Proclaiming True Liberty- A Love for God and Country and A Young Pastor's Calling

By now you may have seen the majority of our social posts have some sort of PROCLAIMING TRUE LIBERTY statement in them somewhere with a hashtag or two.

Recently, we also focused on 2 Corinthians 3:17 which talks about liberty being where the Spirit of the Lord is. The most exciting piece of this special topic we have been savoring is the back story of how Proclaiming True Liberty came to be so special to us at Goodies and the Gospel. This story begins with a young Pastor in 1977 and God's calling upon his heart.

Pastor and Evangelist Mac Woody was called to the wonderful honor of the Pastoral office at the age of 16 in August of 1975. From the very moment of God's divine influence upon his heart, Pastor Woody has had a burning fire and zeal for the Lord and spreading His great Gospel. That zeal and fire spread like wildfire in the summer of 1977. All it took was a great love for his country, a book about a man called Sammy Tippett (as well as a few others), and that fiery zeal to set a great work in motion. The campaign, God Save America by Proclaiming True Liberty ignited and this young preacher, on fire for God, would start a journey carrying a cross from Pontiac, Michigan to Florida. In a short couple months Pastor Mac Woody built a cross and raise about $600, all while welcoming his first son, Paul, with his beautiful wife Kathy.

The journey begins at 7:00am in prayer at the Pontiac Mall. Kneeling next to friends, Ray and Phyliss Williams, their son TJ, and many others showing love and support. Traveling ahead of Pastor Woody and TJ, the Williams would set up camp were the two young men would walk to with a wooden cross and a wheelbarrow full of Bibles spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. TJ would remain with Pastor Woody on this journey until Cynthiana, Kentucky.

Pastor Woody recalls the concerns of that time that influenced the stirring passion for the campaign and the first day....

"The Cold War with Russia and communism was heavy on my mind. I was very concerned for our country and the condition of our churches. Communism was a big issue in the day. A lot of our ministry for God Save America involved the counter to communism, which would be the preaching of the cross. So, these things combined together was the influence in our decision for the campaign...."

"When we left on that morning, the Oakland press was there, and the reporter asked me why I am doing this...that's when I grabbed my newborn son and held him up in the air and said he's the reason."

July 18, 1977 - Walking Mission Journal Entry

First Day - Entry by Phillyis Williams

"We stayed at Redford Baptist Church, Mac and Terry walked 20 miles today. There was one soul saved. The policed stopped them twice. The first ones liked what they were doing. The second ones gave them a hard time. It rained. We looked out, and there was about two inches on the parking lot. We left the Bibles out in the wheelbarrow in a box, and when we brought them in, they weren't even wet."

His plea was simple but mighty.... get the Bible back in the family!

July 23, 1977- Walking Mission Journal Entry

Sixth Day- Entry by Phillyis Williams

"Today was pretty interesting. We went through Columbus. It was a pretty bad place. Mac and TJ walk among a lot of sinful people. Mac tried to lead a drunk man to the Lord, but he wouldn't accept. Ray and I got pulled over by the police. Mac and TJ walked through the street gangs. In Delaware, a man was putting up a bingo sign in a cab. TJ gave him a little Bible and the man took it. We went to the First Baptist in Circleville, and the pastor took us to a state campground but that was it."

Diary Entry August 8th 1977 - Pastor Mac Woody

"The best I can remember, I started walking around 11a.m. Before I reached Nicholasville, Carl gave me his watch to help me keep track of time on the road. The gift meant a lot to me. He also bought me two new American flags to replace the ones I had accidentally left at the Mobley's house. The day was sunny, but toward the evening it started raining hard, and I got soaked. Some kind Christian people from Lancaster picked me up, took me to their home, let me take a hot bath, and gave me a warm bed to sleep in. What a blessing!"

By the time Pastor Woody had reached Lancaster on August 8th, carrying the 9ft by 6ft cross, 31 souls had been saved. While many great blessings came and those souls were saved, there was also times of trial and hardships. Pastor Woody recalls a moment when a white pickup truck pulled up and stopped. He remembers 6 or so men that were drunk got out and surrounded him trying to start an altercation. He refused and just preached Christ to them. After he talked with them, he got the name of the driver. The next morning, he stopped by the man's house and walked up to his bedroom window and woke him up talking through his window screen. He apologized for his behavior but did not accept Christ at that time.

He also battled the heat and miles lacking water. "There were times I got so dehydrated I had a hard time drinking water when I got it." He states, "My hips and feet took a beating."

Pastor Woody recalls preaching in Columbus and Toledo Ohio as his favorite testimony and memory from this great endeavor. "We preached on the street corner and were surrounded by a gang and handed out New Testaments

and preached to them."

Pastor Woody became the second person on a national level to carry the cross following, Arthur Blessitt.

The miles eventually came to an end, but the message never did. What began in 1977 as the burden of a 16-year-old pastor with a wooden cross, a wheelbarrow full of Bibles, and a heart on fire for Christ continues to echo decades later. Pastor Mac Woody's desire was simple— lift up Jesus Christ and call America back to the Word of God. Even to this day Pastor Woody Proclaims True Liberty in Christ on YouTube and leads his local church body in the continued discovery and truth of the Gospel in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Along the road were souls saved, trials that tested faith, and countless opportunities to proclaim the Gospel. Every blister, every mile, every storm, every conversation, and every hardship pointed to one truth: Jesus Christ is the only source of true liberty.

Today, that same message has inspired and touched the hearts of us here at Goodies and the Gospel™. While the methods may look different—a homemade treat, a community event, a Bible study, a conversation over coffee, or a simple act of kindness—the mission remains unchanged: to lovingly share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and point people to the liberty that is found in Him alone.

As Scripture declares:

"Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."— 2 Corinthians 3:17 (KJV)

True liberty is not found in governments, wealth, success, or even personal freedom. It is found in forgiveness through Jesus Christ, freedom from the bondage of sin, and a life surrendered to Him.

May we never grow weary in carrying the message of the cross. Whether our road is across the country or across the street, may we faithfully proclaim the hope of the Gospel until the Lord calls us home.

To God be the Glory,

Goodies and the Gospel™