City leaders carry on Rock the River legacy
OTTAWA, ON—Rock the River is returning to Ottawa, but this year's event is not sponsored by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Canada (BGEAC). Inspired by the success of the event last year, local pastors have rallied together to host their own Rock the River outreach.
"The BGEAC came in last year and did a fantastic job," says Michael Price, who is overseeing marketing and promotions for the Ottawa event. "We didn't want it to stop last year, so we came together to do something again with the same vision."
The Rock the River Ottawa team has lined-up Thousand Foot Krutch, Da' T.R.U.T.H., To Tell, The City Harmonic and Prosper & GPM for a massive youth concert September 28, 2013. They also arranged a morning family event featuring performances by Kidz Blitz and Go Fish. All events are free and will include a gospel presentation, giving the crowd and opportunity to make a personal decision to follow Jesus.
Price says Ottawa church leaders were impressed by the magnitude and success of the event last year, where more than 200 people become Christians.
"The pastors in the city saw that and said, 'if we don't do this again, that opportunity will be missed,'" he explains. "This is something we want to see come back year after year."
Frank King, communication manager at the BGEAC says developing partnerships among local churches is a priority during their outreach events.
"We are delighted with this," says King. "We want to see churches take this and run with it. When we do an event, we like to leave a legacy of churches working together."
Price is excited by the unity he sees among Ottawa churches. He says pastors from across the denominations have joined together to organize this event and share the message of God's love.
"To see Baptists, Pentecostals, and Wesleyans coming together is huge," he says. "It is incredible to see the city of Ottawa uniting for one purpose: we want to see God move. It's going to be an epic party and if even one kid [decides to follow Jesus] it was worth the entire event."
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