Dr. Michael Guido, world-renowned evangelist whose ministry is based in Metter, passed away Saturday evening. He was 94.
       Funeral services will be held Sunday, March 1. The services will be held at 3 p.m. at Guido Gardens on Hwy. 121 in Metter, said Ellis Wood, president of the Guido Evangelistical Association Board of Directors.
       A public viewing will be held Saturday, Feb. 28, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Hamstra Worship Center at Guido Gardens, he said.
Burial" will be private, at a later date," Wood said.
       The funeral and visitation will be held this weekend to enable friends and others who wish to attend time to plan for the occasion, he said. Guido is survived by his wife, Audrey, and his brother Dr. Larry Guido. Funeral services have not been announced. Guido, known for his "Seeds from the Sower" inspirationals, was hospitalized again earlier this month after a battle with exhaustion, pneumonia and other illnesses that forced him into the hospital in January. Guido's health experienced a downturn in early January after he overexerted himself during the annual Christmas Lights display held during December at Guido Gardens, staff members said.
       For the past half century, Guido has preached the gospel of Jesus Christ from his Guido Gardens and Evangelistic Studios in Metter. Guido's "Seed From the Sower" is aired on more than 4,100 radio stations around the world. He also appears on 65 television stations and his column appears in 1,300 newspapers, including the Statesboro Herald.
       Speaking at the National Day of Prayer gathering in front of the Bulloch County Courthouse in 2008, Guido said God wants us to pray to Him about everything.
       "Before the work, the worship. Before the serving, the supplication," he said. "You and I shouldn't begin anything without God, but begin everything with Him."
      "It seems so unreal," he said in 2007. "It doesn't seem possible it has been this long. It seems like it all started yesterday, and it gets better with every day. It is so exciting."