THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, June 28, 1995 TAG: 9506270127
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Linda McNatt
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
It started when Wadell Parker of Newport News, also known as Mr. Chic-A-Sea because of his Peninsula restaurant connections, wanted to spread the word of his own faith.
So he bought time on Smithfield-based religious radio station WKGM to play gospel music and ask folks to call in and share their faith as well.
Then Parker joined up with a neighbor, Felts Jacobs Jr. They call him ``Brother Jacobs.'' And together, Parker and Jacobs broadcast gospel music, faith and inspiration each Wednesday night, from 11 to 1 a.m.
And about a month ago, the two Peninsula men were joined by yet another.
Robert E. Brock, grinning and turning just a little red, says he is using the nickname ``The Missing Link.''
``Brother Jacobs here said he felt I was what was missing from the show,'' Brock said, nodding at his co-broadcaster in a recent interview.
So what makes these three businessmen unusual, and what would you get out of it if you listened to their show sometime?
Each of them is retired and has started his own little business on the side.
Parker, of course, has the restaurants. Jacobs, after years at Newport News Shipbuilding, is a newspaper carrier. Brock, an Army veteran of Vietnam, has his own lawn business - hence, his other nickname: ``The Lawn Ranger.''
Jacobs has a special story of how he came to know his own faith. He says he was an alcoholic and that God brought him back.
Jacobs knew he was a Christian when he got to know his Christian neighbor, Parker. Jacobs says he had a period of sickness, plus bypass surgery, and recovered. Parker was ill a short time later. The two talked and prayed together. Parker told him about a Sunday morning gospel music show he had on WKGM. He also told him about the Wednesday night/Thursday morning show.
It fit perfectly into Jacobs' life. For years, he says, he worked 4 p.m. to midnight at the shipyard. Since retiring, he had often thought about the long, lonely drives home in the wee hours of the morning.
``I dedicated the last hour of our show to my former co-workers. We call that part of the show `On the Way Home.' It's a mid-week show. By then, maybe they're feeling down and out, not their best. We offer good music, good prayer, good testimony.''
Jacobs started the show about three years ago, but he and Parker had been talking about the expense of the paid broadcast, even though the radio time is cheaper late at night and in the early morning.
That's when Brock came along.
``We think the Lord sent him,'' Jacobs said, chuckling. ``That's why we call him `The Missing Link.' ''
Brock has a ministry of his own. His approach to religion is probably lighter than that of his new friends. In his poetry and writings, which he has begun to use on the show, he has a down-to-earth, ``do unto others'' approach to life.
He also says he is not a member of an organized church, although he does attend church. He describes himself as ``sort of a free thinker.''
And Brock is different in another way from his two new friends. He is white. Both Parker and Jacobs are black.
``We know that people of both races are listening to the show because they are calling in,'' Jacobs said.
They obviously enjoy the feeling, enjoy working together.
``We've got a lot of calls from people of all races to let us know they're enjoying the show,'' Jacobs said.
Parker stays in the background, handling the technical end. Jacobs and Brock are the late-night dee-jays. They play spirituals. They also play Tennessee Ernie Ford: ``What a Friend We Have in Jesus.'' They take prayer requests, welcome phone calls.
If you're interested in hearing what it's all about, tune in Wednesday night to WKGM-AM, 940 on the dial.
You may hear something before you're done. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by LINDA McNATT
Felts Jacobs has been joined by Robert Brock as host of a Christian
radio show on WKGM.
by CNB