|
|
Relton Floyd (R. F.) Gates, Jr., one of God’s most faithful witnesses, went home to be with the Lord Jesus Christ on Wednesday, February 2, 2005, at the age of 72. Brother R. F. came to know the Lord at the 1951 Billy Graham Crusade in Shreveport, Lousiana. His call to the ministry quickly followed and so he pursued ministerial training, receiving a BD in 1957 and a ThM in 1958 from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. For fifteen years he pastored churches in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, and in 1966 formed the R. F. Gates Evangelistic Association, which included the “Men for Jesus” organization. From that time on, he ministered as a full time evangelist across the United States and in several foreign countries. In addition to his itinerant evangelistic ministries, he also served for the past twelve years as one of the pastors of the Heritage Baptist Church in Shreveport. Brother R. F. was an original member of the Founders Conference Planning Committee and was greatly used by God to bless many pastors and congregations both through his preaching ministry at various Founders Conferences and in the pulpits of many Founders friendly churches. (from Bill Ascol)
|