Tony Roach, minister of the Minda Street Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas, has withdrawn as a candidate to host a new reality show on Oprah Winfrey’s new OWN television network. Near the end of the fourth episode of “Your OWN Show,” Roach told co-hosts Nancy O’Dell and Carson Kressley that he was withdrawing. “I chose to leave the competition,” Roach said during the episode. “I cannot say I’m going to help somebody live their best life, and then tear people down. To me, that’s not a winner. I’m leaving with dignity. I’m leaving with respect.”

We reported last summer on Texas minister Tony Roach’s bid to host his own talk show on Oprah Winfrey’s new network. Roach, minister of the Minda Street Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas, remains in the running. He’s one of 10 finalists featured in “Your OWN Show,” a reality program that premieres Friday, Jan. 7, on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey doesn’t make it out to the woods too often. For a recent special, though, Winfrey and friend Gayle King hitched a pop-up camper to a Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid and hit the road to Yosemite National Park. The purpose of Winfrey’s adventure: to meet Shelton Johnson, a black park ranger who complained that few African-Americans visit America’s national parks. While exploring Yosemite, Winfrey ran into Woody Square, who has served since 1992 as youth and family minister for the San Leandro Church of Christ in California. Square is black.

Abilene, Texas, minister Tony Roach will travel to Los Angeles to have a shot at a slot on a reality program that could lead to a regular series on Oprah Winfrey’s upcoming network, the Abilene Reporter-News reports. But the Minda Street Church of Christ minister had to be uncharacteristically mum about the victory Monday, citing directives from the network itself. Roach’s supporters were more vocal.

In what quickly became the most-viewed item so far on The Christian Chronicle’s news blog, we posted last week on Abilene, Texas, minister Tony Roach’s bid to compete on “Your OWN Show: Oprah’s Search for the Next TV Star.” The Abilene Reporter-News reports that the Chronicle blog post — among other factors — helped push Roach’s vote total over 1.5 million. And his supporters aren’t done yet.

Hey, Oprah! The longtime minister of the Minda Street Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas, wants to compete on “Your OWN Show: Oprah’s Search for the Next TV Star.” Find out how to vote for him.