By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer
INDIANAPOLIS (LBM) – Gary Bowlin and Sammy Tippit, two evangelists with ties to Louisiana, were recently elected to the Southern Baptist Evangelists Hall of Faith.
Bowlin is a past president of the Louisiana Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists and Sammy Tippit is an evangelist who accepted Christ at Istrouma Baptist Church, Baton Rouge.
Bowlin, who now resides in Summit, Miss., and Tippit, who now lives in San Antonio, Texas, told the Baptist Message they are humbled that their names are included in the display hosted in the Southern Baptist Building in Nashville, Tennessee, alongside the names of so many others they have come to know during their respective evangelistic ministries.
“It’s just beyond my wildest expectations to have my name listed among them,” Bowlin said after the June 10 ceremony in Indianapolis, Indiana. “I’ve tried to be faithful to the calling God has placed on my life, and this was a way for Him just to bless me. My peers voted me in and that means a lot.”
Tippit echoed the thought.
“When I was inducted into the SBC Evangelists Hall of Faith in June, it was a marker for me of God’s grace and faithfulness to me over six decades.”
Bowlin and Tippit were among six who were elected to the Hall of Faith. Others were Jerry Drace of
Humbolt, Tennessee, and Charles Massagee of Nevada, Texas. Ron Herrod of Knoxville, Tennessee, and
Darrell Robinson of Conroe, Texas, were honored posthumously.
BOWLIN
A native of Liberty, Mississippi, Bowlin accepted Christ when he was 11 and surrendered to God’s call to ministry 16 years later while working as a Certified Public Accountant (five years after his graduation from Louisiana State University). Bowlin then attended New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, where he earned his Master of Divinity. During his third pastorate in a five-year period at seminary, Bowlin sensed God calling him to evangelism.
Since then, Bowlin has preached in more than 300 revivals in Louisiana; ministered to more than 1,000
other churches through revivals, crusades, Sunday worship services and more; led more than 50 mission trips; and witnessed more than 25,000 sinners become believers through his ministry efforts. He also is an organizer for frequent group tours to Israel.
“My greatest joy in evangelism has been seeing people saved and churches come alive,” Bowlin said.
“I’ve seen revivals change the church from doing nothing for the Lord and the community to overflowing with a passion to serve others and proclaim Jesus by the end of the services,” he said. “Before I go into each church, I pray for them to be touched by the Lord in such a way that they’ll get
behind their pastor, encourage their pastor, pray for him, support him and join in the work to try to
build the church to reach others for Jesus. I’ve seen that happen, not in every circumstance, but a lot of
times. I know something of a burden that pastors face, and how difficult a job they have, and to see the churches get behind the pastor because of the revival is a great thing.”
TIPPIT
A native of Baton Rouge, Tippit in 1965 turned to Jesus during an evangelistic harvest event at Istrouma Baptist and two nights later surrendered to the Gospel ministry. He later attended Louisiana College
(now Louisiana Christian University) and trained for what would one day become a worldwide evangelistic ministry that began in 1970 and has included sharing the Gospel in more than 80 countries.
He continues to do the hard work of personal evangelism, Gospel conversations, and mass evangelistic
events, but also is on the cutting edge of technology, using Skype to conduct evangelistic events
to remote regions overseas to bring the Good News about Jesus to hundreds of thousands of lost people.
Tippit estimates that more than 1 million people have turned to Christ in his 53-year evangelistic ministry.
“As I enter this new season of ministry, the induction was a reminder that the God who led me into dangerous countries will lead us through this challenge of digital ministry,” Tippit said. “He has never failed me. Great is His faithfulness. As I told those at the induction ceremony, ‘I’m not finished. I’m in the beginning of a new season of ministry. God still has more for me.’”
Tippit said 1 Thessalonians 5:24 has encouraged him to stay strong in his call to share Christ.
“He has been faithful,” he said. “And I want to remain faithful to all that He has given us to do.
“Even though I feel inadequate, I remember how God has led me through impossible situations in the past,” he continued. “He will continue to lead me in this new season. He is creating ways for this outreach to last far beyond my lifetime.”
For more information about: Gary Bowlin’s ministry, visit garybowlin.com; and Sammy Tippit’s ministry, visit SammyTippit.org.
