Mr. Rodney Lyle McDougal

The Reverend Rod McDougal, Evangelist of Jubilee International Ministries and Chaplain of VFW Post 2111, is resting in the arms of the Master whom he served so well. Born June 3, 1940 in St. Francis, Kansas to Adolph Arch “Knute� and Leila “Tiny� McDougal, he died June 30, 2010 surrounded in the loving arms of his family. Rod leaves to mourn two daughters, Rachel Kubik, her husband Jack, and Elizabeth Schwab and her husband Zach; his beloved grandchildren, Sydney and Kyler Kubik and Malachi Schwab; his 101 year old mother, “Tiny� McDougal; brother Lynn R. McDougal and his wife Anne; three sisters, Lila McDougal; MariLee Green and her husband Mark; and Kathlyn Brooksher and her husband Jerry; and his former wife Trena McDougal. Rod will be fondly remembered by his loving nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews on whom he was a wonderful influence, along with countless relatives and friends from all over the nation and the world. He was preceded in death by his father “Knute� McDougal. Rod lived his early years in Atwood, Kansas. The handsome wide receiver of the football team and homecoming king, Rod graduated from Atwood Community High School in 1958. Rod’s Love for football continued on throughout his life and in retirement he rarely missed a Charger game or an opportunity to tailgate with his extended Charger family. Even as his illness progressed he tenaciously made the trip from the coach to the stands to cheer on his team. He attended the University of Colorado on an ROTC scholarship and graduated in 1962. He entered the US Navy as an Ensign, and was later promoted to Lieutenant, serving his country for four years, notably flying remote controlled anti-submarine drones off the fantail of a destroyer during the Vietnam War. Although he felt privileged to be raised with a solid spiritual background, Rod felt he had strayed in young manhood. During his last year of military service his mother asked him to attend a Full Gospel Businessman’s convention where he rededicated his life and confirmed Jesus as his Savior. In 1966 Rod traveled to Southeast Asia with a group from Full Gospel Businessman’s Fellowship International. This was the turning point in his life as his passion for sharing the love of Christ was ignited and he met his future wife. Rod remained an avid member of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship throughout his life. Rod was married in 1970 to Trena Layman and served as a leader in the “Jesus People� movement in the Pacific Northwest until he accepted a position as youth pastor in Surrey, BC, Canada. Just before Christmas in 1974 Rod accepted a pastorate at Open Bible church in Bellingham, WA where he served for seven years. The tug for the nations rose up again during a mission trip to the Philippines in 1980. While preaching in the barrios three deaf mutes began speaking and hearing as he prayed for a miracle. Dozens came forward to receive Jesus, and Rod was forever changed. Upon his arrival home Rod resigned his position as pastor, formed Jubilee International Ministries, and began making plans and raising support for the mission to the Philippines. In 1981 he left for Manila and was soon joined by his wife and daughter Rachel who was nine years old. Over the next seven years he held eighty-four citywide crusades throughout the Philippines and saw a hundred thousand converts. In every service the blind saw, the deaf heard and cripples walked as the Lord poured out his blessing. Hundreds of people rushed forward to receive Jesus as Rod preached “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever!� Thus began his lifetime career as an Evangelist to more than 90 nations, ministering from the Great Wall of China to the jungles of the Philippines, smuggling Bibles into China and giving away thousands of New Testaments to converts at his crusades. Rod also established prayer groups for the newly converted with pastors all over the world, forming lifelong bonds of friendship. In late 1983 Rod was blessed with his second daughter Elisabeth just in time for Christmas. Rod relished his role as a father and never missed an opportunity to incorporate fun and educational events for his family in the form of sightseeing, cultural events, theater productions and the ballet into their daily lives and many travels. In early 1989 after seven years of wonderful ministry in Southeast Asia, Rod returned with his family to their home church, Christ the Rock Fellowship in Lynnwood, WA. That same spring Rod was invited to a conference in Surabaya, Indonesia where church leaders from many nations invited him to minister. On the flight home the pilot announced that the “Iron Curtain� to Eastern Europe had fallen. This made it immediately possible for him to accept the invitations to Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Romania. In July of 1989 Rod and his family traveled to Austria where they were met by a pastor from Slovakia who drove them to Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. After several days of ministry there they took a boat down the Blue Danube River to Budapest Hungary, and a train to Turgu Murres, Romania. During this trip, Rod received invitations to return in the fall to hold crusades in several cities throughout the country. When Rod returned to Romania, arrangements were made for TV ads promoting the six upcoming crusades. After the first ad aired promoting all six crusades, the still relatively communist community leaders saw the response to the first crusade and forced the media to pull the rest of the ads to control the groundswell of response. It was too late. The word was out. The climax came in Ploiesti, when Rod was forced to move the crusade services from the twenty-five thousand-seat soccer stadium to a wide boulevard in the heart of the city, where he preached from the roof of the sports arena to a crowd estimated to be one hundred thousand hungry souls. With only two Bose speakers and electrical plugs that literally had to be held into the power conversion transformer by hand, the word went out to the thousands standing back to chest, some perched in trees and others on walls down a four lane boulevard. If it had not been for the five hundred foot fog ceiling that hung overhead the sound could not have reached the crowd. Rod’s ministry would never be the same. From there he went on to minister in many nations of the world. He held crusades in many Soviet and Eastern European nations, South America, New Zealand, Nepal, Pakistan, India and many more, more than 90 nations in all He had the privilege of starting crusades for Dr. Morris Cerullo in Africa and Russia. During his career Rod was humbled to see an estimated one million souls receive Jesus in his crusades. Not only a wonderful evangelist, he was an eloquent intercessor tirelessly praying for the needs of others. In his later years of ministry, Rod established his base of ministry in San Diego, CA where he continued his crusades to the nations and his work promoting the National Day of Prayer and founded the Congressional Prayer Breakfasts in Washington DC. Even after his diagnosis he continued to travel, to his 50th high school reunion in Atwood, and also on crusades to Pakistan India and other destinations until his strength no longer allowed. Rod was a patriot. One of Rod’s great joys was serving as Chaplain of VFW Post 2111. Rod loved his roots, Atwood, his town, his state, and his country. His love for his family never failed. He took great delight in his children and grandchildren. It was the grandchildren he adored that provided the most comfort and motivation during his two-and-a-half year battle with esophageal cancer. Although in great pain Rod never missed their school performances and the opportunity to cheer them on. This past year as he was lovingly cared for by his daughter Rachel, his sisters Lila and Kathlyn, her husband Jerry, and his brother, Lynn and wife Anne, and was frequently visited by his sister MariLee and Mark Green of Clay Center, KS. He managed his illness with grace and dignity. He rarely complained, fully trusting in the Lord. He became known throughout the world by closing every crusade with the chorus, “What a mighty God we serve.� This, indeed, is the testimony of his life, a life well lived. For those who cannot attend the service in San Diego it will be broadcast live online at www.crusaderadio.com. In lieu of flowers please further his passion for Missions by contributing to the Charity of your choice in his name, or to Adventures by Faith and Love, C/O The Missionary Fund, in memory of Rod McDougal, 277-B Avenida Carmel, Laguna Woods, CA 92637. Your contributions are tax deductable and the proceeds will be forwarded to Rod’s favorite missions. “Death bent to touch His chosen son with mercy, love and pity, and put the seal of honor on him when he died.� Thomas Wolfe