PLANNING PROGRESSES FOR CRUSADE FEATURING GRAHAM ASSOCIATE

What began as a small seed with plenty of hope for a regional evangelism crusade has become deeply rooted and is spreading.

More than 300 people are involved in planning a Celebration 2000 crusade with Dr. Ralph Bell, who has worked as an associate evangelist with Billy Graham Crusades for many years.

Bell is part of a team that preaches at citywide rallies, churches and conventions. He joined Graham after the Los Angeles Crusade in 1963. He also has been a pastor, professor and chaplain in the Los Angeles area.

The crusade will be held Aug. 24 through 27 at the Sikeston Field House in Sikeston. Services will be at 7:30 each night.

Pastors in the area believe now is the time to prepare toward a harvest with the Celebration crusade, said Bill Jackson, a director for the associate crusades. He visited Cape Girardeau and Sikeston Monday to talk with committee members, churches and the media about the crusade.

Pastors and church members are always busy and have full calendars, he said. "I haven't seen one yet with blank pages" in their day-timers, he said.

But without their commitment a crusade couldn't happen. "They realize that painting the barn will have to stop so they can concentrate on the harvest," he said. Some activities will be put on hold in coming months as groups begin working on the crusade events.

Volunteers already number in the hundreds, but more are needed. Ushers, choir members, counselors and many more are needed to make the effort successful, organizers say. Call the crusade office at (573) 481-0075 for information or to volunteer.

"You couldn't bring in enough Billy Graham people to make this work," Jackson said. "People want to be a part of this."

And they are. Nearly 600 people attended a rally at Sikeston in April that served as an encouragement to event organizers.

Churches from all denominational lines and sizes are taking part in the crusade efforts, said Lloyd Smith, an event organizer. Eleven counties from Cape Girardeau into the Bootheel are offering help, he said.

"We had a commitment from one church that wanted to give $500 to the crusade, and they only have 24 active members," Smith said. "But they have prayed about it and came together as a group to make that commitment between now and August."

It takes churches working together to make each crusade successful in a community, Jackson said. "We have 26 or 27 churches involved and get more each week, and they come from all denominations and all geographic areas. I think that is a big story, and it's exciting to see."

The idea for a crusade began with several church leaders in East Prairie who had wanted to distribute a copy of the "Jesus" video to every resident in the community. From there plans were developed for a crusade, which was then expanded into Sikeston.

Churches from Cape Girardeau at the north, Kennett in the south and Poplar Bluff to the west are helping to support the crusade, Smith said. Part of the crusade will be a Love in Action collection for local outreach ministries and food pantries.

"It's a way for the churches to show the rank and file in a community that this isn't just for churches to get a warm, fuzzy feeling," Jackson said. "We try to make an impact in the area, and one way to do that is to find out where the needs are."

Anyone who has been to a Graham crusade will be comfortable hearing Bell speak, Jackson said. But people who haven't been to church before or have had negative experiences also will be comfortable, he said.

"We know that almost anywhere we go most people in a particular community are unchurched," Jackson said. "Maybe they are members of churches or go at Easter."

But many people have little exposure to or negative exposure to churches, he said. Crusade sights are often neutral venues so that people don't have negative memories from a church, Jackson said.

"We are finding that recently we are not getting negative experience but no experience with hearing the gospel message," he said. "When we give them the basic outline of scripture, a lot of people respond and are excited. They knew there was an answer somewhere."

Crusades offer a way of sharing the gospel message, Jackson said. "There's something for every age."

Activities will be planned for youths and adults each night of the crusade.

AT A GLANCE

What: Celebration 2000 Crusade sponsored through Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Who: Dr. Ralph Bell will preach.

When: Aug. 24 through 27 at 7:30 each night.

Where: Sikeston Field House auditorium at Sikeston

Volunteers are needed for all aspects of work, from serving as ushers to singing in the choir. To volunteer call the crusade office at (573) 481-0075.