By Dick Mann
KANSAS CITY, Missouri--Kansas City area WCG ministers and members helped with the Luis Palau evangelistic campaign Oct. 8 to 12, which drew 6,500 people to the opening night service. Dr. Palau is considered by some to be the next Billy Graham.
Dr. Palau's campaign sermon was titled: "If Love Is All You Need, Then Where Do You Find It?" He closed by asking those who wanted to accept Christ and those who had strayed from Christ to come forward to dedicate their lives to Christ. Several hundred came forward after the invitation.
At a women's luncheon, Oct. 9, 300 of the 1,135 in attendance made decisions for Christ. Saturday, 7,000 children attended kids day, and in the evening 10,000 teens came to hear Audio Adrenaline perform contemporary Christian music. Almost 2,000 youths made decisions that day alone.
More than 42,000 people attended all functions during the campaign.
The WCG was among 450 churches representing more than 40 denominations who served on congregational church campaign committees formed to support the campaign.
WCG involvement began when members attended a campaign launch rally April 29 at the Colonial Presbyterian Church in Kansas City, in which Dr. Palau addressed 1,100 Christian leaders.
WCG members then attended Friendship Evangelism training sessions with 1,150 other Christians conducted at seven churches from May 12 to 18.
From April through October, members attended other sessions such as the Youth Kick-Off rally, men's and women's ministry sessions, prayer meetings, choir practices and other campaign-related functions.
Campaign emphasis was placed on youths and youth-related activities.
WCG congregations in Lenexa, Riverside and in the surrounding area prayed for the campaign in services, in small groups and at other occasions.
Jerry Laughlin: I thought it was a tremendous opportunity to see God's people working together no matter what their denomination was and to see everyone smiling and happy.
Alan Skinner: I shall never forget the overwhelming love received and given by the people I counseled. In particular, I will never forget the faces of the young people on youth night, their expressions of joy and the look of love in their eyes after prayer and their acceptance of Jesus Christ in their lives.
Dr. Palau, a native of Argentina, hopes that America can recapture the spirit that made this country great.
He said: "My dream is this: that a massive wave of evangelism restores America's days of glory, those spiritual days when joy pervaded the land. America was once young in spirit, vibrant, full of hope. It can be again."
Dr. Palau will begin a regular column in the January-February issue. He will appear on the cover of the March-April issue.
Dick Mann is an elder in Kansas City, Missouri.
Nov. 18, 1997, WN page one
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