Falwell, Gage endorse youth praise movement

By Jessica Waters
Thursday, June 26, 2008

The Toccoa Record

More than 1,000 people from 35 churches in 10 states flooded into Toccoa last week for the first session of the 20th annual Go Tell Ministries camp at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center.

The students and leaders have now departed, but they took with them a message of biblical relevance and personal potential, said Go Tell Ministries founder and director Rick Gage.

"We are still making our major emphasis on evangelism and equipping these students to go back and be missionaries, witnesses and difference-makers for Christ," Gage said Wednesday (June 18) as he waited at the Toccoa Airport for the arrival of guest speaker Jonathan Falwell.

"We have always brought in strong teaching and preaching and speakers that can really connect with these kids," Gage said.

"The music, the testimonies, the video and dramas and outreach we do in the community - it is a five-day power-packed week, and it's amazing how much you get in those five days, and the spiritual impact that is made in the hearts and lives of these kids is enormous," he said.

Gage stressed that reaching out to today's youths remains an important task, saying that children are the future of the country and the leaders of not only the nation, but also the future leaders of the church.

"If you study the history of revivals, you'll find there has never been a real move of God, a spiritual awakening, where it did not begin with young people," he said.

"These kids still respond to the truth - to the preaching of the word of God - and that never changes; methods will change, but the message never does, and we have never compromised on the message," Gage said.

Falwell, also, believes in the importance of youths for the future, and in the relevance of God in today's society.

"My message tonight, my goal, is to share with these kids there is no limit to what they can accomplish, that they all have been called by God and gifted by God to a specific area and purpose and that they will be able to go out and impact this world in some way," said Falwell, who is the senior pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va., a church he has pastored since his father, Jerry Falwell, died in May 2007.

"From the beginning last May when dad passed away, I made it clear to our church...that I'm not going to try and fill my father's shoes," he said.

"That is not something I am capable of doing or that anyone was capable of doing. He was such a remarkable person. God called me to a certain area of ministry to do a certain thing, and my responsibility is to simply follow in those footsteps into what God has called me to do because God didn't call me to be my dad or anyone else. He called me to be me. That's what I focus on, to reach this world with the gospel," Falwell said.

The second session of the Go Tell Ministries 2008 camp started on June 23 and will continue through June 27.

For more information on the camp and Go Tell Ministries, visit www.gotellministries.com.

Bowden will share faith during crusade via video

The Gaffney Ledger

Bowden will share faith during crusade via video

By SCOTT POWELL Ledger Staff Writer spowell@gaffneyledger.com

Clemson Head Football Coach Tommy Bowden will share his Christian faith via video on Youth Night of a May crusade in Gaffney.

Bowden is entering his eighth year at Clemson, where he has a 52-33 overall record and six bowl appearances. He was named ACC Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2003 and ranks third behind Frank Howard and Danny Ford in total wins at Clemson.

While prior scheduling conflicts prevented Bowden from making a personal appearance, crusade chairman Sam Burns said organizers are pleased the Clemson coach's message will still be heard.
"It warms my heart for someone who coaches our young people to be willing to express his faith in this way," Burns said. "He shows the type of leadership we need to see from all of our coaches and youth leaders."

A devout Christian, Bowden has spoken in several Cherokee County churches and has provided a videotape for use at the Upstate Go Tell Crusade. Bowden was presented the Grant Teaff Coach of the Year Award in January by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

The crusade will be held May 21-24 at 7 p.m. nightly at W.K. Brumbach Stadium. Each event is open to the public.

Nationally known evangelist Rick Gage will lead the crusade. Gage entered full-time ministry in 1986 after quitting a successful college coaching career to follow in his father's footsteps as an evangelist.
More than 60 churches have joined Broad River Baptist Association in working with Rick Gage Ministries to plan the 4-day event.

Bowden's video testimony will be shown at Youth Night on May 24. A free "pizza blast" will be held at 6 p.m. before the program.

"We are still trying to get several football players from Clemson to come for our Youth Night on Wednesday," Broad River Baptist Association Director of Missions Donnie Padgett said. "We hope the football players will be able to speak in some of our schools and then spend time with our youth that evening."

Rick Stanley, Elvis Presley's stepbrother, will speak at the crusade Monday. Pilgrim's Pride CEO Bo Pilgrim will share his testimony Tuesday. Stanley become a Christian two months after Elvis' death and has been preaching for 26 years. Pilgrim has developed his company, Pilgrim's Pride, into the second-largest poultry company in America and Mexico.

Chuck Sullivan will serve as music worship leader while Nashville singer Amy Lowry will perform. The Restoration Praise Band will provide special music at the crusade.

See what others say...

"GO TELL is the best week of the Summer"
See what others say...


Youth Pastor David Ridley knows GO TELL Camp intimately. In his seventh year of attending he says, “I can’t imagine not coming to this awesome place that means the world to me. I began attending GO TELL when I was 15 years old, got saved my second year here, was a counselor for three years, felt called into the ministry at GO TELL, and have now brought my youth for two years. Twenty out of our group of 70 were unchurched. Our pastor goes all out to get as many youth as possible to GO TELL because he knows they’ll be saved and we’ll come back on fire for the Lord. He’s right!”

“I was born premature to a 17-year-old whose boyfriend had abandoned her,” wrote Andy. “The doctors declared me a ‘hopeless’ case and doomed me to a sad existence. But I had a grandmother who loved me and took me to a church where I joined the youth group that attended GO TELL Camp. They have taken me to camp for the past two years. I’m writing to thank you because, without GO TELL Camp, I would probably be deep into drugs and alcohol or maybe even in hell today. God used your ministry to spare my soul, and for that I am deeply, eternally grateful. Although my mom and stepfather drink and take drugs, I have been protected and blessed by God. I have been seeking God’s face and feel as though the Lord wants me in full-time ministry. I covet your prayers.”

“I was a little apprehensive about taking our teens to our first GO TELL Camp at Liberty University,” wrote Jon Parker. “Upon arriving, we immediately sensed the strong presence of God, and the Lord soon confirmed that He had led us to a camp that would change our teens and youth ministry forever. Some were saved; students and chaperones were called into full-time ministry, and all of us were consumed with a burden for the lost. We went home and shared during a Sunday worship service and saw the altars filled with adults, convicted by a group of teens, that they needed to get right with God. I had arrived at GO TELL with a ministry that was going nowhere. I left with a fire that is still burning many weeks later both in my heart and in the hearts of our students as we mobilize into a godly and discipled group that is ready to take the world for Christ.”

“My name is Lindsay, and I recently attended GO TELL Camp in Toccoa, Georgia. I could not begin to explain the profound changes that took place in my life during that amazing week! In one of the workshops, I became burdened for my friends as I learned how to share my faith. When I got home from camp, I got on the internet and wrote
e-mails to every one of my friends who did not know Jesus Christ as personal Savior. Of the seven friends I sent emails, two were saved! I am saying over and over again, ‘To God be the glory!’ Thank you for reminding me how important it is to witness. I can’t wait for next year when I can come back to GO TELL Camp to learn more.”

Last summer, 28 young men and women who felt called of God to ministry, interned at GO TELL Camps for six weeks. For their service, these students each received a full-tuition scholarship for the 2007-2008 school year at one of these colleges: Liberty University; Boyce College, the undergraduate school of Southern Seminary; the College of Southwestern; or Tennessee Temple University.

After playing football at the University of Alabama, Whitney Clayton felt called of God to full-time ministry. Now at Boyce College, he says of his summer interning with GO TELL, “It was an amazing summer filled with hard work but lots of fun and rewarding relationships that will last a life-time. My greatest fulfillment came in seeing the tremendous changes that took place in campers’ lives from the first of the week until the last. The great speakers fed me as much, if not more, than the students. It was a life-changing summer for me.”

Mallory Cowart was excited about the opportunity to serve at GO TELL Camp for her second summer, “The last day of interning with GO TELL Camp after my first summer found me planning for the next summer of ministry. This past summer was tremendous. A passionate love for people permeates each leader’s heart at GO TELL. This love reaches out to everyone who comes to GO TELL Camp. I saw nurses and even the guy who set up our recreation inflatables get saved this past summer. The love from camp even reaches out to surrounding communities. It is a wonderful thing God is doing at GO TELL Camp.”

“This is my eighth summer with GO TELL,” says staff member Maggie Mobley. “I love this camp. I am so fortunate to be able to work here now after first attending as a camper and having God capture my heart through its ministry. It is an unbelievable blessing and privilege to see lives transformed by the power of God and to be a part of that. GO TELL is on a totally different level than what most people think of when they think of summer camp. Rick Gage has a passion for bringing kids to Christ that can be seen every moment of his life. The intensity of the Word preached and the moving of God’s Spirit in lives has raised the bar of this camp so high I would work here the rest of my life if I could.”

Jerry Massey

Dear Fellow Pastors,

I consider it a privilege to ask you to consider Rick Gage for an evangelistic crusade in your area. Rick is truly a God-anointed evangelist with a heart for the Lord, lost people, and the local church. You will find him to be one of the most genuine, sincere, humble, and cooperative men of God who you would ever hope to work with in such an effort.

Rick is God’s gift to Small Town, USA, when it comes to county or areawide crusades. His Biblical preaching is beyond reproach. A very strong advocate of the ministry of the local church, he promotes strongly that new converts follow through with their decisions in the local church and become active members.

Rick has a very inviting and welcoming appeal to those he meets. His preaching, his presence in the community, his speaking in school assemblies, etc., brought us in Henry County, Tennessee, a spiritual harvest unlike any I have ever seen in forty years in the pastorate -- outside of a Billy Graham Crusade. God has gifted Rick with a powerful message of Gospel truths. The people “hear him gladly,” and they respond with even more gladness of heart.

Our community will be blessed for many years to come because of the life-changing decisions that were made during our recent Greater Kentucky Lake GO TELL Crusade. More than 120 churches were represented in attendance during the week.

Believe me, pastors, when it comes to Rick Gage -- his preaching, his invitation appeals, his demeanor, his way with the public corporately and privately, and his organization, you will never have to worry about apologizing to your people for anything except why didn’t we pray more and work harder. God has anointed Rick’s ministry, and it is evident the moment you meet him.

My experience with GO TELL was one of the most thrilling and inspiring experiences of my ministry. I am so thankful Rick came to our small town and considered it a divine appointment he could not ignore. I recommend Rick Gage and GO TELL Crusades to you without any reservation. God bless you as you consider your community’s evangelistic future in ministry partnership with a GO TELL Crusade and my new, dear friend in Christ, Rick Gage.

Respectfully yours,

Jerry W. Massey
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Paris Tennessee

Revival Sweeps through Paris, Tennessee

Greater Kentucky Lake GO TELL Crusade Draws Crowds of Over 10,000

615 First – time Professions of Faith Recorded

Situated on a fork of the West Sandy River, Paris, Tennessee, is home to the world’s biggest fish fry. But when Evangelist Rick Gage and his team recently joined with more than fifty churches in Henry County for a GO TELL Crusade, they started an unprecedented, sweeping revival, fishing for the souls of men and women.

Citizens were astonished when crowds exceeding 10,000 flocked to Henry County High School Football Stadium for the four-night event. By its conclusion, 893 spiritual decisions had been recorded, including 615 first-time professions of faith.

Excitement still pervades the area as reports of changed lives arrive daily. An email from a mother reads, “A million thank yous are not enough. My two oldest children were saved Sunday night, and my husband and I rededicated our lives to God. How could I begin to express my heart’s overflowing thankfulness that our once almost-broken family has come together in wonderful closeness.”

Testimonies include people delivered from organized crime, families reunited, young people delivered from drugs, relationships healed, prominent citizens led to faith in Christ, church members saved, and issues of long-term hate and bitterness resolved.

Gage, who has dedicated his life to reaching rural America for Christ, has been filling football stadiums for more than a decade in small towns across America.

During the day, Gage and his GO TELL team conducted ON TRACK School Assemblies and spoke throughout the area. Monday morning of the crusade, Henry County’s fourth through twelfth graders assembled along with school board members and the superintendent of schools. More than 3,000 students filled the high school football stadium for a school assembly where Rick Gage spoke about life’s choices with an emphasis on “bullying”.

On Tuesday morning, Rick spoke at Bethel College where more than 100 students made commitments to Christ.

“Wow, was it exciting to see how the Lord moved,” said Dr. Joe Davis, executive director of the Center for Biblical Counseling who served as the Crusade Counseling chairman. “We had trained 240 counselors, but nothing could have prepared us for what we experienced the last night of the crusade. As people began to respond to the invitation, I told the counselors, ‘You’re each going to have to counsel two people.’ But as waves of people kept coming, I said, ‘No, make it four each!’ Over 400 people came forward that night! Others are even now being saved with the awesome follow-up that is in place.”

Rick Stanley, an evangelist and step-brother of Elvis Presley, gave his testimony at the crusade and spoke at the county jail. The GO TELL team received a call from a judge asking them to visit the local jail, the Henry County Correctional Center. After a two-hour service, 126 prisoners professed their faith in Jesus Christ. Many were weeping and crying. The judge said that this was the first time she had ever witnessed such emotion from the women’s ward where the inmates often are more hardened than the men.

Crusade General Chairman, Carlton Gerrell said, “We’ve never had our local churches unite like this. As churches worked together, we felt the greatest sense of unity and a spirit of cooperation that has ever occurred in this area. Pastors are continuing to meet together and are committed to keeping each other accountable as we keep the fires of revival burning. Rick Gage is not just a vocational evangelist. He is truly anointed and called of God, and his passion and zeal for God are felt by all with whom he comes in contact. The Lord uses him mightily.”

“It was an amazing week,” commented Crusade Co-Chairman Jim Twilbeck. “God moved in mighty ways. Every night the stadium, which seats nearly 3,000, was filled to capacity with people standing on the sidelines. It was an awesome sight. There were so many decisions for Christ. Especially moving to me was seeing big, old boys, football players, with tears, getting saved. We typed up the decisions that were made every night and gave them to the area’s pastors the next day at the noon luncheon. Extensive follow-up is in place. I’ve heard from many churches that had additional decisions the Sunday after the crusade as the spirit of revival continues.”

Pastor Joe McClure of Open Doors Community Church, worked extensively on outreach. “This crusade was absolutely fantastic,” he said. “The baptismal service at the lake was wonderful and a great testimony to this county. Several churches united to baptize forty-two people. Many more will be baptized in the days ahead. I truly believe we will feel the results of this crusade in the weeks, months, and years ahead.”

“What a thrill it was to be a part of something that impacted the entire community. The crusade was a wake-up call for our different denominations. Strongholds of division among the body of Christ were broken as we all came together for one cause: to win people to Jesus Christ,” said Prayer Chairman Henry Schaadt. “Our community will never be the same again. Intense prayer for this crusade began many months ago; and now that it is over, we are continuing our prayer meetings in churches all over the county.”

Finance Chairman Bob Cathey rejoiced at the number of young men and boys who were saved during the crusade. “It was an awesome thing to see the Spirit of God all over these young men, and we are putting in a tremendous effort to disciple them. Parents have already granted permission for their sons to attend a men’s gathering where will be mentoring these boys. Practically every church that actively participated in the crusade has witnessed between five and thirty people join their church,” said Mr. Cathey.

Rick Gage has witnessed more than 250,000 decisions for Christ through his many evangelistic outreaches in America and abroad. Rick Gage GO TELL Ministries include crusades, summer youth camps, school assemblies, GO TELL Sundays, and overseas missions trips.

For more information about Rick Gage GO TELL Ministries, please call 1-866-I-GO-TELL, email at info@gotellministries.com.

Russia Mission Trip 2007

“When each of us accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we committed to the Great Commission. None of our lives can ever be the same after seeing despair turned to hope in the lives of so many precious Russian people. The rewards of going on a mission trip are unbelievable. You receive far more than you give.”

GO TELL Volunteer Team, 2007

Ministering love and hope in the cities of Bryansk, Dyatkovo, Slobodeshe, Jukovka, Bytosh, and Ludinovo, Russia, fifteen GO TELL Team volunteers were recently used of God to lead 220 Russian people to Christ, while encouraging and ministering aid to hundreds.

The GO TELL Team consisted of volunteers from seven states. Ministering in schools, orphanages, churches, a rehabilitation center, a senior home, and on the streets, they gave out 750 pounds of aid, 1,000 pieces of Christian literature and Bibles, and gospel bracelets. Almost $14,000 in cash was also given to churches and other Christian organizations.

Feeling directly led by God to go to Russian with the GO TELL Team, Pastor Steve Nixon committed his father-in-law, who was suffering with a brain tumor, into God’s hands. “I rested in the confidence that my father-in-law knew Christ as Savior,” said Pastor Nixon. “I knew I was needed to go 15,000 miles to fulfill the Great Commission because people on the other side of the world need Jesus too.

“In a cold, dark Russian Rehabilitation Center for alcoholics and drug addicts, I found cold men whose hollow countenances knew no joy. They were desperate for someone whom they could trust to love them. After sharing Christ with them, our team witnessed 20 men accept Christ as Lord and Savior. The change in them was miraculous. Victor told me that as I preached, his heart longed for what I was sharing. By the time I had finished, he said he knew that the Lord had delivered him and set him free from drugs and alcohol.”

Just fifteen years old, Terri Medley made a life-changing decision. “This trip to Russia was incredible. The hopelessness in the faces of the Russian people, including the children was heartbreaking. I will never forget two little girls named Kristina and Natasha, both with shaved heads, who I met in a children’s home. After I gave them each some stickers and a teddy bear, they were desperate to communicate. Luba, our translator, figured out what they were so anxious about—wondering if they could actually keep their bears. The overwhelming look of joy on their faces when I told them they were a gift was absolutely priceless. Love, affection, and the good news of Jesus Christ changed them and in doing so, made certain to me what the Lord wants me to do with my life.”

After hearing Rick Gage speak at her church, Rebecca Dempsey surrendered her life to God to go on missions trips to Russia although she was facing many medical problems at the time. This trip was her seventh time to minister in Russia. “Each trip brings so much joy,” she said. “It is hard to explain the change in the eyes of a seemingly hopeless child who blossoms like a flower after being shown love. Just reaching out with a sticker, a balloon, a Bible, and a smile opens them up to receive the message of Jesus’ love.

“A very special experience for me this year was meeting a Russian woman who was drawn to me at a prison. She and I bonded as we shared common problems. She left me knowing Jesus lived in her heart and clutching a Bible which she clung to as her lifeline. No matter where we go, hurting people are looking for answers that can only be found in Jesus.”

Mechelle Bryant wrote of her trip, “This was my third year to go on the Russian Missions trip with GO TELL Ministries. Each year is different, but it is the way God has called me to fulfill the Great Commission. God has really placed a burden on my heart for the Russian people, especially the orphans. I like to go in and hug those sweet kids and hopefully leave a bright spot in their lives. Their situations are so bleak, and I believe our trips make an eternal difference in many of the people we meet. Each time I return to America I think I have left a little of my heart with the orphaned children. I want to keep sharing Jesus and doing what I can to make a better life for them.”

Jesse Laine expressed thanks to be part of a team that was privileged to share Jesus Christ with the Russian people. “At an old folk’s home, I had the chance to sit with a Russian woman who knew no English. Since no interpreters were available, I just tied a gospel bracelet on her arm that I had made for her and sat close to her. She began to cry and kiss me all over. I sat and extended love to this woman the entire time we were there. Later I was told that people in that home never get visitors. It was a special moment and an honor for me to be able to be an extension of God’s love to this woman.”

Youth Pastor Hal Clifton first heard about GO TELL’S Russia Missions Trip at a GO TELL Summer Youth Camp where he has been taking his youth groups for the past seven years. “Last year when I went on the Russia missions trip I cried every day,” said Pastor Hal. “This year I was thrilled to be taking one of my youth on the trip, but was burned out when I left because of pressures and the hectic pace of life. It didn’t take long for the Lord to put things in perspective for me and refresh my spirit. When you get to minister alongside the greatest team anyone could ever work with and see the Lord use each of you in His divine appointments, you are transformed too.”

Since beginning its ministry in Russia in 1992, God has greatly blessed the efforts of GO TELL Ministries in that land where its teams have seen literally thousands of Russians come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Rick Gage says, “As long as God gives me strength, I will continue to take GO TELL Teams of volunteers back to that desperate land where the Spirit of God is moving and precious Russian people are hungry for the gospel message. Those who go on an overseas missions trip with us are forever changed as they share their faith and experience the power of God in a foreign land.”

For more information about Rick Gage GO TELL Ministries, please call 1-866-I-GO-TELL; email at info@gotellministries.com or visit the website at www.gotellministries.com.

“Small Town Billy Graham” to Hold Crusade in Paris, Tennessee

PARIS, Tenn. (Sept. 11, 2007) – Evangelist Rick Gage, once dubbed “the Small Town Billy Graham” by the Associated Press because of his emphasis on outreaches in small communities, will conduct his Greater Kentucky Lake Go Tell Crusade at Patriot Stadium at Henry County High School Sept. 16-19, 2007, beginning at 7 p.m. each night.

Rick Stanley, step-brother of the late Elvis Presley, will share his testimony at the crusade Sept. 17. Stanley served as personal assistant to Presley and became a Christian shortly after his death. He has been in ministry for more than 25 years, has spoken in more than 4,000 churches and to millions of young people about the problems of alcohol and drugs.

University of Tennessee head football coach Phillip Fulmer will give his testimony via video Sept. 18.

Chuck Sullivan with Chuck Sullivan Music Ministries will serve as worship leader for the crusade, and guest artists Amy Lowry of Nashville and Joy Fowler of Atlanta will perform each night. Sept. 19 is student night, with free pizza offered beginning at 6 p.m.

“We are very excited that Rick Gage is holding a crusade in Paris. He is a dynamic, much sought-after speaker who is making a difference in communities across America,” said Carlton Gerrell, chairman of the Greater Kentucky Lake Go Tell 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,” he added.

For more than a decade, Gage has been filling high school football stadiums with Graham-style crusades in small communities like Dalhart, Texas; Gaffney, South Carolina; Gardendale, Alabama; and Dublin, Georgia.

As with Billy Graham Crusades, local churches work together to help make the crusades a success by nurturing new believers as they follow Christ – only there may be dozens of churches instead of hundreds.

“God gave me a heart for rural America,” said Gage whose ministry is headquartered in the Atlanta area. “People in small towns need Jesus just as much as in big towns.”

Over the years, many well-known individuals have spoken on Gage’s platform, including nationally known athletes; two former Miss Americas; and Christian leaders Josh McDowell, Dr. Jerry Falwell, and James Robison. Major college football coaches Tommy Bowden and Mark Richt; Mike Ditka, former coach of the Chicago Bears; and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar all have endorsed his ministry.

Gage and his crusade team also visit local prisons, youth detention centers, and high schools where his nationally acclaimed On Track school assembly program focuses on life’s choices concerning drugs, alcohol abuse, teen suicide, and premarital sex. On Track has touched two million students nationwide.

In addition to crusades, Gage started a Go Tell youth camp ministry in 1989. Since then, Go Tell camps in Colorado, Georgia, Florida, New Mexico, Texas, and Virginia have trained more than 75,000 teens and leaders in evangelism. Camp speakers have included well-known Christian leaders such as Ergun Caner, Johnny Hunt, James Merritt, and Josh McDowell, and professional football players Shaun Alexander and Danny Wuerffel.

Gage’s life story is chronicled in the book More Than a Game. As Mark Richt, head football coach of the University of Georgia Bulldogs, notes in the foreword, “This book is not about football; and actually, it’s not about Rick Gage. It’s about the wonderful grace of God who extends His love to you and me through Jesus Christ.”

For more information about the Kentucky Lake Go Tell Crusade, call (731) 642-4641. For more information about Gage’s ministry, visit www.gotellcrusades.com.