In an intimate service reminiscent of a family reunion wrapped in a powerful message of recovery, release, restoration, and fresh beginnings, Dr. Jerry Savelle encouraged those gathered in the historic Faithdome to acknowledge the legacy of the man who started them on their walk of faith while looking to the future.
“People ask me why I uplift men,” said Dr. Savelle, an author, televangelist, and president of Jerry Savelle Ministries International.
“I am honoring those who were committed to God, those who refused to compromise, and those who refused to quit. Men like Apostle Price who greatly influenced my faith. How many of you here began your walk of faith through the ministry of Pastor Frederick K.C. Price? I say to you, do not let that legacy die.”
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Dr. Savelle spoke fondly of Apostle Price, whom he says he was immediately drawn to when they first met in the early 1970s, and who stayed at his home, preached with him, and influenced his spiritual path. The founding pastor of Heritage of Faith Christian Center in Crowley, Texas, went on to share decades-old personal pictures of the Apostle, recalling his impeccable style, flawless afro, stylish leisure suits, and inspired messages that have profoundly impacted his life and made a mark worldwide.
“Fred Price was not only a man of God, but he was also an honorable man of God with uncompromising integrity and character,” said the 77-year-old pastor. “He received the word of faith, taught the word of faith, lived the word of faith, and has evidence of its results, including how he raised his children in it.”
“I’m very proud of him and I am very proud of you,” he continued, walking to shake the hand of Apostle’s son, Dr. Frederick K. Price, who now shepherds the ministry his father built.
“I listen to you preach and when I close my eyes, I feel like I am listening to your father. You are upholding a wonderful legacy and I admonish and encourage you to do so for the rest of your life.”
Dr. Betty Price, the mother of Crenshaw Christian Center (CCC) and wife of the late Apostle, told those gathered that many years ago Dr. Savelle shared a story about a healing service that he and Apostle were leading where a woman told him she didn’t want a Black man to lay hands on her, so he refused to do it either.
“We need more Jerrys in the world,” Dr. Betty said as she introduced the 50th anniversary speaker. A Mississippi native, like Dr. Betty, Savelle referred to himself as a country boy who initially tried to run from his call to the ministry. It was at his wife Carolyn’s insistence, more than five decades ago, that he attended a meeting at her church with guest speaker televangelist, Pastor Kenneth Copeland.
“I only went because she told me if I didn’t like it, she would stop asking me to go to church,” he chuckled. At the time, the down-to-earth pastor owned an auto shop where he restored cars like his father. His attendance at that church service would mark a turning point in his life, bringing him to the ministry and as they say, the rest is history.
Some 54 years later, Dr. Savelle told the congregation that he rarely delivers a service anywhere in the world without invoking the teachings and God-inspired messages of a number of giants in the ministry, including Pastors Oral Roberts, Kenneth E. Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, T.L. Osborn, and the late Apostle Price.
He recounted how he met the Apostle through Pastor Kenneth E. Hagin in Oklahoma in the early 1970s. Just before Apostle was set to take the stage, Hagin asked if he was ready, and he asserted, “Freddy’s ready!” with energetic yet cool confidence.
“When I heard Apostle Price, I thought, ‘where has this preacher been all my life?!’ I fell in love with him the first time I met him,” Dr. Savelle recalled.
“I couldn’t wait to see him again. He stayed ready the entire duration of his life. If you didn’t get the word of God after listening to Apostle Price, you weren’t going to get it. He was the most meticulous, direct, and uncompromising teacher.”
In closing, Dr. Savelle challenged the CCC faithful to stay ready. Quoting from Leviticus Chapter 25, which says that jubilee is a time for an economic, cultural, environmental, and communal reset, he encouraged congregants to embrace what’s next.
“Fifty years is a milestone,” said Dr. Savelle. “Some people can’t do anything for a day. Make this your jubilee, he encouraged those in attendance and listening online. “Believe, declare, and expect it! Know that your best years are not behind you but are yet to come.”
Learn more at faithdome.org.
