Nathaniel A Urshan

Nathaniel Andrew Urshan was born August 29, 1920, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Andrew David and Mildred Hammergren Urshan. Brother Urshan lived in Chicago through most of his childhood and teen years. The family then moved to New York, where his father became pastor of the Apostolic Christian Church on 92nd Street in Manhattan. After graduating from high school, Brother Urshan enrolled in Columbia University as a pre-med student. He attended the university for two and one-half years, desiring to be a surgeon and save peoples lives. In the fall of 1938, the university student met the love of his life, Jean Habig. Jean and her accordion accompanied the R. G. Hoekstras in revival services at the 92nd Street church. After being stricken with tuberculosis and then being miraculously healed, Brother Urshan realized that God had called him to preach and not to fulfill his own ambition to become a surgeon. Immediately he began to preach revivals. Brother and Sister Urshan were married on October 1, 1941. They made a great evangelistic team, preaching and singing the gospel. They conducted revivals in their early evangelistic days in Ohio, Idaho, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Michigan, Illinois, and West Virginia. The Urshans were blessed with four children Sharon, Annette, Nathaniel Paul, and Andrew. Both sons became ministers, and both daughters became wives of ministers. In February 1943, Brother Urshan became associate pastor to C. C. Kirby in Royal Oaks, Michigan, a position he held for two and one-half years. Later, Brother Urshan became assistant pastor to R. G. Hoekstra at Calvary Tabernacle, Indianapolis, Indiana. This was Sister Urshans hometown and church. The Urshans left Indianapolis in 1947 to pastor Apostolic Christian Church, 92nd Street, Manhattan, New York. His father had pastored this church. In July 1949, Nathaniel A. Urshan became pastor of Calvary Tabernacle, Indianapolis, Indiana. He pastored there thirty years, enjoying one of the legendary revivals in Pentecostal history. During the years at Calvary Tabernacle, the Urshans had a fifteen-minute radio program called Hymns of Faith, which was aired five nights a week. The church also operated Calvary Christian School, one of the first Christian schools in the UPCI. The school is still in operation. In the late 1940s, the Urshans, the Fred Kinzies, and the Norman Paslays formed the Gospel Melodies Record Company and made their own records. In 1960 Brother Urshan became the Harvestime Radio speaker, a position he held for seventeen and one-half years. For the following twenty-four years, he has shared the Harvestime pulpit with other speakers. While pastoring Calvary Tabernacle, Brother Urshan served the United Pentecostal Church International as assistant general superintendent from 1971 to 1978. The 1977, the General Conference of the United Pentecostal Church International elected Brother Urshan as general superintendent, and he assumed that position January 1, 1978.