Regner and Della Capener

Born in Astoria, Oregon, April 18, 1942, Regner Alvin Capener was raised in Alaska, spending most of his growing-up years in Eskimo villages. The oldest of two sons of pioneering missionary parents, Alvin & Lillian Capener, he grew up helping his father build numerous churches throughout the arctic.

Living in remote Eskimo villages afforded the Capener boys little opportunity for a traditional education, and when it was time to attend High School, none were available. The State of Alaska provided an opportunity at that time for qualified students in remote villages to get their education through an agreement with the University of Nebraska, so Regner skipped High School, instead taking courses by correspondence with the U of N in Lincoln, Nebraska.

At 17 years of age, he attended Southwestern Bible Institute in Waxahachie, Texas, and later spent a year at Bethany Bible College in Santa Cruz, California before taking extension studies in Greek and Hebrew with Fuller Theological Seminary.

Although he was not ordained as a minister until 1971 while serving as associate pastor at Full Gospel Assembly in Salt Lake City, Regner Capener actually began public ministry at the age of 16. In the years since, he has pastored numerous churches and been involved in various pioneering ministries, following somewhat in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and some 20+ generations of Capeners before him (see http://www.CapenerMinistries.com).   Most recently, Regner has become affiliated with the Open Bible Faith Fellowship of Canada and has continued with his ordination papers through them.

While ministry has been his principal vocation, it has not been the means for supporting his wife and children. Beginning while still in early grade school, he began to develop his God-given skills in mathematics and engineering.  Inspired by his father’s daily radio program which began when he was seven years of age, he began experimenting with electronics, and as a teenager, built several low-power radio stations in villages along the arctic coast.  With a few breaks during the years, Regner has been in radio and television broadcasting and broadcast engineering most of his life.

Although he holds no patents as such, Who’s Who in Science & Engineering (along with other Who’s Who publications) credits Regner Capener with being an inventor. In the 1950’s, he developed what ultimately became marketed as the Stereo Guitar. In the 1960’s, while doing research and development for Lockheed Missiles (under a NASA contract), he discovered a means to convert computer code into music, and later developed a computer that would analyze musical chords being played by a musician, and play an accompanying bass note. His invention was later refined, sold outright to CBS Musical Instruments, and subsequently marketed as the Fender Bassmaster.

While attending Bethany Bible College, he conducted extensive (private) research into acoustic principles and reproduction. With a college classmate, Alan Parker, he later formed Alpac Audio, and then Intermountain Electronics Corporation in Salt Lake City in an effort to market three-dimensional sound systems. Although efforts to market the original 3-D sound were not successful, demonstrations of the system to manufacturers nation-wide led to the subsequent development and introduction of “Quad” sound, an early predecessor to today’s Dolby Surround sound. Regner also participated in the development of the wireless microphone, and pioneered techniques for digital audio recording, later putting together an engineering course authorized by the University of Alaska to teach Digital Audio Recording.

Regner and his wife of going on 29 years, the former Della Denise Melson (originally of Sunnyside, Washington), have also been active in social work, mostly in conjunction with ongoing ministry.  Regner founded Operation Blessing-Alaska as an outreach of the nationally televised 700 Club, providing needy families throughout Alaska with food, housing assistance, rental and utility monies, and job-search assistance.  Della served as the administrator for this ministry outreach.  When CBN-Alaska closed its operation, Operation Blessing-Alaska was phased over to the Fairbanks and Anchorage Food Banks, and the Salvation Army.

Regner served from 2001 to 2005 as one of several co-founders on the board of the Hidalgo County Children’s Advocacy Center, (in McAllen, Texas) and has helped to establish two chapters for the Society of Broadcast Engineers.

Political activism has been an ongoing part of his life, campaigning for friends and working behind the scenes to elect and re-elect Republicans such as Congressman Don Young in Alaska and U.S. Senator Ted Stevens.  In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, Regner put together TV commercials for Ted Stevens that aired in the native villages of Alaska’s North Slope.  Reflecting his personal support for individuals with constitutionally conservative values and personal integrity over party labels, he has also campaigned for Democratic friends, including former Alaska Lt. Governor Red Boucher, and former Assistant Attorney General Clark Gruening.

In  2003-2004, Regner became a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, campaigning for the 25th Congressional District in Texas.  Although he did not win his race, the Congressional campaign opened many doors of opportunity including serving on the Council for National Policy.  He and Della were able to make numerous friends within the Bush Administration and in the years since have been able to minister to     and share the life of the Kingdom of God with many of them.

Regner and Della Capener have composed more than three hundred Scripture songs and worship music between them, many of which are, or have been, sung in churches and home fellowships around the world.  They are both musicians.  Della plays keyboards and some percussion instruments. Regner plays some 30 different instruments, but focuses primarily on the classical guitar. They have recorded and released more than a dozen worship CD’s and tapes made during spontaneous worship gatherings with other musicians and singers.

Regner has written and published numerous works throughout the years, including Open Letters to the Ekklesia, several self-published books, and currently authors a weekly publication online titled ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK (see http://www.AnotherCoffeeBreak.com).  He also contributes to the column, Religious Reflections, in a local newspaper, the Daily Sun News.

Della Capener is a descendant of the original Mayflower settlers who signed the Mayflower Compact.  She has an illustrious family history which includes John C. Calhoun (who served as Vice President of the United States under Andrew Jackson) and U. S. Senator David Rice Atchison (who served as President Pro Tempore of the U. S. Senate during the Polk and Taylor administrations) and for whom Atchison, KS is named.  Atchison had the distinction of being the only man to serve as President of the United States for one day.  Zachary Taylor was due to be sworn in on Sunday, March 4th, 1849, but because of his religious faith chose to wait until Monday, March 5th.  James Polk's administration ended on March 3, so David Rice Atchison became President for one day until Taylor took the oath of office.  Della's family lineage springs from the Atchison line, and is filled with national political leaders and leaders in the body of Christ, including ministers of the Gospel.  Della's maternal grandmother and great-grandmother were Cherokee Indians, and she is a member (albeit non-registered) of the Cherokee Nation.

Together, Regner and Della Capener have eight children, two of whom are adopted Eskimos, 25 grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren.  Della has been in the jewelry business both managing for Zales and Kay Jewelers and designing specialty pieces for much of the past two decades, leaving that business for good in 2004 to minister with Regner, and to co-pastor at River Worship Center.

Their oldest daughter, Deborah, works currently for a construction company out of Seattle. Their oldest son, Christian, is a civil engineer who manages projects for a Canadian gold mine company working out of Nome, Alaska, along with the Red Dog Mine out of Kotzebue, Alaska for Alaska Interstate Construction.  He has recently moved from Alaska with his wife, Chelsi, and their four children to Sunnyside, Washington, and commutes back and forth.

Melodie, who is the next oldest daughter, lives with her two sons and works in Portland, Oregon providing healthcare for developmentally disabled patients. Shelley, who is next in line, lives with her five children in Mabton, Washington.  She has been a chef for several restaurants in the Yakima Valley, and a member of Mabton's City Council, but has recently begun her own business.  Danielle, daughter # 4, lives with her husband, Anthony Picasso, and their two sons in Anchorage, where she works and has her own business as a hairdresser.

Rebekah, daughter #5, lives in Pasco, Washington with her five children.  Ariella, youngest of the six girls in the family, recently moved back to the Seattle area.  Joshua, who is their second son, and youngest of the eight children, works at the Red Dog Mine out of Kotzebue, Alaska as a construction welder.   Joshua lives with his wife, Michelle, and their two sons in Anchorage.

For further background information visit: http://marquiswhoswho.net/regneralvincapener/ 
 

Will you commit to pray for us and for the this ministry on a regular and consistent basis?  We cannot do this without the intercessory support of God’s people.

Thank you, and Blessings on you.

Regner A. Capener

CAPENER MINISTRIES

Sunnyside, WA 98944-2218

(509) 515-0133