The Gaffney Ledger

Feb. 9 banquet will kick off crusade
By SCOTT BAUGHMAN
Ledger Staff Writer
scottb@gaffneyledger.com

It’s been more than 30 years since Gaffney and Cherokee County have seen a community crusade. But if the Broad River Baptist Association and dozens of local churches can garner community support, they might bring back an old-fashioned tent revival with a new millennium flavor.

“Since returning to Cherokee County to become Director of Missions of the association I have had a burden for lost and unchurched people,” said Donnie Padgett. “How do we reach people? What is the best way? How can churches work together for this purpose? I shared my burden with the Gaffney Ministerial Association and others had the same concerns. After months of prayer and discussion we have invited Rick Gage, a nationally known evangelist, to come and lead an area wide crusade at the football stadium and speak in our schools.”

As part of a committee chaired by local auto dealer Sam Burns, Padgett and other ministers settled on the idea of a crusade with Gage at the helm due to the evangelist’s personal history.

“One of the reasons we picked Rick is, his father is a nationally known evangelist out of Texas,” Padgett explained. “And Rick rebelled against his father’s teaching and Christ and fell into a life of drug abuse and alcohol. He had planned on becoming a college football coach, since he was an athlete in his school days, but God turned his life around and he became an evangelist himself. I think that background really gives him a great story to tell to our kids.”

Although the event is several months away, work has already begun on preparing for Gage and his team to arrive.

“The dates of the crusade will be Sunday, May 21, through Wednesday, May 24,” Padgett said. “It will be for all denominations and all churches. Our prayer is that all the people of faith in our community will be a part of the crusade. A kickoff banquet will be held on Feb. 9 at Broad River Electric Convention Center. We hope to have four to five hundred people attend. Rick will be the speaker and share what a successful crusade could mean to our community. We hope that most churches can sponsor a table at $150 and fill it with their invited guests. Some churches may choose just to sell tickets at $10 each. If the money for a table or tickets is not possible at this time we still want each church to come and fill their table.”

Tickets along with posters and bulletin inserts can be picked up at the Broad River Baptist Mission Center at 100 Railroad Ave. in Gaffney.