Johnny Hays is a man after God’s own heart, a man of pure spirit, anointing and humility. It would not be uncommon to hear it said that he is a gospel music minister, truly doing it for all the right reasons. When we called to inform him that he was chosen as this month’s featured artist he was overwhelmed. Johnny is not prone to tooting his own horn unless, of course, it is his saxophone, so he wasn’t very helpful with information about himself and his ministry. Fortunately, we had attended one of his concerts and knew whom to contact to get detailed information about this talented man. We contacted our pastor and friend, Dick Hilleary, who has known Johnny for over thirty years.
When first introduced to the vocal and instrumental artistry of this man, it is obvious that there is “something more” than mere talent. As he sings about Jesus, he leads you into the presence of God. It is awe-inspiring when he plays the saxophone while the anointing of the Holy Spirit descends upon you.
As he vividly expresses the reality of knowing Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, that “something more” becomes clear. Johnny has presented the Gospel in song through the medium of network television and has appeared with such artists as Pat Boone, The Oak Ridge Boys, Jake Hess and Andrae Crouch. Until Don Ho’s death, Johnny had a standing invitation to appear on the Don Ho Show in Hawaii (singing Gospel of course).
Gospel music aficionados on the west coast may remember some thirty years ago when Johnny sang with other West Coast notables such as Dale Peters, Rick Evans, Jim Mercer and Don Nixon to name a few. His quartet experience includes The Concords, an outstanding male quartet that had an undeniable anointing on their music. He then sang several years with The Californians after which he began a solo ministry that has been ongoing for over twenty years.
During his solo ministry, Johnny developed a special love for Russia. For the past several years, he has designated a portion of his time to go to Russia as a missionary evangelist. He has helped to establish churches, Bible schools, orphanages and drug & alcohol rehabilitation centers. Johnny has been involved in prison ministry throughout Russia where hundreds of souls have come to know Christ. Soul winning centers have been established in the cities of Moscow, Vologda and Cherepovets along with a worship and educational center that houses a church, offices, day care and a Bible school facility. Through the years, over 100,000 Bibles have been distributed to Russia! Through donations given to the Johnny Hays Ministry, he continues to provide assistance to these various outreaches.
God has taken a humble man, Johnny Hays, and filled him with musical talent and a heart for the Kingdom that has been used to reach the world for the Gospel from churches in the United States to a foreign country once in the grips of communism.