It is a joy to welcome Evangelist Ron DeGarde and his Evangelistic Team to Hillsdale this Sunday morning.
Ron and his family have dedicated their lives to preaching the Gospel, calling sinners to repentance, and the church to revival. They have persevered in their ministry through changes in the American culture, COVID-19, and high inflation. We encourage you to give a special offering to the DeGarde team as they minister to us this week. For those giving online, click the “other” box, or designate your gift using the offering envelope system.
A Brief History
Revival meetings dominated the American landscape a century ago as faithful evangelists traveled the country. In the late 1800s and the early to mid-1900s, evangelists were welcomed by mayors of towns and cities and even governors of states. Large “circus-sized” tents announced the arrival of Evangelistic teams, and hundreds would come each evening to hear the evangelist; meetings were sometimes extended to two or more weeks.
Larger cities would build wooden structures called Tabernacles, and thousands packed the auditoriums for weeks. Although different in some aspects of their practice, Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians preached the Gospel in those days. Setting aside their debates on church government or the mode of baptism, all came together to host and support the evangelistic meetings. Communities were so stirred by revival that bars and taverns went out of business, and churches sprouted throughout our land.
Today’s churches are closing as pastors retire, with few to take their place. As the flame of evangelism grows dim, and Bible colleges compromise to accommodate carnal youth, we look for young men who will “preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2).
With the heart of a shepherd,
Travis D. Smith
Senior Pastor
HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com
Copyright © 2023 – Travis D. Smith
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