Courier Herald
Rick Gage Crusade coming to Laurens County
Planning event to be held Monday night, volunteers welcome
01/20/06
By BRANDY T. MULLIS
Recently, the churches of Laurens County were presented with the opportunity to host a Middle Georgia “Go Tell” Crusade with Rick Gage. “We are very excited that Rick Gage is holding a crusade in Dublin. He is a dynamic, much sought-after speaker who is making a difference in communities across America,” said Skip Evans, chairman of the local crusade. “Rick challenges, inspires and motivates people of all ages and we believe his life-changing message will have a very positive influence on our community.” Gage, a former collegiate football coach, now leads a large Atlanta-based ministry and his crusade events have been called “small town Billy Graham crusades.” “We feel like this can truly make a change here,” publicity chair Don Clark said, noting that Laurens County is approximately 70 percent unchurched. “We need a major revival in this community.” A successful crusade was held in Swainsboro last year. Organizers hope to continue that here. In 2005 Rick Gage Ministries held four crusades in four states and 40,000 men, women and children attended. As with Billy Graham crusades, local churches work together to make the crusades happen and then do follow-up events. “In order to be successful, all churches, all denominations, need to become involved in this crusade,” Clark said. An event this big will require a great community effort. A banquet will be held Monday night at Heart of Georgia Technical College’s Porter Center at 7 p.m. to kick off the event. Rick Gage will speak, and plans for the crusade will be outlined. Organizers encourage anyone who would like to help to attend the banquet. Tickets for the banquet are available through local churches or by calling 275-6750. The crusade will be held May 7-10 at West Laurens High School’s Raider Stadium.
