Years ago, I pitched a 40×60 revival tent up on…

Years ago, I pitched a 40×60 revival tent up on the fairgrounds in Bellefontaine, Ohio. Rev. William Morgan, pastor of the Sidney, Ohio Church of God back the revival with workers, singers, musicians and prayer. We had a great tent revival. About 200 in attendance. The newspaper came one night and took the pictures, which I posted and gave us front page write-up on their Metropolitan Section. I still have the newspaper, but I will never forget when the editor wrote, “A young evangelist from Tennessee is prowling in the country for souls.” One man had asked me if he could put one of my wood tent chairs directly in front of one of my Shure Speakers. He said he was nearly deaf. I told him he could, but thought to myself, “Friend, if you are not deaf, you will soon be because I turn the speakers up loud so those sitting in cars around about can hear the service. One night, I noticed that the chair was empty where the deaf man sat. While preaching that night, I went down the aisle and then saw the deaf man was sitting outside the tent. I thought to myself, “He arrived late. Was too embarrassed to walk up front where he normally sat. Poor soul, he can’t hear one thing that I was preaching.” But that night, the man, who attended the Nazarene Church, testified that the previous night I had preached on the subject, “When Jesus Passed By,” that Jesus passed by him that night and totally healed of his deafness. The word spread and more people came. I can’t believe it, but Yvonne McKinney Payne says she was there in that particular revival. She was the pianist for Bro Morgan’s church. We organized a local church following that two week tent revival in Bellefontaine, Ohio. The Overseer wanted me to pastor the new church, but I felt the Lord wanted me to move on. But the Bellefontaine Church of God was organized as a result of our gospel tent revival. Praise God!