David Mainse (August 13, 1936 – September 25, 2017) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

televangelist Televangelism (from ''televangelist'', a blend of ''television'' and ''evangelist'') and occasionally termed radio evangelism or teleministry, denotes the utilization of media platforms, notably radio and television, for the marketing of relig ...

, broadcast executive and producer, and an

evangelical Christian Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

leader. He was the founder of

Crossroads Christian Communications Crossroads Christian Communications is a Canadian non-profit charitable corporation located in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. '' 100 Huntley Street'', the flagship television program of Crossroads was founded by David Mainse and is the longest run ...

and host of the long-running Christian

talk show A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...

'' 100 Huntley Street''.

Television career

In 1976, Mainse began a project to telecast daily. He took the initiative and obtained a $100,000 a year, 20-year lease on a building at 100 Huntley Street in downtown

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

that was suitable for conversion into a television studio. The lead program of this new production company took the studio's address as its name. On June 15, 1977, the interview/talk show ''100 Huntley Street'' (based on ''

The 700 Club ''The 700 Club'' is the flagship television program of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing each weekday in syndication in the United States and available worldwide on CBN.com. The news magazine program features live guests, daily news, p ...

'' in the United States) was launched. This TV program featured more than 14,000 guests such as

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...

and

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor. He gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous Cinema of the United States, Hollywood films including biblical epics, science-fiction f ...

, and in 2015 was reported as one of three Canadian TV programs attracting over one million viewers each week. Crossroads produced a short-lived program for teenagers, ''Inside Track'', in 1978. In 1979, outside the Toronto mayor's office, Mainse protested the gay publication ''

The Body Politic ''The Body Politic'' was a Canadian monthly magazine, which was published from 1971 to 1987. It was one of Canada's first significant gay publications, and played a prominent role in the development of the LGBT community in Canada. ''The Body Po ...

'', saying that "parents and all decent people are particularly disgusted by the perversity, which publishes and disseminates anti-child, anti-parent dehumanizing materials." During the rally, Mainse was filmed protesting alongside

Ken Campbell Kenneth Victor Campbell (10 December 1941 – 31 August 2008) was an English actor, director and writer. He was known for his work in experimental theatre. He has been called "a one-man dynamo of British theatre". Campbell achieved notoriety ...

. In 2009, Mainse returned to host ''100 Huntley Street'' while his sons Ron and Reynold stepped down from the ministry while under investigation concerning an alleged

Ponzi scheme A Ponzi scheme (, ) is a form of fraud that lures investors and pays Profit (accounting), profits to earlier investors with Funding, funds from more recent investors. Named after Italians, Italian confidence artist Charles Ponzi, this type of s ...

. In January 2010, he launched new television programs, ''Really Good Medicine'' and ''A Living Witness to Amazing Grace''. That year he undertook a tour of 150 Canadian cities, "Thank You Canada", celebrating his 50th year of television ministry. In June 2012, the same month as Crossroads' 50th anniversary, Mainse was presented the

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal () or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. There are four versions of the medal: one iss ...

at a gala event at

Roy Thomson Hall Roy Thomson Hall is a concert hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located downtown in the city's entertainment district, it is home to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and the esports team Toronto Defiant. Opened ...

. In May 2015 he received a Lifetime Global Impact award from Empowered21, for making "a significant impact on the world through the power of the Holy Spirit". Mainse died on September 25, 2017, from complications from MDS leukemia.

References

External links

Biography from 100 Huntley StreetDavidMainse.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mainse, David 1936 births 2017 deaths People from Outaouais Canadian Protestant ministers and clergy Canadian Pentecostals Canadian television evangelists