Ray Nelson still remembers the way God moved at a crusade in his area in 1988 and lit a “revival fire.”
“That was 35 years ago, but it’s just been something in my heart — a desire I’ve had to see lost people saved, to see evangelism in our community,” he said.
So last year Nelson — treasurer of Fayette County Baptist Association, a member of Concord Baptist Church in Fayette and former mayor of the city — suggested to his friends in ministry that they revive the idea for a community-wide crusade.
“We called a meeting and started praying over it,” Nelson said.
Nearly 400 decisions for Christ
Fast-forward to October 2023, and the fruit of that burden — and a lot of prayer — was an evangelistic event called Festival of Hope. The crusade pulled in thousands over several nights of worship and preaching at John Morgan Brown Stadium at Fayette County High School.
Ronnie Hill, an evangelist from Fort Worth, Texas, was the speaker. Mark Maier, executive pastor of worship ministries at First Baptist Church Rogers, Arkansas, led worship alongside Kevin Beck, worship and education pastor at Southside Baptist Church in Fayette, and a 75-person mass choir from local churches.
Nearly 400 people professed new faith in Jesus.
“The key to success was prayer,” Nelson said.
United around prayer and evangelism
Robert Parrish, pastor of Southside Baptist and chair of the festival, agreed.
“We spent an entire year praying,” he said. “We met monthly, then twice a month, then weekly as it got close to the event. We met at different churches then toward the end at the football field.”
John Killian, director of missions for Fayette County Baptist Association, said the whole process of preparation also added to the unity among the churches in the area. He said many people came together across denominational, cultural and racial lines to pull off the event and to pray together.
Praying for continued change
Now the “whole town is just buzzing,” he said. Some local high school and college football players were among those who made decisions to follow Christ, and Killian prays their faith will grow and their influence spread.
Nelson said he prays for that too, and for the experience to light a fire for Christ followers in the area to share their faith with their community with renewed intentionality.
“I just want to lift up the name of Jesus,” he said. “He called us to be fishers of men, and I hope we keep doing that.”
For more information, visit facebook.com/festivalofhope.fayette.
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