The first time I met Pastor Rickerd was back in 2006 on a college ensemble before my wife and I were married. We have had a unique relationship with Pastor Rickerd ever since. When the opportunity arose to conduct The War at Hope Baptist Church in Anderson, we jumped at the opportunity.
Our week began with some challenges in recruiting endeavors, but with much prayer and God helping us, God gave us just what our facilities could handle! The first night, we had a good crowd and a good response at the invitation–six trusted Christ. Typically, the number of decisions decreases after the first night. However, coming into the second night, our team was burdened to see God do an even greater work. We had a wonderful time of prayer Sunday afternoon and the light of God’s presence shone into our prayer time. That night, we neared maximum capacity in the fellowship hall where we conducted our inside competition. At the invitation, a crowd of teens responded and ten trusted Christ! Earlier that night, a young man named John grabbed his food and left well before the preaching began. The final night literally moments before I stood up to preach, my wife informed me that John had been shot and was in critical condition. I stood to preach with a fire in my heart, warning the teens that if they left without Jesus they could easily find themselves unexpectedly entering eternity unprepared. God worked and three teens trusted Christ. Overall 19 teens were saved over the three nights.
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