As commanded, the congregation of eight hundred to a thousand sat down. I looked over to the side and realized there were people who were standing in the wings, unable to find a seat. Any ruling of a fire marshal about overcrowding was overlooked on that day, as it had been on many other days that I had preached. They had all come to hear me preach the Gospel, but they were going to hear the Gospel as they had never heard it before.
After the bulk of the congregation was seated, I walked back and forth for a moment in my light tan suit. Then I said, “My name is Ronald Dennison, and I am a sinner!”
This was not an unusual thing for me to say in my sermons. I had used the statement since my very first sermon all those years ago in Daddy’s church.
I continued to pace and then spoke again.
