Delta Force evangelists see 256 saved
RUSSELLVILLE – “We’re praying for another Great Awakening,” said Ryan Stiffler, pastor of Corticelli Baptist Church. “I know that sounds grand and large scale, but it’s got to start somewhere.”
Stiffler hopes it is starting in Mid-Missouri, and he hopes some feats of strength—and 256 salvations at a five-night crusade at Russellville High School—are the first stirrings of a revival.
Nearly 4,000 people, evenly split between adults and children, showed up over five nights recently at the high school gym to see Team Delta Force tear 2,000-page phone books in half, blow up hot water bottles, snap baseball bats like they were twigs, rip license plates in two and hear the Gospel.
Team Delta Force is a strength ministry team based in Blytheville, Ark. Not only are they tremendous athletes but they are all ordained ministers of the Gospel as well.
Over the five nights spent at the high school, not only did 256 accept Christ, but 294 rededicated their lives to the Lord. The team also presented anti-suicide programs in 10 local schools and invited students to the evening crusade. They also distributed 700 New Testaments.
“We had very high expectations,” Stiffler said, “but this far exceeded everything we imagined. I hope this spirit is contagious and spills into other churches across the state and all over the nation.”
The full impact of the rally still isn’t known.
“We were left with more than 250 names of unchurched people in our area to follow up on,” Stiffler said.
If someone made a decision but marked they attended a church, Stiffler forwarded the information to that church. Other Missouri Baptist churches in Russellville, California, Eldon and Eugene each received 10-20 names of those who made some decision.
“Sixty-eight churches were blessed because of this weekend,” he said, “and who knows how many lives we’ve impacted.”