The Central Mississippi Go Tell Crusade will hold its kickoff fundraiser banquet on August 19 at Salem Baptist Church in Lake. This event will start the lead-up to the crusade event that will be held in Forest on October 20-23.
The Go Tell Ministry works to unite local churches, regardless of denomination, in order to pool their resources for community wide evangelistic outreach events.
The crusade scheduled for October in Forest will include churches from all over Central Mississippi. The event is expected to fill L.O. Atkins field at Forest High School to capacity each night, and spread the ministry to thousands of people over the four-night event.
The ministry was founded by Rick Gage who walked away from a promising career coaching football and surrendered his life to full-time evangelistic ministry. His Go Tell Ministries has been conducting evangelistic events around the world and has seen tens of thousands make commitments to Christ.
The kickoff event on August 19 will serve multiple purposes said Central Mississippi Go Tell Crusade Chairperson Lyn Irby.
“The main purpose of our banquet on the 19th is to bring people in the community together who are interested in finding out more about the Central Mississippi Crusade and fundraising for the October crusade in Forest.
“We will provide a lot of information about the ministry and the crusade during the banquet. We will also give everyone the opportunity to join in and be a part of the Go Tell Crusade in Forest,” she said.
The organizers are expecting up to 500 people to attend the banquet, and tickets are still available.
The banquet will include special guest Johnny Hunt, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention; Football Hall of Famer Billy Shaw and Go Tell Ministries founder Rick Gage.
“We are very excited for local residents to have the opportunity to come and hear the speakers at the banquet,” Irby said. “We hope this event brings many in the community out and it will give them the opportunity to be involved with the crusade. The is a great opportunity for everyone in the community to work together and make this a successful event for central Mississippi.”
The kickoff banquet will include a fully served sit-down dinner while attendees enjoy the special guest speakers. Each guest table will be sponsored by a local business, and organizers are looking for a big turnout.
“We worked hard to find a location that could house a big crowd,” Irby said. “If the turnout is what we are expecting it might be tight, but we will fit everyone in for a wonderful evening.”
Anyone who is interested in joining the team for the Central Mississippi Go Tell Crusade can visit the Facebook page (Central MS Go-Tell Crusade), or contact Lyn Irby at 601-278-9641.
The cost to attend the kickoff banquet are $10 for youths, $15 for individuals and $25 for couples.
Tickets for the kickoff banquet can be bought in advance by contacting Irby, or there will be tickets available at the door the night of the event.
