Wales Goebel is an example of how God can use someone to do great things, no matter how old you are.
At the age of 39, Wales left a successful residential construction business, feeling God’s calling to begin a Christian ministry for students in high school and college. He worked tirelessly preaching The Word to these kids, and over the next few years, he saw several thousand students give their lives to Jesus.
During these years, he discovered that some students would share very personal problems with him. Young girls would confide they had an unwanted pregnancy, and were looking for a place they could go to receive help. Their need was so great that it burdened his heart as to what he could do to help them.
After talking to a number of Christian friends, Wales prayed that God might lead him to bring some peace to the lives of these young ladies. And God led him to open a Christian ministry called Sav-A-Life, a faith-based pregnancy resource center which provided wonderful counseling to girls with unwanted pregnancies who were considering abortion.
The ministry grew and in the next few years, expanded to other cities. There are now 67 Sav-A-Life centers in six states. There are also two in the country of Ecuador.
A year later, Wales was approached by two unmarried girls who wanted to place their babies for adoption. They asked him to make sure their babies would be raised in a Christian home but he couldn’t find any adoption agency that would guarantee that request.
He began to pray that God would allow him to open an agency to enable these girls to place their babies in a Christian home. God’s hand was again on Wales. Shortly thereafter, a man came to his office who was a social worker, who it turned out, knew how to open up a Christian adoption agency.
In 1982, the state of Alabama licensed Lifeline Children’s Services, which today has placed hundreds of babies in Christian homes. It has grown to become one of the largest adoption agencies in the Southeast.
Through the Sav-A-Life and Lifeline ministries, literally thousands of babies have been saved from abortion over the last 40 years.
One might think he would consider retirement after all he had done for the Lord. But not Wales Goebel.
Another ministry was still on the horizon.
For years, he had exercised by walking a block from his house in Hoover, Alabama to Star Lake. But now at the age of 92, he was beginning to tire on those walks, so he decided to sit on one of the benches in the park. As he was sitting, he watched the walkers around the lake.
He felt the Lord telling him to just keep sitting on that park bench, that He would bring people to Wales who needed to hear about Jesus. He sensed there were people there with pain and hurt, who were going through sickness or a financial crisis. He knew that there were lots of spiritual needs with those walkers.
When he came home, he told his wife that he believed there was a ministry the Lord had for him at the lake. He would go each day, sit on the bench and pray that the Lord would send someone to him.
Days would go by and no one would come.
After several weeks, you and I might be discouraged. But Wales was confident that this message was from the Lord. So he continued to sit out there every day.
He was now 94, and one day, a lady who was originally from China sat down on the bench beside him. She looked troubled. Wales told her he was an old retired missionary, and if he could pray for her, he would. She shared with him a sad story of her loveless marriage that had taken place in China. She had one son who attended college.
She began to regularly meet with Wales at the bench. Over the next few months, she began to grow spiritually. Then, her husband died and she asked for prayer for her son. He, in time, would visit with the two of them and hear Wales share The Word. The son eventually received Christ as his Savior.
Weeks later, another lady came to the bench. She stood and looked down on Wales, who greeted her with a “Good morning.” She said it was not a good morning. He said he was a retired missionary and that he’d pray with her if she liked. She shared that her problem was guilt.
Wales asked if she was a Christian and she said she had been baptized. He told her that alone will not save your soul, but having faith in Christ alone would. Wales asked if she had a Study Bible, and she did not. “Would you like one?” Wales asked. When she responded yes, he said “Let’s get you one.” She and Wales drove her car to a bookstore and he purchased a study Bible for her.
About two weeks later, a man came and introduced himself to Wales as that lady’s husband. He said that his wife had changed dramatically, and that whatever Wales had said to her, he wanted to also hear.
Wales asked if he had a personal relationship with Christ. He said he did not, and Wales prayed for him to receive Christ right on that park bench. The man asked Wales if he and his wife could come back and talk with Wales together.
And they did, the very next day.
Over the next three years, God led more and more people to Wales at that park bench at that lake, and he would share the Gospel with them.
Then, several of them asked if Wales could lead them in a Bible study. He told them he had so little to offer but with the Holy Spirit’s help, he’d do it.
Now, Wales has about 25 people in that Bible study every week. The Bible study began at the lake but with the cold winter weather, they moved the study inside his house right up the street from the lake. He spends about 30 minutes in The Word, and then prays for their individual prayer concerns.
Wales says, “You’re never too old to do the Lord’s work.”
At 97, Wales is looking forward to seeing what else God has in store for his ministry on that park bench in 2025!
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