jeff and his family — often reaching out simply to pray, listen, and walk alongside them. Nothing public. Nothing strategic. Just the quiet work of friendship.

The kind of ministry that rarely makes headlines. And yet often shapes everything that follows.

When the Door Opened — and the World Closed

Between 2017 and 2018, broadcast applications were pursued that included Regina, Saskatoon and Kelowna, along with a repeat transmitter in Kamloops. Approvals came through in 2018 — an exciting milestone and a rare opportunity.

But broadcast licenses come with a clock. Typically, stations must launch within two years. Then the world stopped.

COVID arrived. Plans stalled. Travel halted.

Supply chains slowed.

Ministries everywhere shifted into survival mode. Two years suddenly felt impossibly short.

And then came heartbreaking news: Jeff passed away unexpectedly.

What had once been a hopeful expansion now rested on the shoulders of his wife, Faye — navigating grief while facing an increasingly complex broadcast responsibility no one could have anticipated.

Quietly, the opportunity that had taken years to secure stood at risk of disappearing.

A Legacy at the Edge of Being Lost

This is where the story could have ended. Licenses expire.

Opportunities close.

Good intentions sometimes fade under impossible circumstances. But relationships change outcomes.

Because trust already existed between ministry leaders, conversations began — not about ownership, but about stewardship. How could what Jeff had faithfully begun be honored rather than lost?

Out of those relationships, UCB helped pursue extensions so the Kelowna and Kamloops licenses would not quietly expire during an already painful season.

Those involved describe the moment not as expansion, but preservation.

Not taking over. Protecting what mattered.

Eventually, it became clear the original ministry could no longer carry the project forward. Rather than surrendering the frequency — something extraordinarily difficult to recover within Canada’s broadcast system — a transfer to UCB Radio was pursued so the mission itself could continue.

A door that might have closed remained open.

What “Called To” Really Means

We often speak about being called to ministry. But calling is rarely about a platform. More often, it looks like showing up for one another when plans fall apart.

We are called to relationship. Called to partnership.

Called to carry burdens together when the weight becomes too great for one ministry alone.

For James and the UCB team, this season reinforced a simple conviction: Christian broadcasting in Canada is strongest when ministries refuse to compete for space and instead choose unity.

Unity doesn’t begin in strategy meetings.

It begins in prayer, trust, and shared responsibility.

The Long Road Few People Saw

What followed wasn’t momentum — it was patience.

UCB could not launch every approved market immediately. Regina required focused attention. Saskatoon became the next step. Kelowna had to wait — not because it mattered less, but because healthy ministry moves at the pace of sustainability, not ambition.

Extensions were granted over time, gradually shaping the timeline toward what is now a 2027 launch horizon. Each extension was both a gift and a reminder: opportunities like this are rare and cannot be assumed.

Today, the story has shifted again — from preserving possibility to preparing reality.

Behind the scenes are practical details most listeners will never see: specialized equipment, international sourcing, and months-long preparation tied to a single frequency plan.

Even something as technical as a transmission combiner carries a deeper truth:

Vision becomes real when people act together — faithfully, patiently, and at the right time.

Honoring Jeff by Building Together

If Jeff’s legacy teaches us anything, it is that Christian radio in Canada moves forward through collaboration, not competition.

He wasn’t simply building stations. He was building community.

Reflecting on the journey, James has often said the goal was never for UCB to “take over” anything, but simply to ensure that a door God had opened for Christian radio in Kelowna would remain open for the Church.

Kelowna 2027 is, in many ways, a continuation of that shared “yes.”

A yes to reaching people searching for hope.

A yes to supporting the work churches are already doing. A yes to serving communities together rather than alone.

Christian Radio in Kelowna will not happen because of one organization’s strength.

It will happen because relationships endured, faithfulness continued, and the Body of Christ chose — together — to carry the story forward.

John Connor is the National Promotions Director at UCB Radio in Canada, where he leads national campaigns, artist partnerships, and community engagement initiatives that bring hope to listeners coast-to-coast. With a background in ministry and over a decade in Christian media, John blends creativity, strategy, and heart to help grow the reach and impact of faith-based music and storytelling. He’s also a musician and the manager of the alternative rock band Across the Sea, and is passionate about helping Christian artists thrive.

John lives in Ontario and is deeply invested in both his family and community. Contact John at john.connor@ucbmedia.ca