Stories. We love to hear stories. We love to tell stories. We love to watch stories. As communicators, stories hold a special place in our hearts. Sometimes stories are scary, or sometimes they’re funny. Stories can be intimidating, or they can be inspiring. Different stories elicit different responses in each of us. The story of June Hunt is a story of hope.
Born on December 31, 1944, Hunt shares the same birth year with NRB. As NRB was navigating its early years, Hunt was navigating a complicated upbringing living with her dysfunctional family. When she was 14 years old, Hunt confronted her father about how he treated her mother. Following this confrontation, Hunt was sent to boarding school where she was exposed to a biblically based church and authentic Christians. And at age 15, Hunt entered a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Even then, Hunt’s early family pain acted as the catalyst that would shape her compassionate heart and prepare her for future ministry.
In her 20s, Hunt became a youth director at a megachurch and later became a college and careers director. During her time ministering to students and young adults, Hunt became keenly aware of the need for sound biblical counseling, an observation that would impact the rest of the course of her life.
Hunt was featured on NBC’s Today Show where she was interviewed by Barbara Walters and played guitar and sang. After this appearance, Hunt was invited to speak and sing throughout United States. Throughout the 1970s, she did a USO tour to Vietnam, performed at the Dove Awards, sang at Billy Graham crusades, and taught inductive Bible studies. In 1983, she released her first of five music recordings that would come over the years.
Hunt founded Hope for the Heart in 1986 and began her radio ministry, sharing God’s truths for today’s problems. Her messages of hope began airing on 23 stations and eventually spread to air on over 900 outlets. That same year, Hope for the Heart became a member of NRB as has been a member for the past 35 years.
In 1989, NRB presented Hunt with the Broadcast Ministry of the Year Award for her program offering Biblical hope and practical help on over 100 topics. Throughout the 1990s, Hunt was elected to the board of the NRB and expanded her broadcast internationally—now heard in Europe, Africa, Central America, and Mexico.
In 1996, Hunt began a live call-in counseling program called “Hope in the Night,” which aired from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. On this program, Hunt focuses on one call-in each night, offering biblical counsel and hope, yet each night she helps all listeners by responding from a biblical perspective with the hope of Jesus.
Since that time, Hunt has lead conferences in Russia, Romania, Asia, and South America. She authored multiple books as well as the renowned Keys for Living Library covering over 100 topics to help those in need. Now, these resources are available to other ministries for white labeling.
In 2009, Hunt created the Hope Center, the home, headquarters, and conference center for more than 60 Christian ministries, including Hope for the Heart.
Hope for the Heart is currently initiating Lifeline to Hope to train groups of people-helpers in churches around the globe as well as the International Christian Coaching Institute.
With resources in 36 languages in over 60 countries on 6 continents, Hunt’s impact has been worldwide. In honor of her story of faithfulness in ministering to countless listeners with hope for their hearts, NRB was proud to name Hunt as the 2021 NRB Hall of Fame Award winner and recognize her during NRB 2021 in Grapevine, Texas.
The NRB Hall of Fame stands as a witness for current communicators—a showcase of warriors for Christ who live exemplary lives of valor and compassion, blazing trails and leaving paths for future generations to follow. The Hall of Fame Award is NRB’s most prestigious award recognizing invaluable contribution to the field of Christian communications, exhibition of the highest standards, and evidence of faithfulness in Christ.
