BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

The facility was 112,000 square feet, sitting on 13.5 acres in downtown Fort Worth. The auditorium could seat 2,000, and the building was large enough to house a kindergarten-grade 12 school (Calvary Christian Academy), and a two-year Bible college. “Later, we established the Power Tower Prayer Ministry, where intercessors would come and pray around the clock,” Bob said. “When I knew God said to do something, no demon from hell could have shaken me. We moved in and, unable to get our own financing, began paying off First Baptist’s note.” God Uses a Cowboy As wonderful as the property was, all hell seemed to come against Calvary Cathedral’s plans to purchase it. On three occasions, they came close to losing the building. Not because they weren’t making payments—they were—but because the lender called the note. Bob went to the president of the church’s bank several times and explained a loan of $1.5 million would resolve the issue. But each time, he got the same answer: “Sorry, we don’t finance churches. Just oil and land.” Efforts to find financing elsewhere also failed. One Sunday morning after service, a man placed his greasy Stetson hat on the platform. “I’ve been attending this church for a while and I like what you have to say,” he told Bob. “God’s with you, that’s clear. What can I do to help?” “We need to get our note financed,” Bob told him. “We need $1.5 million.” Then, Bob described all their failed efforts to get financing. The next day, the cowboy businessman went to see the president of the bank where the church’s money was deposited. Placing his Stetson on the president’s desk, he said: “I’m attending that church downtown. That’s a good preacher, and you need to finance that church. You’ve been milking this cow long enough. It’s time you fed it.” The banker roared with laughter. “How much do you need, and when do you want it?” The bank loaned the church the money, and by 1991 the debt was paid off. Global Doors Open “We began our daily radio broadcast ministry in 1968, and I think Pastor Robert Tilton, in Dallas, heard me,” Bob remembers. “He called one day and said, ‘Bob, I want you to come and teach in my Bible college. Would you come share from your heart?’ “From 1979 to 1980, I drove over there sometimes twice a day to teach. I had no idea he was sending my messages around the world. It opened doors for me from Australia to Africa and Canada. A Ugandan engineer invited us to come and build a television station in Kampala, Uganda, and God put faith in our hearts to do it. God anointed our missionary, Mike Magnuson, to build the station. In partnership with Trinity Broadcasting Network, we began broadcasting full power 24/7 in July 1997. KCM partnered with us, and BVOV is broadcast there six days a week. The president of Uganda said Lighthouse Television Station had been a major stabilizing force in rebuilding Uganda after the reigns of Idi Amin and Milton Obote.” Over the years, Bob became closely connected with KCM. “We’ve attended every Southwest Believers’ Convention and Ministers’ Conference unless we were out of the country preaching. In 1985, my grandson was going to be born during SWBC. I needed to go to the hospital, but stopped at the convention center for a little while. I had just slipped into the auditorium, and there was no way Brother Copeland could have seen me. At that moment he said, ‘Bob Nichols!’ and gave me a strong prophetic word. “In 1993, we had a summer revival with Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne. It shook the entire metroplex. He held two services a day, six days a week. Many people came to the Lord and we baptized 1300 people in one night. All together, we baptized 1600 people. “Soon after that, Dale Gentry came to Calvary and led a 24-week prayer revival. Based on Acts 5:42, we prayed at 5:42 in the morning and evening. One morning at 5:42, we saw over 400 people praying and interceding for our city and nation.” Double for the Trouble Bob had been away preaching when he read about a church that had been destroyed by a gas explosion. Back home, he had Calvary’s business administrator check on their insurance coverage. “Pastor, we’re insured for only 50% of what it would cost to rebuild, ” the administrator told him. “Get the maximum insurance,” Bob replied. BVOV : 15

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