MONROE, Ga. — Rain fell on the opening night of the Festival of Hope at American Legion Post 64 Fairgrounds, but the four-night evangelistic event continued and resulted in 96 professions of faith.
Chris Conner, associational missionary strategist for the Appalachee Baptist Association and chairman of the Festival of Hope Task Force, said it was encouraging to see God work in people’s lives.
“It was not only about seeing people saved. Hopefully revival will break out also, and it would be a spark for people to realize that if we're willing to trust the Lord and step out on faith, God can do great things.”
Crowds gathered Sept. 20-23 to hear the gospel, worship, and listen to Christian recording artists. Conner said he does not know how many people attended.
Evangelist Doug Elks, 27, brought the Word each night. Before stepping into full-time ministry, Elks played Division I college basketball at Western Carolina University. He serves with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in crusades around the world. Juan and Melodee DeVevo of Casting Crowns served as worship leaders.
On opening night, Elks challenged attendees with the words of 2 Corinthians 3:12: “Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.”
“All of us in this room can be confident in God tonight, and we can have a high expectation that He is a God who fulfills His promises,” Elks said. “And when our God says He will do it, He does it.”
He added that Christ is not a dead Christ, but a living Christ who can be our present and our future if we accept Him.
Each night also featured a musical artist. Mac Powell of the Christian rock band Third Day performed on opening night. The second night featured 2026 “American Idol” runner-up Jordan McCullough. Colton Dixon, a top-10 finalist on “American Idol” in 2012, performed on the third night. Jamal Roberts, winner of season 23 of “American Idol,” closed out the final night.
On Monday night, University of Georgia basketball guard Marcus “Smurf” Millender gave a testimony about his hope in Jesus.
“It's gonna be ups and downs, highs and lows, and injuries. People gonna doubt you. There's gonna be a lot of haters and a lot of people that love you. But at the end of the day, none of that matters if you don't know the Man above,” he said.
Audrey Kittila, Miss Georgia 2025, third runner-up in Miss America, and a member of First Baptist Church Alpharetta, spoke Tuesday night about her life on and off the pageant stage and why God kept leading her back to competitions.
“It was never just about being Miss Georgia. It was about what He could do with the opportunity once I got there,” she said.
Some of the most meaningful moments of that year, she said, had nothing to do with the crown. She had opportunities to pray with people, share the gospel, and pray with people as they accepted Christ.
“I found myself thinking, God, this is exactly why You brought me here,” she said.
Evangelist Tony Nolan also addressed the crowd during the festival. He spoke about his childhood, including being born in a mental institution and later sold by his mother. He described his faith and trust in Jesus by saying he had been adopted again.
“I was adopted once by a dad who said that he wished he would have never bought me for $200. But now I've been adopted by a heavenly Father who said He had never regretted purchasing me with the priceless love of His Son. I love my God.”
Students in grades 6-12 also received a ticket each night for a chance to win a car. The first ticket drawn belonged to someone who was not present, which was required to win. Another ticket was drawn, and a 17-year-old came forward.
Conner said the story behind the winner was another example of God at work. The teenager’s father had recently died from cancer, and he had begun attending school online so he could work and help his family.
Hugo Bryan Porter, executive pastor of Lighthouse Church and a member of the crusade executive team, said the teenager was one of the most faithful young people at his church, both in attendance and in serving others.
On Aug. 16, his mother had posted online that her son had saved $2,500 and asked whether anyone knew of a vehicle he might be able to buy.
“God is so good,” Conner said.
More than 100 churches of all sizes from the Appalachee Baptist Association and other denominations worked together to make the Monroe event possible.
Conner said Monroe was chosen because of its central location. The Appalachee association includes Barrow, Walton, Newton, and Oconee counties.
“We had churches from Clarke County that came and from other different places,” Conner said. “We had a guy who volunteered, coming every night from Dewy Rose, which is up above Elberton.”
Conner said he has heard positive feedback about the festival. A local sheriff’s deputy described a spirit of calmness and peace in the community.
“After Tuesday night and seeing all the people that came to the altar, and on Monday night, there's no doubt there was spiritual warfare raging,” Conner said.
A family that had recently moved to Monroe from Ukraine attended the festival, and their teenager accepted Christ.
One smaller church handed out 500 information packets in a local Oconee County park. One person was saved, and another recently joined the church.
“We’re praying that God will revitalize that church and use this to be a start for their growth,” Conner said.
Conner said the festival showed churches what can happen when believers are willing to trust the Lord and step out in faith.
“If we're willing to trust the Lord and step out in faith, God can do great things,” he said.
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