Todd McElmurray (left) and his father, Harold McElmurray, will take their fleet of buses from Dutch Boy Tours to the Promise Keepers rally in Washington.BILL CLARK/STAFF

Men meet to keep promise of faithfullness to God

Web posted September 27, 1997

By Virginia Norton
Staff Writer

A prayer and repentance rally sponsored by the Christian men's group Promise Keepers is expected to bring some 3 million men to Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Oct. 4.

The projected crowd would be the largest at the National Mall to date, said Toni Carroll, a spokeswoman for the National Parks Service. The rally is scheduled between noon and 6 p.m.

Promise Keepers rally for prayer and repentance is expected to draw a record crowd of some 3 million men to Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Oct. 4, according to National Park Service estimates.

The seven-year-old Christian men's movement will sponsor the rally between noon and 6 p.m. on the National Mall. The projected crowd would be the largest assembly of its kind, according to Toni Carroll, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service.

Todd McElmurray, co-owner of Dutch Boys Tours of North Augusta, said, however, is estimating 3 million in attendance. all eight of his charter buses are slated to carry 368 people to the Washington event.

``I think it is going to be an experience for D.C. They are used to a million but they expect this to be the biggest they have ever seen,'' he said.

Promise Keepers, an organization that encourages men to be faithful to God and promote racial reconciliation, has filled stadiums across the country, drawing 2.6 million since 1992 for its events. Saturday's rally - Stand in the Gap: a Sacred Assembly of Men - is billed as a time for personal repentance and prayer for the nation and for each other.

Rick Stringfield and his friends from First Baptist Church of Columbia County are so excited it seems like Christmas, he said.For Rick Stringfield and his friends from First Baptist Church of Columbia County, it's just like Christmas this last week before Promise Keepers' Stand in the Gap: a Sacred Assembly of Men rally in Washington, D.C., he said.

Six months ago, they were calling Promise Keepers headquarters weekly to find out the date of the rally. The day the date was announced, they reserved rooms immediately. ``When we called the (hotel) office, they wanted to know what was going on that weekend, so many had called,'' he said. By the end of the day, friends were scrambling for rooms, he said. ``It went like wildfire.''

Yet some co-workers who decided less than two weeks ago they wanted to be in Washington have managed to book rooms and flights. ``God must have opened up some doors,'' said Bob Couvillon, a member of South Aiken Church of God. The word had been out that rooms were booked six months ago, but Mr. Couvillon found rooms three miles from the National Mall where

the rally will be held, he said.

Whether it's by car, van or bus, most of the men in the Augusta and Aiken area planning to attend the rally will leave Friday. Some will stay in motels in and around the Washington area; others are planning on bunking in churches or with friends or relatives. ``I wanted to keep the cost low so that as many as possible could go,'' said U.S. Army Col. Jim Schroeder, a member of West Acres Baptist Church, who coordinated a group of about 35 men for the trip.

He has attended Promise Keepers rallies in Atlanta and Washington. He recalls the weather had been nasty all day during the Washington rally. People began to come forward as speakers urged those present to be more attuned to men of a different color. ``The sun came out, it was bright and warmed everything up,'' he said. ``It was as if the Lord was saying this is OK what you are doing today.''

Several fathers and sons will be going, including Col. Schroeder and his son, James, 18, and Todd McElmurray and his father, Harold. On Saturday morning, Mel Thornton, a member of Elim Baptist Church in Augusta, will meet his son, Bryant, who's coming up from Maryland. ``He'll meet us at the hotel for a prayer breakfast,'' said Mr. Thornton.

At noon, the rally will open with the Rev. Jack Hayford, senior pastor of Church on the Way, Van Nuys, Calif., and the Rev. Joseph Garlington, senior pastor of Covenant Church of Pittsburgh. Although there will be several speakers, most, with the exception of Promise Keepers founder Bill McCartney, will speak only three to five minutes. Mr. McCartney plans to speak about 20 minutes.

The opportunity to gather with so many men sharing in their faith will spark some awareness of how important God is, said Greg Roland, a member of First Baptist Church of Augusta. ``It is all for the purpose of prayer and worship,'' he said. ``There is nothing political, no other agenda.''

Floyd Moore, a Promise Keepers trainer in Augusta, said, ``I think it is going to be awesome. I cannot even conceive of a million men. I was with 77,000 in the Georgia Dome and that was overwhelming.''