Report by Richard Shakarian

300 FGBMFI volunteers from all over America combined the Great Commission and the Good Samaritan in a fabulous Fire Team Outreach in Brownsville, Texas, from November 1-4, 2000. In these four days 11,814 people made decisions for Christ in offices, factories, schools, hospitals, government, prisons, orphanages, banks, universities and unwed mothers’ homes.  Our teams gave away enough food for 17,000 families and the television and newspaper coverage was spectacular.

Just one of the testimonies is that 500 young people received Christ at our University of Texas Event. Immediately following our team set up a bandstand across the street from Riviera High School, as the band played, we gave away T-shirts, potato chips and drinks.  The young people came pouring over from the High School.  Across the street on the football field the team was practicing.  As one of our men finished his testimony he called for those that wanted to accept Christ to come to the front.  One of the football players took off his pads and ran across the street and came to the front of the bandstand saying, “I want to receive Jesus.”

The following are excerpts from two front-page newspaper stories in the Brownsville Herald:

Brownsville a vision from God for man.

Full Gospel Men’s Fellowship International distributes food and hope.

A flame on the southern tip of the United States appeared as a vision to Richard Shakarian.  He said,  “The vision was a message from God announcing the location of his next good-will event – Brownsville, Texas.”

Shakarian is president of Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International, a group of Christian professionals dedicated to sharing the blessing bestowed upon them with others.

Cars, vans, and pickups lined the driveway of the International Convention Center for the first American Fire Team rally of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship Association Saturday.

On one side of the lot volunteers from non-denominational churches, a Christian-based foster care agency, a homeless shelter and a pregnancy testing center handed out literature.

A red, white and blue banner stretched across a stage in front of the center proclaiming, “His Banner Over Us is Love.” Live Christian music alternate with testimonies in Spanish and English.

A sign on a booth near the street asked, “Are You Going to Heaven?  Two Question Test Reveals the Answer.”

In the days leading up the rally, volunteers from FGBMFI chapters all over the United States have been visiting and praying for people in the area’s banks, factories and businesses, as well as hospitals, prisons and orphanages. 

Shakarian added that the event boils down to three things – “Faith, hope and love.”