Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Eight hundred at "Go Tell Camp," at SFA

By EMILY TARAVELLA, The Daily Sentinel
Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Eight hundred junior high and high school students from across the United States are in Nacogdoches this week at "Go Tell Camp," a ministry started in 1989 by Rick Gage, a former college football coach turned evangelist.

Over the past 18 years, more than 75,000 teens and leaders have participated in Go Tell Camps in Georgia, Florida, Texas and Virginia, Gage said.

"It's hard to measure the impact this camp has had on these lives over many years," Gage said. "The two things we're told that people get out of these camps are that they leave with a greater passion for Christ and with a greater passion to reach the unsaved. If we've accomplished that every summer, we've accomplished a lot. We all need a greater passion for the Lord, and we all need a greater passion to reach the lost."

Summer Grove Baptist Church in Shreveport, La. sent about 144 students and 15 adults to camp this week.

DeAnn Bazzell, Kim Thompson and Christa DiPaul, three of the trip sponsors, said the students have been enjoying the activities and speakers.

Josh Davis, winner of five Olympic medals in swimming, spoke to the teens Monday. Rick Stanley, step-brother of Elvis Presley, spoke Tuesday; Danny Forshee, an evangelist from Dallas-Fort Worth spoke Wednesday; and Bo Pilgrim, chairman of Pilgrim's Pride Corporation, will speak Thursday.

"Josh Davis let them pass around his gold medal," Thompson said. "The students actually got to touch it."

Gage said Davis is a friend to the ministry who first spoke at a Go Tell crusade years ago.

"He's a dynamic believer," Gage said. "He's now training for the 2008 Olympics in China. He lives in San Antonio, and he attends (Christian author) Max Lucado's church. He is a charismatic, gifted communicator with a heart for kids."

Gage said Stanley's life story also touches the teens, and he said Forshee is a gifted speaker.

"Bo Pilgrim makes several appearances at our camps each year," Gage said. "He is one of the greatest servants of God I've ever met. He's a big believer in what we do."

In addition to the guest speakers, campers are hearing this week from Larry Graves, camp pastor, who speaks to them about relationships.

Bazzell said she believes her church youth group will gain from this week's experience.

"We want unity for our youth group, and we want them to know what they believe so they will be able to share it," Bazzell said. "We want them to understand biblical conviction."

Lonnie Dunn, a sponsor whom the Summer Grove Baptist teens affectionately call "Papaw," said he hopes each teen will leave camp with "a new touch from the Holy Spirit."

The teens are also taking time this week to write encouraging notes to one another.
In their recreation time, they are competing in sports, swimming and attending workshops, such as the "Common Ground" worship band workshop, and the "From the Branch" drama group workshop.

As part of an outreach project, some of the teens hosted a free carwash Wednesday at Wal-Mart.

Gage and the Go Tell crusade team, which includes Stanley, visit local prisons, youth homes and high schools, where the nationally acclaimed "On Track" school assembly program focuses on life's choices concerning drugs, alcohol abuse, teen suicide and premarital sex, according to a press release from the ministry.

To date, "On Track" has touched 2 million students, according to information from the ministry.

"We cultivate our crusades from the camps," Gage said. "They're like Billy Graham's crusades, except we have them in small towns instead of big cities. We also have an overseas ministry. Since 1992, we've had a ministry in the former Soviet Union, and we'll take 30 or 40 people there in November."

Organizing camps, such as the one at SFA this week, is a year-long process, Gage said.

"We're already making plans for the 2007 camps," he said.

Emily Taravella's e-mail address is etaravella@coxnews.com.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Crusade kickoff draws 1,000

The Gaffney Ledger
Crusade kickoff draws 1,000

By SCOTT POWELL Ledger Staff Writer
spowell@gaffneyledger.com

Youngsters from Kirby Memorial Baptist Church enjoy a meal before joining 80 church youths as servers at Thursday’s kickoff event for a May 21-24 crusade led by evangelist Rick Gage. Nearly 1,000 people attended the kickoff event at Broad River Electric Convention Center.

Nearly 1,000 local residents attended a kickoff event Thursday evening at the Broad River Electric Convention Center to begin preparations for a crusade that evangelist Rick Gage will lead in May in Gaffney.

Gage hopes the W.K. Brumbach Stadium at Gaffney Middle School will be filled to capacity May 21-24 at 7 p.m. nightly for his Upstate Carolina Go Tell Crusade. Rick Stanley, a half brother of Elvis Presley, is among the guest speakers who will join Gage in sharing the Gospel.

“About 60 percent of Cherokee County residents are unchurched. We want to cast out a vision and burden for leading lost people to Christ by sharing the Gospel,” Gage said. “There is nothing more dearer to the heart of God than leading sinners to salvation.”

It’s a burden Gage has felt since 1986 when he quit his assistant coaching position at Liberty University to follow in his father’s footsteps into full-time evangelism. He had rebelled earlier in his life by becoming involved in alcohol and drugs while pursuing his dream of becoming a college football coach.

“I thought football would fill the hole in my heart. I was wrong,” said Gage in his book “More than a Game.” “The greatest thing a person can do is to bring another person to Christ.”

More than 60 churches have joined Broad River Baptist Association in working with Rick Gage Ministries to plan the crusade. Churches will provide personnel to help with the months of preparation, the actual crusade days and the extensive follow-ups with people who make decisions to follow Jesus Christ.

Local residents are being sought to serve on committees dealing with tasks such as attendance, program arrangements, counseling and follow-ups, fundraising, outreach, music, publicity and ushering. A proposed budget puts the total cost of staging the crusade at $72,000.

It’s an effort which will extend well beyond the 300member community chorus that crusade organizers hope will perform at W.K. Brumbach Stadium.

Ministers will play a key role in the success of the crusade in May.

“The most influential voice in the church comes from the pulpit. We need pastors to give this crusade priority,” Gage said. “Our vision is an army of God working to help share the Gospel.”

Gage is the founder of Go Tell Ministries and holds annual Go Tell summer camps to reach teenagers. He has spoken in many schools about young people’s abuse of alcohol, drugs and other moral issues such as premarital sex.

“We need for teenagers to stand guard against anything that can ruin and destroy their lives,” Gage said. “One of our goals in this crusade is to reach out to teenagers and help them become winners in life.”