Comedian Gordon Douglas
As a self-proclaimed one-trick-pony, Gordon Douglas has made people laugh for decades. He recently visited Buckhannon, WV, for a fundraising event for the Central West Virginia Center for Pregnancy Care (CWVCPC) held at The Way of Holiness Church in March 2024.
“We were so pleased Gordon contacted us because he was in the Bluefield area,” Barbara Kincaid, Director of the CWVCPC, said. “It was a great night of comedy and a great fundraising success! And we can’t thank Pastor Jerry, Tammy Murrell, Gordon, and all the congregants enough for their hospitality. We hope to have Gordon back in the fall for another fundraiser for the CWVCPC.”
Glory Magazine sat down with Gordon to find out how he began, what drives his passion for comedy, and what motivates his commitment to ministering through humor.
Growing up, Gordon loved The Ed Sullivan Show, which featured classic one-liners from comedians like Milton Burl, Jack Benny, and George Burns. He considers Red Skeleton and Jonathan Winters two of his comedic heroes and started Operation Bellylaughs in honor of his hero Bob Hope. Just as Bob was faithful to perform for the troops, Gordon enjoys sending comedy DVDs to those who serve. He fell in love with making people laugh from these great comedians.
At thirteen, the comedy bug was solidified. Even though his thoughts of grandeur were to be a jock athlete, his calling became apparent when the pastor of his “itty-bitty” town invited him to the Sandy Cove Bible Conference in Maryland. One of the largest Christian conferences on the East Coast.
The year he attended, Don Lonie, one of the only Christian comedians around, made a big impression on him. He would give everyone a laugh, then preach the Gospel and end with wonderful music. Gordon found it amazing. It was a stark difference from his small-town church atmosphere. This experience sparked the idea of him becoming a Christian comedian. He has remained a “regular” at the conference to this day.
Gordon was radically saved during the “Jesus Revolution” in 1975 while attending Williamson College of the Trades in Pennsylvania, an all-boys trade school. The school’s core Christian values of faith, integrity, diligence, excellence, and service meant the students must attend Chapel daily. He and some classmates were asked to go to a Bible study that just happened to be beside a nursing college. Gordon and others went to meet girls, but some wound up meeting Jesus instead, including Gordon. He said, “God knows how to bate a hook.”
After being saved, he began sharing his experience at Chapel before his two hundred classmates. God allowed him to hone his public speaking skills and share the Gospel every morning at 7:00 a.m., training him for his public career.
After college, Gordon met Julie DeJohn, a comedian and singer from the popular 1950s-60s singing duo the DeJohn Sisters. She took him under her wing and taught him how to do standup, and the comedy world opened up for him. With Julie’s mentorship and connections, his first comedic show was with Bill Haley and the Comets in 1977.
David Brenner also influenced him, even entering a look-alike contest that he won in 1978. This led to him appearing on The Mike Douglas Show with Brenner. Gordon studied Brenner and went to several of his shows. His comedy was clean, had universal appeal, and made people laugh. That appeal led to Gordon modeling his comedy similarly.
Going out alone, he eventually went to Hollywood and didn’t do well with auditions. He chickened out on a few things he wished he wouldn’t have. He was not quite ready for how harsh it was and left quickly, chalking it up to a life lesson in humility. However, the experience left him with fond memories of meeting the likes of Jay Leno, Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres, and David Letterman.
In 1979, he married his wife, Dawn. He attended Seminary part-time at night school for thirteen years, going from youth to senior pastor. Soon after pastoring his church, he learned about the “Christian Comedy” scene. Gordon’s passion for comedy still burned, and by faith, he knew this was a good fit. He still loved making people laugh. Only a few weeks later, his first comedy show was featured on the Focus on the Family website, a global multimedia Christian ministry founded by James Dobson. Offers began pouring in from around the country for his style of comedy. The Lord opened the doors. All the dreams of doing standup were now a reality, and he could do it in a way that glorified and honored God.
Gordon was asked to perform at the Focus on the Family conference with Chonda Pierce. They worked together for a couple of years, then she moved on, and he returned to being a pastor. As fate would have it, Chonda introduced Gordon to the Christian Comedy Association (CCA). Somehow, Mike Williams from the CCA got one of his comedy tapes. A connection was made, and Gordon watched Mike perform at a pregnancy center in Gettysburg, PA. Gordon watched him have a hilarious ninety-minute comedy show, give an amazing testimony, and raise funds for a pregnancy center. Following the event, their conversations led to Gordon realizing he could do the same thing and pursue his passion by using the gifts God gave him to make people laugh, as well as raise funds for pregnancy centers and ministry events. He was signed to an agency for a three-year deal in 1994-95, and he’s been with them ever since, traveling and sharing his message. He also finds time to help at his small church, serves as the head of the pastoral board of the Delaware County Pregnancy Center, and is the regional coordinator of the National Day of Prayer.
Laugh, It Does A Heart Good
We asked Gordon how important laughter is for the soul? Gordon answered, “Laughter is in Scripture several times. There is a time to laugh and a merry heart does work good like a medicine. And at the first Christmas, the angel said I bring you tidings of great joy. Joy and laughter go together. We need to laugh. That doesn’t mean we deny the pain, but laughter does bring healing. I love to make people laugh just for a moment to help them get through what they are going through.”
Gordon and his wife Dawn will be married for forty-five years in 2024. Even though they were told they could not have children, miraculously, they have five natural children, and over the years, they have willingly opened their hearts and homes to many others. Gordon’s unique life has given him ample inspiration and material for his style of comedy that makes people laugh. You can read more about his remarkable story, watch videos, and contact him for an upcoming fundraiser online at www.gordondouglasisfunny.com.
GORDON’S UPCOMING 2024 SCHEDULE:
| APRIL 19 | CALVARY CHAPEL OF DEL. CO., PA | Super Senior Show w/Ventriloquist Taylor Mason |
| APRIL 23 | LEBANON, MO | Pregnancy Support Center, Annual Fundraising Banquet |
| APRIL 24-26 | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | Heartbeat Conference |
| APRIL 30 | ANNAPOLIS, MD | Wellspring Life Ministry |
| MAY 2 | MEDIA, PA | National Day of Prayer, Master of Ceremonies |
| MAY 5 | MARPLE NEWTOWN, PA | Preaching at Hope Church |
| MAY 8-10 | BOZEMAN, MT | ZoeCare |
| MAY 12 | WEST CHESTER, PA | Preaching at Living Faith |
| MAY 19 | LONG ISLAND, NY | Laugh for Life Comedy Show |
| JUNE 2-5 | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | Christian Comedy Conference |
Submitted media photos.
