Winnipeg Free Press July 22, 2006 John Longhurst Christian youth from across southern Manitoba will "rock the city" Aug. 7 when the Christian rock group Third Day comes to Winnipeg for the first time.
"They're a Christian rock powerhouse," says Terry Van Veen, program director at CHVN, Winnipeg's Christian music radio station. "They're definitely top-notch in terms of Christian music, and have a heart for the message of the Gospel."
For Mandy Nuckols, a Grade 9 student at Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute, the concert at the MTS Centre is a must-see event. "I'm really excited," she says. "I have all their CDs. I really like their music -- they glorify someone worth glorifying."
Tickets for the concert are $10 and are available at Hull's, Blessings and Fellowship bookstores, or by calling the festival office at 697-4188.
The concert is just one of a number of special events being planned by the Franklin Graham Central Canada Festival, which occurs Oct. 20-22, 2006, at the MTS Centre. In addition to choir rehearsals and training for ushers, there will be a Christian Life and Witness Course from Aug. 28 to Sept. 30. The purpose of the course, which participants attend one night a week for five weeks at various locations around the city, is to prepare counsellors for the festival. But, says festival director Dan Klug, "you don't have to be a counsellor to attend. The goal is to give the Christian community a chance to experience renewal as it becomes effective in sharing faith with others."
For Winston Smith, who chairs the festival's local organizing committee, one of the most important aspects of the event are the monthly prayer gatherings. "Prayer is vital to the success of the event," he says, noting that about 800 to 1,000 people are praying regularly for the festival.
Smith says that everyone is welcome to be part of the monthly prayer gatherings; one takes place today at 10 a.m. at the New Hope Community Church, 214 Henderson Hwy., with the others scheduled for Aug. 26 at the Bridge Church and Sept. 23 at Calvary Temple.
In addition to the monthly prayer gatherings, festival supporters will be invited to "Pray the Perimeter" on Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. to noon; after gathering at Eastview Community Church, 3500 DeVries Ave., participants will board buses and pray for the city as they drive around the Perimeter Highway. On Oct. 15, youth will be invited to "Circle the Centre" from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., also to pray for the festival.
According to Smith, organizers are pleased with how things are going in terms of planning for the event, which is expected to attract 50,000 people from across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, northwestern Ontario and the U.S. "Everything is on track, and the volunteer base is growing," he says, adding that donations are coming in towards the event's $1.4 million budget and that over 200 churches from 40 denominations have indicated their support for the festival.