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‘Celebrity Evangelist’ Dylan Novak Travels Country, Sharing Gospel With Famous People

Photo provided by Dylan Novak
Photo provided by Dylan Novak
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By Tré Goins-Phillips
Editor

December 9, 2019

It might sounds like a cushy gig, but it’s a lot of work chasing celebrities.

That’s what 25-year-old Dylan Novak does for a living: he seeks out where big-name (and small-name) celebrities are going, and tries his best to meet them there, all so he can share the Gospel with them.

When he was 13 years old, Novak told Faithwire, he was “the biggest superhero/comic book nerd in the entire world.” So when a comic convention came through Knoxville, Tennessee, he told his parents he had to go. Eager to meet celebrities who played his favorite superheroes, Novak said he started watching all their movies and shows, and when that well ran dry, he turned to interviews.

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Pete Davidson. (Saturday Night Live) • Pete was raised Catholic. • When he looked through the gift bag, he said, “Oh man! You’re the sweetest. Thank you so much!” • He was receptive of the Bible, tracts, ‘GASP!’ by Tony Nolan, letter, and Living Waters material. • Please be praying for Pete.

A post shared by Dylan Novak (@celebrityevangelist) on Oct 18, 2019 at 4:38pm PDT

He found an “Oprah” episode with the late Margot Kidder, who became famous for playing Lois Lane in the “Superman” film series. At the time, she was talking to the host about her role in a little-known Christian movie from 2000 called “Tribulation.” Asked by Oprah what the movie meant to her, Novak recalled, Kidder said “absolutely nothing,” admitting she was an atheist.

“I felt like I had been punched in the stomach, because that’s when reality hit me that Margot Kidder is just like you and just like me and just like everyone else — she’s a soul on the way to heaven or hell,” Novak said. “And at that time, she was on her way to hell.”

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After watching that conversation between Kidder and Oprah, Novak said he felt “burdened” to share the Gospel with the “Superman” actor. So he grabbed a few tracts from his church, and headed to the convention. He went on to share Scripture with Kidder two times before she ended her own life in 2018.

What does it look like now?

The Virginia native said his ministry has since expanded past comic book events. These days, a lot of his encounters with celebrities are “in the field,” meaning he keeps an eye on concert venues, speaking engagements, press appearances, and red carpet events, and waits outside backstage doors, near hotels, and at airports, hoping to steal just a few minutes with the celebrity he’s spent hours, if not days, tracking down.

Since he went full-time in 2015, Novak has met more than 500 famous people, including President Donald Trump, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Steve Martin (“Pink Panther”), Stan Lee (Marvel), Kate Flannery (“The Office”), Duane Chapman (“Dog the Bounty Hunter”), Charlie Sheen (“Two and a Half Men”), Pete Davidson (“SNL”), George Takei (“Star Trek”), Bret Michaels (Poison), and many others.

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Hillary Rodham Clinton. Satan did everything in his power to keep me from getting to Miss Clinton this afternoon… But God is stronger than Satan! The Lord's plan will always succeed if it is His will! After arriving 1hr and 45 min late to the event and being way back in the line, I figured it was a fail. I continued to pray that if it was God's will, I would somehow get to her. Satan tried several more times to keep me from her, but the power of prayer is stronger! Miss Clinton walked around and I explained quickly what I had given her. She said she would read what I gave her. Please pray that she keeps her promise and reads the Bible, tracts and letter I gave her. It is never too late for anyone to be saved… No matter WHAT! 🙂 #HillaryClinton

A post shared by Dylan Novak (@celebrityevangelist) on Sep 8, 2016 at 8:00pm PDT

Novak’s most receptive encounter to date, though, was with Jerry Lee Lewis, whom he met earlier this year. The pioneer of rockabilly music told The Guardian in 2015, “I worry about whether I’m going to heaven or hell.” Ever since he read that interview, Novak said, he had wanted to meet the 84-year-old entertainer. He was able to do just that in February.

“When I was talking to him, the first tract he pulled out of the gift I had given him said, ‘How to make sure you’re going to heaven,’” Novak recalled. “He lit up like a Christmas tree, and he told his wife, ‘Judith, he knew what I needed.’”

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A week after their conversation on Feb. 18, Novak said he received a letter in the mail from Lewis. In it, the singer told Novak he had “accepted Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior.”

“It’s so crazy to see how God can open these doors,” Novak reflected.

Another notable encounter for Novak was his conversation in September with rocker Bret Michaels, whom he has met twice. More than anything, Michaels told Novak he “love[s] that you truly, genuinely care about me.”

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Bret Michaels. Lead singer of ‘Poison.’ • I met Bret four years ago, and when I walked up to him yesterday he remembered me, and our conversation. • He looked through the gift bag and immediately pulled out the Bible and said, “You got my real name on here (Bret Michael Sychak)! That’s awesome!” He looked at ‘GASP!’ and when I told him it was written by one of my good friends, he asked what it was about and my friend’s story. After telling him he said, “It’s a very intriguing book and cover. I like to read, and that definitely piques my interest.” When he pulled out the letter, he gave me a hug and said, “It means so much that you came back.” He told me that he had thought of me and the gift I gave him last time many times over the past four years. I told him I, along with many others, had been praying hard for him. He told me to not wait so long next time, and that the prayers need to keep on coming. • Please be praying for Mr. Sychak.

A post shared by Dylan Novak (@celebrityevangelist) on Sep 14, 2019 at 8:53am PDT

“So many people are constantly asking celebrities for something, whether it be money, or an autograph, or a selfie, or whatever,” Novak said. “It’s like, ‘What can they do for me?’ Instead of, ‘Hey, I’m here because I love and care about you and your soul.’”

What does the future hold?

Novak said he plans to continue raising support alongside his soon-to-be wife, Morgan, whom he proposed to in October, so they can continue the ministry full-time.

“Morgan has the greatest evangelistic heart of any woman I’ve ever met; she has a humongous passion for lost souls,” Novak said of his fiancée. “She has brought a whole new life to the ministry.”

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Proverbs 18:22 "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord." • Morgan Elisabeth Eaves*, I am the proudest man in the world that God has blessed me with the most amazing fiancé I could have ever imagined! I cannot wait to be your husband, and I promise to love, honor, cherish, and treasure you forever! I love you more than words and actions will ever be able to show, but I pray that you will never doubt that you are the most loved woman in the world. • Thank you for making me the happiest man this world has ever seen. • *subject to change soon

A post shared by Dylan Novak (@celebrityevangelist) on Oct 25, 2019 at 7:55pm PDT

Novak has big hopes for their work, explaining he’d like to have every Bible personalized with each celebrity’s name embroidered on the cover.

“There’s a lot of events every single day,” he said. “I could truly be somewhere chasing somebody every day, but for obvious reasons, I can’t do that — our funds limit that.”

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Before he became a Christian, Novak said he wanted to research every major religion because “forever is too long to be wrong.” Novak knows now he couldn’t be sharing the Gospel with all these celebrities if he didn’t believe it himself, noting his work has challenged him to pursue “a deeper understanding” of Scripture.

“It’s an accountability, because it doesn’t matter where you are, your life is a witness — whether you’re a thousand miles away from home or a thousand feet from your front door,” he said. “If someone hears you professing that you’re a Christian, your life better back it up.”

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