When I was a teen, I would go to sleep listening to the radio. One night while scanning the channels I came across a radio show called "Unshackled", and I have listened to it regularly since then. The stories depicted have been a source of inspiration over the years.
Unshackled! is a radio drama series produced by Pacific Garden Mission, in Chicago, Illinois, that first aired on September 23, 1950. It is one of the longest-running radio dramas in history and one of a very few still in production in the United States. They produce Christian dramas of true stories of individuals who have faced desperate situations and how they found a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Unshackled is now celebrating their 75th anniversary on over 3,000 radio stations, six continents and fifteen languages. It is available on YouTube, Smart TV channels and various radio stations.
The UNSHACKLED radio program began under the leadership of Pacific Garden Mission’s Superintendent Harry Saulnier. Harry yearned to reach the masses for Christ and earnestly prayed about the possibility of a radio program.
For a short time in 1945, Harry had a 15-minute program called “Doorway to Heaven” on station WAIT. On this program, Harry often related the true stories of individuals who had been saved at Pacific Garden Mission. This opportunity fueled Harry’s desire to continue sharing testimonies of changed lives using the popular radio drama format of the day.
Thus, on September 23rd, 1950, the first UNSHACKLED recording session was scheduled. The script was written by John Gillies, who worked at WMBI in Chicago. Clear channel radio giant WGN agreed to air the program. This first program was about the famous Billy Sunday — Chicago baseball player turned evangelist.
The show is produced from the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago, Illinois. Pacific Garden Mission is a homeless shelter which was founded in 1877 and is the largest homeless shelter in Chicago and the oldest continuously operating rescue mission in the country.
For more information on Unshackled, visit: https://unshackled.org/
