Cover Story by Shawn McAniff "Listen to what Jesus Christ says," Dr. Luis Palau proclaimed.

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Cover Stories | Send mail to The Voice Portland Festival gives participants second chance to celebrate Braving rain clouds, 55,000 pack Waterfront Park as Dr. Luis Palau, a Multnomah Biblical Seminary alumnus, proclaims the Good News on the first night of Portland Festival 2000. -Lundberg Visual Communication, Photo. "Listen to what Jesus Christ says," Dr. Luis Palau proclaimed to the record-breaking crowds flooding Portland's Tom McCall Waterfront park for Portland Festival 2000. Wearing a gray shirt, black vest and tan pants, the silver-haired evangelist gestured with his a worn Bible in one hand and a microphone in the other. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock," Dr. Palau said, quoting Revelation 3:20. "If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." Dr. Palau explained Jesus' invitation, and led the audience in a prayer of repentance and confession. He then asked all who had made a first-time decision to follow Jesus Christ or had rededicated their lives to Christ to go to a designated counseling area. Scores left their blankets and lawn chairs and sought out trained counselors in the designated areas. Counselors prayed with many and handed out "Going Forward with Jesus Christ" booklets. According to the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association's latest count, 1,500 people made first- or second- time decisions to follow Jesus Christ. And countless lives were changed. Dr. Palau, a Multnomah Biblical Seminary alumnus, said that after last year's first Portland Festival, he wanted to give Portland a second chance to hear the Gospel. For Travis Lacey, 28, who attends Tremont Evangelical Church in Southeast Portland, the festival was a chance to share the love and joy he had received at Portland Festival' 99. Prior to Festival' 99, Lacey had marital problems. When Lacey's wife began attending church, the effect church had on her intrigued him. Lacey, who had no previous church experience, said he went to see what made his wife come home so happy. "I went [and] saw a love that I had never seen before; it just blew me away," he said. Lacey started to attend church and read the Gospels because of that love. "I started believing in God," Lacey said. "I knew there was a higher power but didn't have it put together." Lacey's marriage continued to deteriorate. Even though the couple had gotten back together after separating, Lacey knew his marriage was headed toward divorce. Lacey and his wife attended the first night of Portland Festival 1999 looking for answers. Their sons' behavior, however, distracted them. They returned the second night Festival without the boys and heard the message. "It was at that moment," Lacey said, "that I knew in my heart that he was going to save our marriage." Lacey and his wife met with a Christian counselor and by November, they were reconciled. "We are so much more happy now," Lacey said. "We're living God's life as best we can. And it is because of God that I am still married to my wife. And now I have joy. I get to live with Jesus forever." Lacey and his wife attended this year's festival hoping to share the Gospel with someone else. On the first night, Lacey counseled two boys, one 16, the other 10. Both accepted Christ. Saturday night, Lacey helped a 13-year-old boy rededicate his life to Jesus Christ. "I think it's exciting that Portland is willing to give up their park blocks so that people can come to know the Lord," Steve Tabor, of Tigard, Ore., said. Tabor attends Cedar Mill Bible Church in Beaverton. "The purpose, really, is to help people understand the joys that are behind the Christian life." Police estimated 140,000 attended the "Great Music, Good News" celebration. On Friday, August 18, 55,000 attended, followed by 85,000 on Saturday, making the festival the biggest event ever in the park's history. Festivities kicked off at 3:30 p.m. with a professional skate board exhibition. Professional skaters Lance Mountain, Jamie Thomas and Portland's own Matt Beach dazzled spectators as they performed tricks off of huge ramps built by Central Bible's Skate Church in northeast Portland. The swelling crowds milled throughout the park, enjoying Thriftway's food stands while top Christian artists and The Luis Palau Praise Band performed. Steven Curtis Chapman, Jaci Velasquez, Witnley Phipps, and Ginny Owens sang on Friday. On Saturday artists included Kirk Franklin, Sixpence None the Richer, Skillet, and relient K. Children enjoyed the festivities in the children's area near the Salmon Springs Fountain. The area contained inflatable bouncers, a petting zoo, face painting, miniature golf and the VeggieTale's Bob and Larry. Professional illusionist Eric Reamer also performed using illusions as visual object lessons to help the audience understand the gospel. During one of Reamer's 15-minute shows, he had a volunteer wear a small paper hat representing sin. Then Reamer slowly unfolded the hat until the hat turned into a large bag that fit over the volunteer's head. Like the hat, Reamer said, sin starts out small. If sin is not dealt with, however, it will grow until it overwhelms you. Pastor Darren Billings of Praise Chapel in southeast Portland attributed the festival's successful to its casual comfortable, environment. "People are able to walk in," Billings said. "They're able to walk out. There's nothing pressuring anybody when they make a decision for Christ. It's God drawing them." "It's been a positive festival and everybody was seeking God," said Pastor Dan Sutton of Tremont Evangelical Church. "All the people I talked to were really excited about making a decision for Christ and moving ahead with God," Pastor Sutton said. "They knew they were lost, they knew they had problems and they knew only God could help them." Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Cover Stories | Top Of Page Send mail to The Voice| Journalism department website © 2000 The Voice. No part of this publication may be reproduced in written or electronic form without prior written consent from the journalism adviser of Multnomah Bible College. All rights reserved.