Richard Wurmbrand's Editor: He Focused on Jesus
VOMRadio
The Voice of the Martyrs
4.9 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 27 March 2021
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Through books and other writing, Pastor Richard Wurmbrand became a voice for persecuted Christians all over the world. This week we'll meet the woman who shaped and polished so many of Richard's printed words.
Ellen Oblander served many years as the editor for Richard Wurmbrand, co-founder of The Voice of the Martyrs. She worked on many of his books, as well as on VOM's free monthly magazine. Over the years Ellen became much more than an editor; she grew into being almost a member of the family.
Listen as she shares the story of being given a copy of Tortured For Christ, then soon afterwards hearing Richard Wurmbrand speak for the first time and meeting his wife, Sabina. She saw, first-hand, Sabina's incredible behind-the-scenes ministry supporting her husband and advancing the work of VOM.
Ellen will also talk about Richard's constant writing, his editing process and the times she'd pick up the phone to hear Richard unpack some Scripture passage he'd just read or a spiritual truth he was pondering.
She'll also tell about her time with Richard and Sabina in the latter years of their lives, and how Richard always looked to be a witness for Christ.
Learn more about the lives of Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand by reading WURMBRAND: Tortured For Christ The Complete Story. Order your copy today. Listen to an interview with the principal writer of the book here.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Ellen O'Blander was a mom living in Southern California. |
| 0:04.4 | She got a job editing some writing for a man who had once been held in a Romanian prison |
| 0:11.2 | for his faith in Jesus. In exploring his story, she saw a picture of what it meant to love your |
| 0:19.3 | enemies. She had never known anyone like her new boss. |
| 0:25.2 | I've never seen one of those who would talk to his torturers and witness to them about Jesus |
| 0:31.2 | while he was being tortured. I mean, how can you do that? That to me is incredible. |
| 0:39.2 | Her boss was Richard Wormbrand, the co-founder, along with his wife Sabina of The Voice of the Martyrs. |
| 0:49.0 | Jesus never promised his followers an easy path. In fact, he told his disciples that the world |
| 0:54.7 | would hate them. He sent them out as sheep among wolves. Jesus' words came true in the life of the |
| 1:00.8 | apostles, and they're still coming true today in the lives of his followers around the world. |
| 1:05.8 | Join host Todd Nettleton. We hear their inspiring stories and learn how we can help right now |
| 1:11.2 | on The Voice of the Martyrs Radio Network. You know, origin stories are important. If you enjoy |
| 1:18.2 | the Voice of the Martyrs Radio week by week or the free Voice of the Martyrs magazine every |
| 1:24.2 | month, I know you'll be fascinated to get to know more about the origin story of this ministry. |
| 1:32.0 | I'm Todd Nettleton, and not long ago I interviewed Ellen O'Blander. Over the course of many years, |
| 1:38.8 | Ellen got to know Richard and Sabina Wormbrand, the founders of The Voice of the Martyrs. |
| 1:44.4 | She helped edit many of Richard's books and other writings, including the monthly newsletter. |
| 1:51.2 | So she knows the stories of his imprisonment in Romania at the hands of communists. |
| 1:57.4 | She knows about the torture. She knows about the abuse. But she also got a unique inside look |
| 2:05.6 | at Richard and Sabina as people, as husband and wife in their home, becoming a close family friend. |
| 2:15.1 | Ellen's going to share insights we can all learn from Richard and Sabina's lives. |
| 2:21.2 | Her adventure with the Wormbrands began one Sunday morning when she was helping with the music |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Voice of the Martyrs, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Voice of the Martyrs and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.