Crusade coming to Liberty's Memorial Stadium
Nationally Known Evangelist Rick Gage to Lead Four-Night Event
Rick Gage, known as the “small town Billy Graham,” preaches at a recent GO TELL crusade. Gage and his team will be at Liberty Memorial Stadium, Apr. 13-16, 7 p.m. each evening.
LIBERTY— Evangelist Rick Gage and the GO TELL AMERICA team will hold a crusade in Southeast Texas Apr. 13-16 at the Liberty Memorial Stadium on the northeast corner of Bowie and Grand in Liberty.
GO TELL SETX, which will begin at 7 p.m. each evening, is being held in partnership with numerous local churches in the Liberty/Dayton area. Admission for each night is free.
Gage and his crusade ministry have held similar events in smaller communities across the nation for more than three decades. Leaders of GO TELL SETX anticipate 1,000 or more will attend each evening and hundreds will make life-changing decisions for Christ during the week.
The crowd is expected to double in size on Wednesday evening, which begins with a free pizza dinner at 6:30 p.m. for middle schoolers and high schoolers and ends with one of those teens winning a free car that has been donated.
Just last month, at a GO TELL crusade in Denham Springs, Louisiana, more than 600 persons committed to become followers of Jesus Christ and 700 made other spiritual decisions.
“We are excited to see the churches of our area come together to share the good news with the whole community,” said David Williams, crusade chairman and also director of missions for Trinity River Baptist Association. “More than 400 volunteers are involved in various areas including, ushers, security, music, counseling, prayer, youth, publicity, and hospitality.”
Williams estimated that 80% or more of the people who live in Southeast Texas are not regularly involved in any church.
“We want to give those who don’t normally attend church the opportunity to come, as they are, with no obligation, to a football stadium, where they will hear the best news that has ever been told,” Williams said. “We’re not trying to make church people out of them; we just want to introduce them to the person who changed our lives and can change theirs, too.”
Gage will speak on Sunday and Wednesday evening. Monday and Tuesday night will feature special guest speakers: Adrian Despres, former football chaplain at the University of South Carolina under Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier; and Tony Nolan, Christian evangelist, author, speaker and pastor of Oak Leaf Church in Canton, Ga.
Christian recording artists, Rush of Fools, will lead music every night. In addition, Sunday evening will feature a community choir of dozens of people from area churches.
“The last thing Christ directed His friends to do before He left the earth was to share the gospel with the whole world,” Gage said. “Not only does this directive still exist, but we believe it is to be just as much our number one goal in the 21st century as it was in the 1st century.”
Gage said it’s crucial that no one is overlooked, that everyone has the opportunity to hear the Gospel and respond to it.
“The need and urgency to evangelize the unsaved have never been greater,” he said. “Life is brief. Life is uncertain. Death is sure. And Christ may appear at any moment.”
Chris Palmer, executive director of GO TELL AMERICA in Atlanta, called it fitting that the crusade be held at the stadium because it brings people together in unity for the love of sports.
“It is a neutral site that removes the barriers that keep people away from churches on Sundays,” Palmer said. “With all of the sports victories that occur in stadiums, we want to help people find the biggest victory of their lives.”