Dr. Jerry Falwell

The life of Dr. Jerry L. Falwell was marked by a miraculous, incredible journey, one that spanned nearly 51 years of ministry and could only have been written by the hand of God. Although his earthly life ended on Tuesday, May 15, 2007, his legacy is being lived out vibrantly around the globe in the lives of millions he touched in profound and eternal ways through Thomas Road Baptist Church, Liberty University and their world-wide ministries.

God chose to accomplish His purposes in this generation through Jerry Falwell, His steadfast, unwavering servant whose heart was totally and completely bent toward His cause. He proclaimed the truth and fought the battles and worked fervently until the hour when the Lord must surely have said, "Come home, my faithful giant, you have finished your valiant course and a crown of righteousness is laid up for you."

Beloved husband, father, grandfather, internationally-known pastor, chancellor, political activist and friend to all, Jerry Falwell was a dreamer and visionary. His journey was marked by faithfulness, fearlessness, fruitfulness, and fervency. His life and influence earned him a place in history where his name is indelibly etched.

There was no doubt that Jesus Christ was first in Jerry Falwell's life and the next priority was his family - his wife Macel and their three children, Jerry Jr., Jeannie, and Jonathan and their families. He credited all his vast accomplishments to their love and support.

Dr Jerry Falwell is home. The void he leaves is immeasurable. May the all-consuming desire of his life to see, in his generation, the gospel of Jesus Christ explicitly explained to every person in the world, drive us also by his example to believe impossible dreams, to think no sacrifice too costly, and to exercise implicit faith in our Savior.

Obituary

The Reverend Dr. Jerry Laymon Falwell, 73, of Lynchburg went to be with his Lord on Tuesday, May 15, 2007. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 49 years Macel Pate Falwell.

Born in Lynchburg, August 11, 1933, he was a son of the late Carey Hezekiah and Helen Beasley Falwell. Dr. Falwell established Thomas Road Baptist Church in 1956 where he pastored for over 50 years. He founded Liberty University in 1971 and oversaw its rise to prominence as the largest evangelical University in America.

He was preceded in death by one brother, Lewis T. Falwell and two sisters, Virginia Falwell Jennings and Rosha Geraldine Falwell.

Though Dr. Falwell will be remembered for Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University, he always said his greatest accomplishment was his family. In addition to his wife he is survived by two sons, Jerry Falwell, Jr. and his wife Becki of Goode and Jonathan Falwell and his wife Shari of Forest; one daughter, Jeannie Falwell Savas of Richmond; one brother Gene R. Falwell of Lynchburg; and he was known as “Poppy” to his eight grandchildren:Jerry “Trey” Falwell, III, Charles Wesley Falwell, Jonathan Falwell, Jr., Paul Savas, Jr., Jessica Falwell, Natalie Falwell, Nicholas Falwell and Caroline Falwell.

Funeral services and a celebration of Dr. Falwell's life was conducted at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 22, 2007 at Thomas Road Baptist Church. Burial was private in front of the Carter Glass mansion on the campus of Liberty University.

Those wishing to make memorial contributions are asked to consider the Founders Scholarship Fund, c/o Liberty University, 1971 University Blvd., Lynchburg, VA 24502.

Dr. Falwell was very generous to all people but truly loved helping students who had financial challenges with their tuition costs. Thus, the family wishes this scholarship fund to be a lasting legacy of his love for young

people.

Whitten Funeral Homes is serving the Falwell family.

Biography

At the age of 22, having just graduated from college in June of 1956, Jerry Falwell returned to his hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia and started Thomas Road Baptist Church with 35 members. The offering that first Sunday totaled $135. Falwell often says about the first collection, “we thought we had conquered the world”. Today Thomas Road Church has 24,000 members and the total annual revenues of all the Jerry Falwell ministries total over $200 million.

Within weeks of founding his new church in 1956, Falwell began the Old-Time Gospel Hour, a daily local radio ministry and a weekly local television ministry. Nearly five decades later, this Old-Time Gospel Hour is now seen and heard in every American home and on every continent except Antarctica. Through the years, over three million persons have communicated to the Falwell ministries that they received Christ as Lord and Savior as a result of this radio and television ministry.

In 1967, Falwell implemented his vision to build a Christian educational system for evangelical youth. He began with the creation of Lynchburg Christian Academy, a Christ-centered, academically excellent, fully accredited Christian day school providing kindergarten, elementary and high school. In 1971, Liberty University was founded. Today, over 21,500 students from 50 states and 80 nations attend this accredited, liberal arts Christian university. Falwell's dream has become a reality. A pre-school child can now enter the school system at age 3, and 20 or more years later, leave the same campus with a Ph.D., without ever sitting in a classroom where the teacher was not a committed follower of Jesus Christ.

Falwell is also publisher of the National Liberty Journal, a monthly newspaper which is read by over 200,000 pastors and Christian workers, and the Falwell Confidential, a weekly e-mail newsletter to over 500,000 pastors and Christian activists.

In June 1979, Falwell organized the Moral Majority, a conservative political lobbying movement which the press soon dubbed the "Religious Right." During the first two years of its existence, the Moral Majority attracted over 100,000 pastors, priests, and rabbis and nearly seven million religious conservatives who mobilized as a pro-life, pro-family, pro-Israel, and pro-strong national defense lobbying organization. The Moral Majority chose California Governor Ronald Reagan as "their candidate" for President in 1980, registered millions of new voters, and set about to inform and activate a sleeping giant - 80 million Americans committed to faith, family, and Judeo-Christian values.

With the impetus of the newly organized Moral Majority, millions of people of faith voted for the first time in 1980 and helped elect Ronald Reagan and many conservative congressmen and senators. Since 1979, about 30% of the American electorate has been identified by media polls as the "Religious Right". Most recent major media surveys have acknowledged that these "faith and values" voters re-elected George W. Bush in November 2004.

Though perhaps better known outside Lynchburg for political activism, Jerry Falwell's personal schedule confirms his passion for being a pastor and a Christian educator. He often states that his heartbeat is for training young people for every walk of life.

Falwell and his wife of 49 years, Macel, have three grown children and eight grandchildren.

Jerry Laymon Falwell, Sr.

Founder and Chancellor, Liberty University

Founder and Senior Pastor, Thomas Road Baptist Church

Date of Birth: August 11, 1933

Place of Birth: Lynchburg, Va.

Education: Attended Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, Va.

Graduate of Baptist Bible College, Springfield, Mo., Theology (1956)

HONORARY DEGREES

Tennessee Temple Theological Seminary, Doctor of Divinity

California Graduate School of Theology, Doctor of Letters

Central University, Seoul, Korea, Doctor of Laws

VOCATIONS AND POSTS

Thomas Road Baptist Church: Pastor since 1956

Old Time Gospel Hour, Inc.: President since 1956

Elim Home for Alcoholics: since 1959

Lynchburg Christian Academy , K-12: since 1967

Liberty University: Chancellor since 1971

Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary: Chancellor since 1973

Liberty Bible Institute: Chancellor since 1972

Moral Majority, Inc.: 1979-1989

Liberty Godparent Home for Unwed Mothers: since 1982

Liberty Broadcasting Network: President since 1985

Clergyman of the Year in America, Religious Heritage of America, 1979

Jabotinsky Centennial Medal, for friendship to Israel; presented by Prime Minister Menachem Begin, 1980

Christian Humanitarian of the Year, Food for the Hungry International, 1981

Most Admired Man Not in Congress, Conservative Digest, 1983

Voted several times among the 10 Most Admired Men in America, Good Housekeeping Poll

Named one of the 25 Most Influential People in America, U.S. News & World Report, 1983

Debated New Zealand Prime Minister David Lange, defending the "Western Nuclear Alliance," at Oxford Debating Society, 1985

Named the Most Influential Central Virginian of the 20th Century in a survey conducted by the News and Advance in Lynchburg, Virginia, Dec. 1999

Named Virginia 's most influential clergyman of the 20th Century by the Virginia Historical Society

Featured on the covers of Newsweek and Time, and on countless print and broadcast outlets

Speaker at dozens of colleges and universities including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, UCLA, and Notre Dame

Met privately numerous times with Presidents George Bush, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, and Richard Nixon. Met with world leaders such as Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, South African President F.W. DeKlerk, Jordan's King Hussein, and Israeli Prime Ministers Begin, Shamir, Rabin, Peres, Netanyahu and Sharon.

Led missionary and humanitarian efforts in nations around the world, including the former Soviet Union

BOOKS

Church Aflame - Impact, 1971

Falwell: Capturing a Town for Christ - Revell, 1973

Listen, America! - Doubleday, 1980

The Fundamentalist Phenomenon - Doubleday, 1981

Finding Inner Peace and Strength - Doubleday, 1982

When it Hurts Too Much to Cry - Tyndale, 1984

Wisdom for Living - Victor Books, 1984

Stepping Out on Faith - Tyndale, 1984

Champions for God - Victor Books, 1985

If I Should Die Before I Wake - Thomas Nelson,

Strength for the Journey - Simon & Schuster, 1987

The New American Family - Word, 1992

Falwell: An Autobiography - Liberty House, 1997

Fasting Can Change Your Life - Regal, 1998

FAMILY

Wife Macel Pate Falwell, married 4/12/58

Two sons, Jerry Falwell, Jr., Attorney, Vice-Chancellor of Liberty University, Lynchburg, Va. and

Jonathan Falwell, Attorney and Executive Pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg Va.

One daughter, Jeannie Falwell Savas, Surgeon, Richmond, Va