Lester Roloff facts for kids

Lester Leo Roloff (June 28, 1914 – November 2, 1982) was an American preacher who started special homes for teenagers across the southern United States. He was known for his strong beliefs and for running these homes, especially the Rebekah Home for Girls.

Lester Roloff's Early Life and Ministry

Lester Roloff grew up in Dawson, Texas. He started preaching when he was just 18 years old. He went to Baylor University and later to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to study. It's said that he even brought his dairy cow to Baylor to help pay for his schooling by selling its milk!

After finishing his studies, Roloff began preaching in small churches in southern Texas. He then became a pastor in bigger cities like Houston and Corpus Christi.

The Family Altar Radio Show

In 1944, while in Corpus Christi, Roloff started his own radio show called The Family Altar. On the show, he played recordings of his sermons. He also loved to sing hymns and sometimes led his choir in song. Each show began with him singing "When Jesus Comes" and ended with "The Stranger Who Sat by the Sea" or "Living by Faith."

Expanding His Ministry and Beliefs

In 1950, Lester Roloff was asked to preach at some special church meetings in Corpus Christi. People really liked his preaching. Because of this, he decided to leave his job as a pastor and become a full-time evangelist, which means he traveled and preached to many different groups. He started a group called Roloff Evangelistic Enterprises the next year.

Roloff spoke strongly against many things, including certain behaviors, television, and some types of medicine. His strong opinions caused disagreements with many other Baptist leaders. In 1956, he left the Southern Baptist Convention and joined the Independent Baptist movement, which meant his churches were not part of a larger group.

He returned to being a pastor in 1954, starting the Alameda Street Baptist Church in Corpus Christi. He later started another Independent Baptist church, Peoples Baptist Church, in 1967, where he stayed until he passed away.

The Roloff Homes for Young People

Lester Roloff began helping homeless men in 1954 by opening a mission house. Over time, he opened more homes for children and teenagers in Texas, Oklahoma, and Georgia. The first home for girls, the Rebekah Home for Girls, opened in 1968. This home helped young girls who were in trouble or needed a safe place to live.

Rules at the Homes

Life at the Roloff homes had strict rules. The only book allowed was the King James Version of the Bible. Watching television was not allowed, and residents could only listen to Roloff's radio sermons for one hour a day. Going to church every day was a must, and each home had its own church and pastor. To keep everyone safe and prevent anyone from leaving without permission, windows were locked, and alarm systems were in place. Talking to people outside the homes was limited to phone calls with parents, and these calls were monitored. Each room also had an intercom system.

Challenges with the State Government

In 1973, local officials looked into the Rebekah Home because of concerns about how strict the rules were. When welfare workers tried to visit, Roloff said they couldn't come in, believing it was a matter for the church, not the government. The state's Attorney General, John Hill, then sued Roloff. Some girls from the Rebekah Home said they were disciplined very strictly, even for small things like not memorizing a Bible verse. Roloff said these methods were good, old-fashioned discipline based on the Bible, and he denied any mistreatment.

Roloff continued to refuse state oversight for his homes. He even went to jail three times for not following the state's rules. Some of the homes were temporarily closed in 1973 because Roloff wouldn't get state licenses for them. However, the homes reopened in 1974 after Roloff won a case in the Texas Supreme Court, which said it was against the law to close them.

The state passed new laws in 1975 that required youth homes to have licenses. Roloff was arrested again for not following this law.

In 1979, in an event called the "Christian Alamo," Roloff asked churches and pastors to come to Corpus Christi. They formed a human chain around the church to stop the Texas Department of Human Resources from taking children from the homes. Even after Roloff passed away, the legal issues with the State of Texas continued, and the homes eventually closed in 1985.

However, the homes reopened in 1997 after a new law was passed. This law allowed faith-based groups to choose not to follow state licensing rules. This law was not renewed in 2001, and the homes closed again.

Lester Roloff's Death

Lester Roloff loved flying airplanes. He bought his first plane in 1954 and used it to travel to his speaking events. On November 2, 1982, his plane crashed during a storm near Normangee, Texas. Roloff, along with a singing group and another woman from one of his homes, sadly died in the crash.

Lester Roloff's Lasting Impact

Lester Roloff is remembered as a big influence on Christian homeschooling and youth groups. His last recorded sermon was called "Hills that Help." In 1993, he was honored by being added to the National Religious Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Roloff Evangelistic Enterprises still exists today. They continue to play reruns of The Family Altar radio show and sell copies of Roloff's sermons.

Peoples Baptist Church is also still open, but it no longer runs homes for teenagers.

Roloff's ideas about health, based on the Bible, are still important to some Christians. He believed in eating raw fruits, vegetables, eggs, and cheese. He also suggested fasting and drinking vegetable juice. He taught that people should follow the diet described in the Bible's book of Leviticus. He also believed people should not use tobacco or watch television.

Roloff also thought that modern medicine needed to change. He once said that people rely too much on pills for their problems, and that what they really need is spiritual guidance.