By Staff
Baptist Press
SAN SABA, Texas (BP)--The little town of San Saba, Texas, which boasts a population of 2,637, was shaken to its core when Rick Gage's Heart of Texas Crusade drew thousands of people to an outdoor field at the local high school March 28-31.
By the conclusion of the crusade in this little town in the heart of Texas, 540 spiritual decisions had been recorded, including 284 first-time professions of faith.
"We've never seen anything like it," said Tom Brand, pastor of The Father's House Church. "I have been pastoring here in San Saba for almost 12 years, and this is the most exciting, unbelievable move of God that has ever hit this county. As churches worked together, we felt the greatest sense of unity and a spirit of cooperation that has ever occurred in this area.
"We're still reeling from the mighty moving of God's Spirit among so many. The town is buzzing. We can't stop talking about what happened and what God is continuing to do. The baptismal waters stirred in my church on Easter Sunday!"
Sam Crosby, pastor of First Baptist Church of San Saba, is leading follow-up teams who are visiting in the homes of those who made decisions for Christ. He said he was astonished at the great number of people who came to the football stadium who would never come to a church.
Shay Hardy, a local radio personality, and his wife, Betty Sue, made a profession of faith at the crusade.
"I am a different man," Shay Hardy said. "This week Jesus has changed my life."
Crosby baptized Shay and Betty Sue on Easter Sunday along with 15 others who made public decisions at the crusade.
"More than 40 people walked the aisle of my church the Sunday after the crusade to make public the decisions they had made during the crusade," Crosby said. "We have already started a class for new Christians. Four adults were saved in homes immediately after the Crusade as the Spirit of God continues to move mightily.
"As we prepared for the crusade, we prayed for a mighty moving of God's Spirit. We prayed like Isaiah, that God would rend the heavens and come down. And God far exceeded our expectations. Few know that Rogan Field was once an old graveyard. God breathed new life there during the Heart of Texas Crusade, and great numbers will be in heaven because of it."
Local police officers who worked security for the crusade reported that some people in surrounding neighborhoods who were within earshot of Rogan Field stopped their barbequing and listened. The officers used the opportunity to talk to these people about Christ.
A Saturday night student rally kicked off the crusade, reaping 74 decisions, with 32 salvation experiences from students and adults. The following night Bo Pilgrim, chairman and CEO of Pilgrim's Pride Corporation, the second largest poultry corporation in America, gave his personal testimony as part of the beginning of the open-air crusade.
Rick Stanley, an evangelist and stepbrother of Elvis Presley, regularly travels with Rick Gage, giving his testimony at Gage's crusades. As he spoke on Monday evening, one lady, Christy Montoya, listened intently.
"At first, I did everything I could to keep from listening to Rick Stanley's testimony," Montoya said. "I desperately told God I would wait until the next night to get saved, but when I closed my eyes, I had a vision of a tomorrow that never comes. As tears welled up in my eyes, I knew that if I did not ask Jesus to save me right then, I would die and go to hell."
Montoya and her daughter, Kaysha, both made professions of faith and were baptized together on Easter Sunday.
During the day, the crusade team members visited seven local schools, speaking to 2,000 students. Gage's "On Track" school assembly program deals with life's choices and addresses issues such as drugs, alcohol abuse, teen suicide and premarital sex.
Team members also visited the Texas Youth Commission, a juvenile correction facility in San Saba. More than 40 young men committed their lives to Jesus Christ after Gage's team conducted its service.
Darwin Lewis, chairman of the crusade, said much work went into preparing for the event. Some 25 pastors helped bring the crusade to the town.
"For seven months we prayed and planned, but God far exceeded our expectations," Lewis said. "His Spirit moved in a way that will make a lasting impact on our community for Christ. I wish every small town like ours could experience a Rick Gage Crusade."
