Dr Sumrall felt strongly about praying for the needs of others. We honour his legacy by continuing a tradition he started on his birthday in February… to pray for the personal prayer requests of Feed The Hungry partners.
That’s why February is prayer month. Each year we invite our faithful and generous partners to send their prayer requests for our team to pray over. But remember, you can submit a prayer request at any time and we will pray for you.
We believe in the power of prayer!
Dr Lester Sumrall (1913-1996)
Lester Sumrall was a world-renowned pastor and evangelist, entering full-time service for God after experiencing a dramatic and life-altering encounter with Jesus Christ.
At just 17, as he lay on his deathbed suffering from tuberculosis, he received a vision. Suspended in mid-air to the right of his bed was a coffin; to his left was a large open Bible. He heard these words: “Lester Sumrall, which of these will you choose tonight?” He made his decision – he would preach the Gospel as long as he lived. When Lester Sumrall awoke the next morning, he was completely healed and served the Lord for sixty-five years.
Lester Sumrall was a man who threw himself at the feet of Jesus Christ, possessing a zeal and commitment to God that still amazes those who knew him. Epitomised in his declaration “I won’t be satisfied unless I win a million souls for Jesus… every day.” He travelled the world chasing that goal. His journeys took him to New Zealand, Australia, South East Asia and China. He travelled through Eastern Europe and Germany before arriving in England to be mentored by Smith Wigglesworth as World War II broke out. Before he passed away, Dr Sumrall travelled to 110 countries and penned over 130 books.
In 1957 Dr Sumrall founded LeSEA (Lester Sumrall Evangelistic Association), a ministry which has produced over 100 books and study guides, 11 television stations, a satellite ministry, three FM radio stations, five shortwave stations reaching over ninety percent of the world’s population, and a quarterly magazine.
In 1987 Dr Lester Sumrall had a midnight encounter with Jesus Christ who challenged him with these words: “I am very concerned that my church, my children, are dying of hunger before I return and I want you to do something about it.”
In response, a 73-year-old Dr Sumrall dedicated his remaining days to feeding the hungry, building the church and reaching the lost. He leaves the world with a legacy of what simple and determined faith in God can accomplish.
