The Rev. Richard Lee, founding pastor of First Redeemer Church in Cumming, remembers the time he got a call from longtime friend Tim LaHaye about a new book.

LaHaye wasn’t interested in selling “Jesus: Who is He?” in Atlanta; he wanted to give it away.

“He called me one day and asked if I would give away copies of that book to the people of Atlanta,” said Lee, then pastor of Rehoboth Baptist Church in Tucker. LaHaye paid a “very large sum” of money for Lee to make a video that aired on a local television station, he said.

" He simply wanted to minister to the people who may be hurting and tell them about the love of Jesus."

LaHaye, an influential evangelical leader, died Monday in a San Diego area hospital, shortly after suffering a stroke. He was 90.

His friend remembers him fondly and elaborates on his ties to metro Atlanta.

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