METTER — Michael Guido, a 92-year-old evangelist from this town in East Georgia, is a man whose life is marked by faith. Years ago he determined to live by faith and his prayers have produced so many miraculous provisions that he has been called a modern day George Mueller.

George Mueller was a 19th century evangelist and a founder of orphanages in Bristol, England. He was known for his fervent prayers and his steadfast faith. He trusted God to supply his daily needs to feed the orphans. The accounts of God’s miraculous provisions for Mueller have inspired Christians for generations to renew their commitment to Christ and increase their faith.

Guido was a jazz bandleader when God saved him at age 18 in a revival meeting in Lorain, Ohio. Michael entered the church to hear the music and intended to leave before the sermon, but somehow remained frozen to his seat for the entire service. A Baptist preacher spoke of God’s love in Jesus Christ and Michael’s heart melted. At the invitation he made his way to the altar to give his heart and life to Christ.

 

Becoming a sower

Shortly after his conversion, Michael enrolled in Moody Bible Institute in Chicago to prepare for Christian service. On Guido’s first day at the Chicago school he was deeply moved by the magnificent stained glass window in the lobby depicting “The Sower.” The indelible impression made by the beautifully crafted window was destined to become the inspiration for Guido’s ministry, “Seeds from the Sower.”

Early in Guido’s ministry he was on a preaching mission in Metter when he met Audrey Forehand, a beautiful and talented schoolteacher who had been granted a scholarship to Johns Hopkins University to study medicine. From the very beginning Michael knew that he could not live without her, but she was an agnostic and they argued passionately about religion.

One day Michael asked Audrey to read aloud the first verse of Psalm 14: “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.” Upon reading the verse she gave Michael a stern look and asked, “Are you calling me a fool?”

With a wry smile Michael remarked, “Honey, I think the Lord beat me to it, don’t you?”

Audrey finally accepted the Lord, abandoned her plans to pursue a medical career, married Michael, and joined him in his ministry. She didn’t sing or play a musical instrument, so she decided to become a magician, using illusions to attract people’s attention and thus helping Michael win them to faith in Christ. They traveled all over the country, living out of suitcases and making friends wherever they went.

 

Work of four

In 1957 on the road from Metter to Atlanta the Guidos were in a horrible traffic accident that left Audrey unconscious with her hands crushed and her face terribly lacerated. When she arrived at Baptist Hospital in Atlanta the doctors were shocked at her critical condition and mangled appearance. They feared that she might be blinded and paralyzed.

Michael recalled, “The Lord blessed the doctors with His wisdom for their minds, His skill for their hands, and His love for their hearts. After much medical attention and many reconstructive surgeries Audrey was released from the hospital.”

In gratitude for God’s blessings of a full recovery Michael declared to Audrey, “Dear, the Lord spared our lives. Let’s promise Him we will do the work of four people instead of two.” Audrey agreed and since that day God has accomplished amazing things through their ministry

In his book, The Michael Guido Story, the author outlines his daily routine. He arises at 6:00 a.m. to begin a day filled with prayer, staff meetings, sermon preparation, the writing of booklets, items for the newspaper columns, and scripts that later become radio or television programs. He engages in multiple telephone conversations and the reading of numerous books and periodicals. For years he has closed the book that he was reading at 11:30 p.m. and headed for his exercise bike for a 30-minute workout before taking his rest. He has worked nineteen-hour days, because for Guido work has taken precedence over sleep. After all, he promised God that he and Audrey would double their efforts for the cause of the Kingdom.

The endearing nonagenarian’s passion for the Lord and for proclaiming His Word continues unabated. Michael, who along with his companion of 64 years, is a member of First Baptist Church in Metter and continues to preach somewhere almost every Sunday.

None of the Guidos’ time has been spent in soliciting funds for their ministry. Like Mueller, Guido stated, “We never ask man for anything. Whenever we need anything – anything at all – we ask the Lord for it, and He supplies all our needs.” One of the guiding principles of his life is the promise found in Matthew 6:33: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.”

The evangelist with the radiant countenance reports, “For many years we owned an automobile called ‘Flattery’ – because it got us nowhere. It kept us strapped even without seatbelts. One mechanic even suggested we should ‘keep the oil and change the car’.”

Guido took his case to the Lord and asked Him to make a way for he and his wife to buy a car. The Lord’s answer came through Board member Bill Stillwell, who owned a Buick automobile dealership in Downers Grove, Ill. Stillwell later stated to Guido, “I told the Lord that when He gave me a Buick agency, you would never have to buy a car.” For many years Stillwell gave the Metter evangelist a new Buick Electra to drive and replaced it with a new one every 10,000 miles.

“One time years ago,” Guido reminisced, “when Audrey and I were in California we were driving to Los Angeles from San Jose where I had delivered a message to a church. The motel in San Jose had cost more than we expected, so we had no money left. We had enough gas to get to Los Angeles, but nothing for food.”

Guido explained, “I suggested that Audrey close her eyes and pray while I drove. She voiced her petition: “Dear Lord, The Bible says, ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.’ We are in want. We need ten dollars. Please give it to us.”

Suddenly a truck zoomed passed the Guidos’ car and then screeched to a sudden stop. The driver jumped out of the truck and ran down the middle of the freeway toward Michael and Audrey.

Audrey rolled down the window and the truck driver said, “I don’t know you, and you don’t know me. I’ve never seen you before, and I may never see you again. But as I passed your car, something said, ‘Give them ten dollars’.” He threw the money into Audrey’s lap, ran back to his truck, and drove away.

The Guidos sat in their car, crying and thanking the Lord that His Word is true and that His promises fail not. However, the stories of God’s provision for the Guidos’ ministry are innumerable – their life marked by a faith that works.

 

Living testimony

For years God has impressed people to give buildings, office equipment, printing presses, wheelbarrows, landscaping services, architectural services, broadcasting equipment, technical support, and even clothing. The town of Metter was so impressed with Guido and his ministry that they provided the lot upon which he built his first broadcasting studio. Today the bridge over I-16 into Metter is called the Michael Guido Bridge; and the city water tower bears his name.

Michael and Audrey live in the midst of a beautiful garden that is a testimony to God’s faithfulness. The Guido Gardens in Metter are accented with colorful pansies during the winter months, but the landscape really comes alive in the spring when the azaleas, crepe myrtles, flowering dogwoods, lantanas, snapdragons, day lilies, and a multiplicity of breathtaking flowers emerge in all their glory. The floral artistry is delicately and purposefully set amidst sparkling streams, cascading waterfalls, picturesque bridges, inviting gazebos, and even a Japanese Koi pond.

The garden is also replete with a Teahouse, an arbor-sheltered picnic table, a replica of the Empty Garden Tomb, a carpenter shop typical of first century Nazareth, a marble Bible and marble slabs bearing engraved portions of Scripture, a beautiful chapel where people come to pray, and topiaries depicting, among other things, the Shepherd in Psalm 23.

 

Far-flung seeds

The garden described above is beautiful, but not nearly as beautiful as the man for whom it is named. Someone once said, “You may not be beautiful at 18, but if you are not beautiful at 80 it is your own fault.” Michael Guido at age 92 is a beautiful, winsome, gracious man of God. Indeed, his great faith often mirrors the faith of such men as George Mueller and those saints who adorn the 11th chapter of Hebrews.

At the present time the Michael Guido Evangelistic Association has a staff of nine full time employees, a few part-time workers and a budget of $800,000.

In 2006 more than 410 radio stations broadcast the MGEA message, Seeds from the Sower; and Guido’s “Seeds” are also planted in more than 60 different television markets.

Additionally, Guido’s devotional column is now carried in 1,300 newspapers across America. His printed sermons and devotionals are mailed out each week by the thousands. Guido’s message has never varied: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, and that those who accept Him in their hearts will find eternal life.

The MGEA ministry center in Metter is impressive and Guido’s evangelistic work is expansive, but he never asks anyone for financial support. Yet, his faith is reward by a great God who supplies all of his needs.