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By Bobbi-Sue Menard
SEVERAL churches in Kelowna hosted the week-long
MissionsNow 2008 initiative.
The stated purpose of the April 27 – May 2
collection of events was to explore “‘being church’
rather than ‘doing church.’”
The schedule included speakers David Nasser, Bonnie
Irvine, Angelina Atyam, Greg Paul, Jaime McIntosh and Tony Campolo.
Music was a major component, and artists included Starfield, Shane
and Shane, Bethany Dillon, Corey Doak and Jon Buller.
Under the auspices of Willow Park Church, Trinity
Baptist Church, Evangel Church, Kelowna Gospel Fellowship and Garden Valley
Church the celebratory and introspective week was the product of countless
volunteer hours.
Two of the largest events of the week were the kick-off
concert held at Trinity Baptist April 27, and the closing Missions
Marketplace, May 2 at Evangel.
The week included several smaller events, including a
Senior’s Tea held at Willow Park Church on the Tuesday, a Youth Rally
also at Willow Park on the Wednesday, and an International Justice Dessert
Evening on the Thursday.
The kick-off event at Trinity Baptist was organized by
volunteer Joanne Hendricks.
More than 60 volunteers were on hand to help the
evening run smoothly, working with parking, security and usher duties.
The heavily attended event drew a crowd of just over 2,200 people
– who came to hear speaker David Nasser, and listen to the music of
Starfield, Shane and Shane, and Bethany Dillon. “It was a sold-out,
free event,” says Hendricks.
The kick-off drew a wide mix of attendees, from youth
to families to seniors.
At one point, the large auditorium at Trinity Baptist
needed to be closed to newcomers – as the event was at capacity.
“We had to wait until some people left after
David Nasser was done speaking before we could allow others in for the
concert,” explained Hendricks.
The evening’s schedule spontaneously expanded, as
musicians took to the stage and David Nasser spoke.
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“What we heard from people who attended was that
the message David Nasser gave was right on the money,” said
Hendricks.
The exuberant music of the opening acts – Dillon,
and Shane and Shane – was welcomed by the younger people in
attendance.
“A lot of the seniors came just to hear David
Nasser speak. With the music, the seniors were supporting the youth,”
said Hendricks.
When Starfield took the stage for their full set, the
younger crowd was very enthusiastic. Much to the delight of many
concert-goers, the evening went an hour and a half longer than expected,
eventually letting out at 10:30 pm.
Closing out the week was the MissionsNow 2008
Marketplace at Evangel Church.
The Marketplace was held before and after the keynote
speech by Tony Campolo, and the closing rally on the Friday evening.
Featuring booths hosting local and global missions and ministries, the
Marketplace was organized by volunteer Eva Wiebe.
The Marketplace is not a new event to MissionsNow;
however, this was the first time it took on such a prominent place during
the week.
The booths were positioned so rally attendees would
walk among the displays to attend the talk given by Campolo.
“People who came early were really able to see
everything that was on display,” said Wiebe. “We were really
pleased at how many people stopped and talked, and looked at
everything.”
The Marketplace was near capacity, with 28
exhibitors, and included organizations as varied as Kelowna’s
Gospel Mission and Wycliffe Bible Translators.
“It went really well. The mix of displays
was fantastic. The most we could have fit in was 30 groups – so for
next year, we know what we are looking to have happen,” said Wiebe.
The main goal was to maintain the quality of the
booths, and completely maximize the experience of everyone who attended not
only the Marketplace and MissionsNow rally, but the entire week of events.
The outstanding results from this year have Wiebe
eagerly anticipating upcoming years as MissionsNow moves forward.
“We are already starting to plan for next year.
It is baby steps, as MissionsNow moves to a city-wide event.”
June 2008
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