BROOKHAVEN, Miss. — More than 700 people made commitments to the Lord Jesus Christ during the GO TELL AMERICA Crusade in Brookhaven, Miss., on Oct. 19-22, from among the 10,000 who attended the four-night event, according to event organizers.

Forty churches and more than 500 volunteers assisted with the crusade, led by Evangelist Rick Gage and his GO TELL AMERICA team from the Atlanta area. Gage was joined by evangelists Adrian Despres, Runks Runkles and Luther Martin. Christian rock band Rush of Fools led in worship. 

David Williams, associational mission strategist for the county’s Lincoln Baptist Association, said it was difficult to “put into words what God did” during the event, held nightly at King Field on the campus of Brookhaven High School.

“Prayer and preparation were the keys to God opening up His blessings on southwest Mississippi,” Williams said. “Our team of over 500 volunteers did an amazing job. My prayer has been that a moment in time would create a movement that would change Brookhaven and Lincoln County and surrounding areas for eternity.

“In coming back to Brookhaven and Lincoln County just over three years ago, I knew God wanted to impact this area with the gospel on a large scale,” he said. “He did that in this crusade. Seeing churches, businesses, schools and individuals coming together in unity was simply amazing. My continued prayer is that unity would prevail. Jesus is the answer to everyday life needs. To God be all glory and praise. My life and ministry will never be the same as a result of the crusade.”

As part of the crusade’s youth outreach, 3,000 students were addressed by the GO TELL team in school assemblies about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, Gage said. He and his ministry team have shared on this theme with an estimated 2 million students during ON TRACK assemblies in public and private schools across America.

A precrusade student rally event in September saw about 200 young people respond to the altar call by making spiritual decisions for Christ. 

Pastor Chris Huffman of The Well Church in McComb, Miss., said students from his congregation attended the Wednesday evening service at last month’s crusade.

“Several from our group responded to what the Holy Spirit was leading them to respond during the altar call, including my 10-year-old daughter,” he said. “She was shaken by what happened to Charlie Kirk for sharing his faith. It impacted her in a real way. She prayed for more boldness and to trust that God was with her. We are honored to partner with the Southwest Mississippi GO TELL AMERICA Crusade to promote the King and His kingdom.”

Jason Case is headmaster of Brookhaven Academy and pastor of Philadelphia Baptist Church.

“The crusade has impacted my church,” Case said. “Dads and granddads, who haven’t been coming to church, are showing up because their kids or grandkids made a commitment to Christ.”

Ryan Thurman, pastor of Central Baptist Church in Brookhaven, said the event ranks among the highlights of his 18 years at the church.

“From the first meeting with Rick Gage and Chris Palmer, I knew this was going to be blessed by the Lord,” Thurman said. “I knew the timing was right for such an evangelistic crusade. And I knew that God had led the GO TELL ministry to partner with us to reach lost souls for the kingdom.

“The GO TELL ministry is biblically based, gospel-centered and Christ-exalting,” he continued. “The team is made up of God-called leaders who sincerely have a heart to reach the lost with the saving message of Christ. The organizational structure and method of ministry are clearly understood, and there is a priority placed on integrity from beginning to end.”

Thurman said that he was not alone in his impressions.

“In speaking with younger and older Christians who volunteered in this crusade, I keep hearing the same testimony: ‘I have never experienced anything like this,’” he said. “We witnessed God work through Rick Gage and through the various leaders, speakers and worship team to lead over 700 people to make decisions for Christ. And the energy of the crusade is now being felt within our own congregation as those who served want to ‘do more’ to reach lost people with the gospel message.”

Kenny Goza, a lay leader with East Haven Baptist Church, called the crusade “a spiritual awakening for our community.”

“Each evening, we saw people responding to God’s call on their lives, whether accepting Christ as their Lord or making a recommitment,” Goza said. “It was truly a picture of what the church should be. Not just brick and mortar but a gathering of believers unified, seeking God, praying and touching lives. It was truly a revival for Southwest Mississippi.”

Chelsey Anderson, who accepted Christ at the crusade, announced that she is “now Heaven bound.

“This whole experience changed my life and my husband’s life in so many ways,” Anderson said. “I turned my life over to God Sunday night, and he turned his life over to God Tuesday night. It’s truly been a blessing.

“My little sister turned her life over to God Wednesday night, and I was able to share my journey with her. It was absolutely life changing, and we enjoyed every message every night. God is working, and we cannot wait to see what He does with our lives,” Anderson said.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Carolyn Cunningham is with GO TELL Ministries.)