Cover Story by Rikki Porter The artists' humility, not their concerts, impressed me most.

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Cover Stories | Send mail to The Voice Creation 2000 draws record attendance and excited youth Rebecca St. James performs on Friday night, July 28. The sweet smell of mint, the pungent aroma of rotting hay and the roar of 33 middle school youth and leaders mingled as the school bus drove from the Grove Amphitheater. Within 48 hours, I had seen Rebecca St. James, Caedmon's Call, and Michael W. Smith. I had stood within five feet of Switchfoot, Newsboys and Audio Adrenaline while at Creation 2000. More than 25,000 people attended the Creation West Festival in July, the highest attendance in the event's three-year history, emcee Mark Warfel said. My church, New Vision Fellowship, chose Creation 2000 as its summer camp so our youth, ages 12 to 14, could worship with other believers their age and could experience Christian music. Many of them realized during Creation 2000 that Christian music was more than Sunday morning choruses and hymns. One of my girls, an 'N Sync fan, turned to me during Michael W. Smith's concert and said, "I have never heard anyone sing this well before." The kids' favorite concerts were Audio Adrenaline, the first Christian concert for many of them, Switchfoot and Newsboys. The artists' humility, not their concerts, impressed me most. They gave praise they received back to God. The artists' humility, not their concerts, impressed me most. All praise the artists received they gave back to God. "When I write songs," Rebecca St. James said in a press conference, "I just say 'God, show me what you want to say. I'm available to you; speak through me.'" "I will take this seriously," Smith said before his concert. "I have a mission. I'm not up here to exalt myself." Switchfoot asked those attending their press conference to pray for their health because they still had many stops on their tour after Creation 2000. My youth group fought its way to the front of the crowd in the mosh pit for Switchfoot's concert on Friday afternoon. More than 500 people in the pit jumped, sang, and praised God, during the band's 50-minute set. As a college journalist, I had a press pass that allowed me into the Press Tent, an area that provided shade and a water cooler. At any given time, at least two or three members of the media covering Creation 2000 chatted in the tent about their organization, the artists, or the heat. Shawnda Tharps, a media coordinator for the event, told a photographer and me that the temperature that day was supposed to reach 110 degrees. The next day, Saturday, was supposed to be 115, she said. Speakers at Creation 2000 included Greg Laurie, Stacy Foster, Joshua Harris, Blackie Blackwell, and Pat Mesiti. Each speaker gave the audience an invitation to become a Christian. "If you're not sure you're a Christian, you're probably not," Mesiti, the last speaker, said. More than 900 people responded to the speakers' invitations by either committing their life to Christ for the first time or making a recommitment. As the new converts streamed into the Prayer Tent, VegieTale's Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber visited the audience. After the vegetable superstars, Bebo Norman, and then Caedmon's call performed. The air was thick with anticipation during their sets--the Newsboys were performing soon. The Newsboys concert ended with an encore: "Love Liberty Disco" and "Not Ashamed." Lead singer John James led the audience in prayer and then in singing "Hallelujah." As the last notes echoed through the gorge, we packed up our things and headed toward the exit. The youth were disappointed to hear that the Newsboys' concert was the last one of the festival. Whenever we stopped to regroup, we always smiled and said good night to the friends who rock 'n' rolled beside us that weekend. "It is always amazing how quickly community develops at Creation," the Creation 2000 program guide read. "It is amazing how many people of differing ages, backgrounds and denominational distinctives can come together under our common confession that 'Jesus Christ is Lord.' It's a little taste of heaven." . 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.