By Kevin Fatkin

• Creation Fest 2007:  July 25 – 28; George, Washington.

LAST YEAR, I was the ‘newbie’ – the one who, for the first time, had to brave six-hour line-ups in a sun-parched field to get processed into the camp site. The one who for the first time experienced the overheated hunny-buckets (port-a-potties).  

Now it was time for others to experience the first-time shocks of semi-trailer showers; brushing their teeth at a portable sink with eight people at a time; and sleeping on the ground.

But this is where any hint of hardship or complaining ends. Now it  was someone else’s turn to experience for the first time the sheer majesty of the Gorge Amphitheatre;  to walk up over the ridge and see that breathtaking view: the Columbia River, flowing through the gorge lined with reddish cliffs.

The bowl of the amphitheatre is massive; at the base stands one of the largest outdoor stages (and mosh pits) you’ll ever see. It makes you forget the port-a-potties. And at night, when the lights go out: those stars! Amazingly bright and numberless. We were constantly entertained with shooting stars as well.

A large number of my 115 companions were now the newbies. My youth group consisted largely of people from North Langley Community and Pacific Rim churches. I anticipated that moment when they would see the spectacle before them. They were not disappointed; I enjoyed their reactions as much as they enjoyed seeing it for the first time.

We were blessed by artists such as Jars of Clay, Skillet, Chris Tomlin, Switchfoot, Pocket Full of Rocks, Starfield, Thousand Foot Krutch, David Crowder Band and Toby Mac. Worship was led by Aylesha, Leeland and Phil Wickham; daily messages were given by David Burke, Justin Lookado, Ron Luce,  Jeremy Kingsley and Bob Lenz.

The amenities were pretty basic: the hunny-buckets; a piece of ground for sleeping on; rudimentary showers; water pumped in for drinking and cooking. The temperature was usually100 – 105 degrees fahrenheit (sounds so much hotter than celsius, doesn’t it?)

It was a fantastic sight, as the sun set and the stage lights became more pronounced. One night, the moon was so bright behind us that it cast shadows. One of our group was still up at 1 am, writing in his journal – it was that bright!

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I asked a number of my newbies what they would remember. Some cited the scenery; others noted their favourite bands; still others loved the worshipful quality of the music. One said: “We worshipped as a family.”

Several mentioned the (in)famous pillow fight which occurred Friday night between the Canadians and Americans. Without any warning, people started gathering their pillows and heading to a large open field. It was quite a sight to see one of our group proudly carrying a Canadian flag, followed by several hundred more carrying WFD (Weapons of Featherlight Destruction).

It was a lot of fun – but also a time for spiritual growth. I asked some of the teens in our group what they would take with them spiritually.

Here are some of their insights:

I learned to let go and let God be in control . . . Creation was about building the relationship between you and God  . . . I learned it is fun to worship – dance and sing – when you let go . . . I learned about relationships, dating and much that I can take with me        . . . I learned I make too many excuses. I need to make God my centre. I need to trust him . . . I have learned so much from these speakers. They knew how to get and keep my attention, so I was learning how to strengthen my walk with God. I haven’t felt so close to him for a long time. It felt so cool . . . I learned a new way to remember spelling FAMILY: Forget About Me, I Love You . . . If you have the relationship with God right, then other relationships will also be right . . . You need to depend on God for fulfillment – not on others, or your job, or things. They will let you down and disappoint you, but God will never let you down.

After five days of travelling and the Festival, we were all tired, sunburned,  suffering from sore ears, tired of the hunny-buckets and showers. But we left with incredible memories and powerful spiritual challenges. Both years, I have questioned my sanity as I agreed to go the Fest; but both years I have come home renewed – and waiting until the next year.

The theme was A Tribute to Our Creator. It is hard not to give him tribute, with all that makes up Creation Fest. Trust me: in that setting, more than 25,000 of God’s children were saying: “Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name.”

September 2007