The Rev. Stan Cosby of St. Stephen United Methodist Church of Amarillo, Texas, is the evangelist for this year's Methodist Camp Meeting to be held August 14-17, 2008, at the Methodist Campground on Cherokee Creek, near Chappel, in San Saba County. Dr. Cosby is a native of Canyon, Texas, where he graduated high school. He earned his B.A. in Religion from McMurry College in Abilene before going on to get his Master's of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky. In 1994, he earned his Doctor of Ministry form Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Dr. Cosby has served churches in Texas as well as Kentucky and Oklahoma. His ministry has also taken him to such far-flung places as India, Russia, Ghana, Mexico, Peru, Lebanon, Nigeria, Malawi, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Guatemala, and Kenya.

Currently, Dr. Cosby is senior pastor at St. Stephen UMC, an active speaker for Walk to Emmaus, helps with youth camps and Bible conferences, and holds an office in his Methodist Conference, in addition to finding time for numerous revivals. Besides his interest in ministry and evangelism, his special interests include American Indian lore and tradition, Celtic history and culture, and military history, including Civil War, WWII, and Vietnam.

Preaching at the Camp Meeting has personal meaning for Dr. Cosby. He preached the 1990 revival. Adding to that, he is married to Susan Carson, who is a descendant of the Tate family, one of the founders of the camp meeting. Dr. Cosby and his wife are the parents of three grown children and they have seven grandchildren.

Also featured at the Camp Meeting is gospel singer, Johnny Ray Watson. God has gifted Johnny Ray with a beautiful voice. His smooth, Southern gospel style is spiritually moving and will bless and refresh any listener. One word best describes his music - anointed.

Johnny Ray's sincere love for people and his comfortable country personality make him seem like an old friend. He comes by this naturally. Reared in the small town of Lorenzo, Texas (population 1500) by loving Christian parents, Johnny Ray has known Jesus as his Lord and Saviour since the age of 12. His Christian faith has held since childhood. He has committed his life to full-time evangelistic music ministry, drawing his inspiration from the ministry of his great-grandfather, Rev. Joe Street, co-founder of the first Black church in Lorenzo.

For the past 35 years, Johnny Ray Watson has been the featured artist of some of America's greatest ministries: the Billy Graham Crusades, the "America for Jesus" Rallies, Moody Bible Institute, the Bill Glass Prison Ministries, and churches too numerous to mention. His itinerary has included appearances in Asia, Europe, South Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. Recently, he has served as Artist-in-Residence and Musical Ambassador at Riverbend Church in Austin, Texas.

Johnny Ray lives in Bastrop, Texas, with his wife, Brinda, and family.