Fall 2011

NOBY EVANGELIST DAVID A. GALLIMOREEXCUSE(For Not Having a Revival)çThrough the years I have heard myfair share of excuses for why a localchurch can not schedule a revivalmeeting, or why a local church will cancel apreviously scheduled revival meeting. Themost common excuses are finances (wedon’t have enough money), and pastoraltransitions (we don’t have a pastor). Thenthere are even excuses about weather andseasonal calendar issues. It’s too hot forrevival, or it’s too cold for revival. It’s Christmas,so we couldn’t have a revival, or it’sEaster, so we couldn’t have a revival. Hardto believe, isn’t it? That we could not have arevival during the Advent of Christ, or duringHoly Week?This past spring I was scheduledto preach a revival at the Gateway CentralChurch of the Nazarene in St. Louis, Missouri.Three weeks before the meeting wasto begin, I was on the phone with the localpastor, Rev. Ray Thompson. We discussedsome of the last minute details and workedout transportation from the airport to thehotel and church. That conversation tookplace on Monday morning. Later that afternoon,Pastor Thompson died suddenly of amassive heart attack. He was only 49 yearsold.When I received the news of PastorRay’s sudden and tragic death my heart immediatelywent out to his wife, family, andthe local church. I contacted the churchoffice and shared our concerns and condolences,and I was completely prepared forthe church to cancel the upcoming revival.I mean this was a legitimate reason for acancellation. The church board secretarytold me, “Rev. Gallimore, our pastor has justdied, we really need a revival! There will beno cancellation!”The week before our meeting wasto begin a series of devastating tornadoshit the greater St. Louis metro. Would youbelieve, Gateway Central Church of theNazarene took a direct hit? The churchcampus was declared a “complete loss” bythe insurance company. When I receivedword of this tragedy, I was stunned! Howmuch can one congregation bear?Once again, I contacted the churchoffice and shared our heartbreak over theloss of the church property. And onceagain, I was completely prepared for thechurch to cancel the upcoming revival.The meeting was just a few days away.The church board secretary told me, “Rev.Gallimore, we have lost our pastor, and we22 / EVANGELISTS' PERSPECTIVE / Summer 2011