July 27, 2024
Ask Rick Gage about Go Tell Ministries, and the conversation turns quickly to evangelism and seeing people’s lives transformed through the power of God’s Word. Gage’s enthusiasm seems contagious as he shares God’s stories of individuals who are now Christ-followers because they attended a camp or a crusade.
Go Tell Ministries works with local church leaders to follow up after a camp or crusade to ensure discipleship opportunities take place once a person makes a decision for Christ.
This year, Go Tell camps are being held in Alabama and Virginia.
The first week is June 11–15 at Shocco Springs Conference Center near Talladega, Alabama.
Camp speakers at the Shocco camp week are Jeff LaBorg, lead pastor of Fairview Knox Church in Knoxville, Tennessee; Cameron Tate, founder of Bridging the Gap Outreach Ministries in Jackson, Mississippi; Jordan Easley, lead pastor of First Baptist Church Cleveland, Tennessee; Tony Nolan, evangelist and lead pastor of Oak Leaf Church, Canton, Georgia; and Gage. Worship leader Jake Holman will lead singing and musical aspects of the camp.
The second week of camp will take place June 24–28 at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Gage and his brother Daniel started the Go Tell camps in the summer of 1989 at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center in Toccoa.
“We didn’t have a clue as to what we were doing,” said Gage, son of Houston, Texas, evangelist Freddie Gage. “We just knew God had called us to launch a camp ministry that could impact the lives of young people.”
Since 1989, more than 110,000 students and leaders have attended summer camps with more than 40,000 commitments to Christ, according to Go Tell Ministries. Roughly 3,000 people also have answered the call to Christian service during a camp, the ministry reports.
Those attending camps through the years soon sparked an interest in area crusades, which have continued through the years, Gage explained.
Last October, the Go Tell America Crusade landed in Brandon, Mississippi, for four days at the Brandon Amphitheater. On Oct. 18, the final day of the crusade, more than 10,000 people attended. It was the largest attendance in the venue’s history, according to coverage by The Baptist Record.
“We recorded over 2,000 spiritual decisions for Christ (in Mississippi),” Gage told The Baptist Paper. “We never know what our attendance will be (at a crusade). We build our campaigns to end on a big, high note. Our team speaks in schools throughout the week. We build and prepare for a large closing night — youth emphasis night.”
The Mississippi Baptist Convention Board helped support the event.
“[It] was a well-organized, Christ-centered evangelistic event,” Shawn Parker, MBCB executive director, said. “Thankfully, we saw some 2,000 people respond publicly. Many of those responses were first-time decisions to follow Christ. … I’ll look forward to seeing the fruit of this effort continue to show in the future.”
Gage also has held crusades in Alabama, Arizona, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Countries include Russia, Mexico, Romania, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Argentina.
“The evangelistic outreaches of Go Tell are passionate about reaching the lost,” Gage said. “Jesus told us what His mission on earth was, for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). There is nothing more godly than rescuing souls from going to hell. There is only one thing that causes heaven to shout, and that’s when a sinner repents of their sin and commits their life to Christ (Luke 15:7,10). Jesus did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance (Matt. 9:13).
“The need and urgency to evangelize the unsaved have never been greater,” he emphasized. “Life is brief. Life is uncertain. Death is sure. Christ may appear at any moment.
“There has never been a greater opportunity to reach the lost than now.”
For more information, visit gotellministries.com.
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This story first appeared in The Baptist Paper.
