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Prayer Breakfast Rescheduled

Josh McDowell.

Well known as an articulate speaker, Josh McDowell has addressed more than 46 million people, and has given over 27,200 talks in 139 countries.

Josh initially intended to pursue legal studies culminating in a political career, and began preparatory studies. According to McDowell, he was an agnostic at college when he decided to prepare a paper that would examine the historical evidence of the Christian faith in order to disprove it. However, he converted to Christianity, after, as he says, he found evidence for it, not against it. He subsequently enrolled at Wheaton College, Wheaton Illinois, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then studied at Talbot Theological Seminary of Biola University, La Mirada, California. He was awarded the Master of Divinity degree, graduating Magna Cum Laude.

In 1982 McDowell was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Simon Greenleaf School of Law, now Trinity Law School, in recognition of his ministry and writings.

As he traveled to other countries, Josh quickly realized that where people were sick, homeless, and hungry, words were not enough. In 1991, Josh founded Operation Carelift to meet the physical and spiritual needs he discovered in orphanages, hospitals, schools, and prisons in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Nearly one million children have received school supplies, food items, hygiene items, and toys from the volunteers that traveled twice a year to share God's love with them.

Josh has received two significant honors from the Russian people because of these efforts. He is the only non-Russian to receive an honorary doctor of pediatrics degree from the Russian Academy of Medicine – in recognition of his work among the children of Russia. Also, Josh is the only foreigner to become a member of the prestigious Russian Club of Scientists. Operation Carelift, which has grown into in one of the largest humanitarian aid organizations based in the United States, is now a part of Global Aid Network (GAiN USA).

In the United States, Josh and his team have created many cutting-edge live events to help young people stand strong and firm in their faith in the face of a rapidly-changing culture. These have often developed into full-blown campaigns, such as:

• Six Hours with Josh
• Why Wait?
• Counter the Culture
• Right From Wrong
• True Foundations

Since 1960, Josh has written or co-authored 151 books in 128 languages including:

• More Than a Carpenter – over 27 million copies distributed
• Evidence That Demands a Verdict – named one the twentieth century's top 40 books and one of the thirteen most influential books of the last 50 years on Christian thought by World Magazine.

In addition to many other awards, Josh has been nominated 36 times for the Gold Medallion Award and has received that award on four occasions.

In spite of all the honors and awards he has received, Josh will tell anyone that his greatest joys and pleasures come from his family. He and his wife Dottie have been married 48 years. They have four children and ten grandchildren.