NEWS PROVIDED BY
Luis Palau Association
Aug. 26, 2021

HERMISTON, Ore., Aug. 26, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- Thousands are expected to gather for the Luis Palau Association's upcoming festival in Hermiston, Oregon this Saturday, August 28 at 3:30 p.m. The free, family-fun festival is focused on serving Umatilla and Morrow Counties and sharing a clear message of hope with the entire region. "Hermiston has never before experienced a festival of this scale," says the local organizing committee co-chairs, Mary Corp and Phil Hamm. "Given the recent challenges facing families and communities across the region, we believe there is a great need for people to find and feel hope even in their heartaches and hurts," says Chris Hankel, pastor of New Hope Community Church in Hermiston and CityFest Pastoral Committee Co-Chair. "There is no better time than now for people from all different backgrounds to join together for fun and fellowship," according to Hankel.

In the months leading up to the festival, the churches have come together to serve the community through service projects and outreaches with the 'I Love My City' team that has been serving the community for years. In addition to the service effort, multiple outreach events, strategically designed to share the love of Jesus with key groups of people in the community, will be held for business and civic leaders, women, youth, prisoners, and more. All this effort will culminate in a one-day festival at Butte Park on August 28.

Greater Hermiston CityFest with Andrew Palau is being produced by the Portland-based Luis Palau Association in partnership with nearly 60 area churches and contributions from local businesses, foundations, and individuals. The culminating festival will feature contemporary Christian music artists including Danny Gokey, We Are Messengers, George Moss, and Marisol Park. Global evangelist Andrew Palau will share his story of hope during the one-day event as well.

"It's been two years of praying, meeting, and coming before the Lord. What started out as a small number of people has grown exponentially over these past two years," said Andrew Palau, "and we're all feeling the sense that the time is right for us to be gathering together in this kind of way. All of us at the Luis Palau Association are so grateful to have been invited to come alongside the people and churches in Hermiston to commit to sharing the Good News and bringing hope to many."

Andrew's story is detailed in his book, "The Secret Life of a Fool: One Man's Journey from Shame to Grace."

With recent mandates from local government in regard to COVID-19, the Palau Association is implementing measures for the safety of all who attend. This includes handing out masks at the entrance to the festival, having sanitation stations and social distancing markers throughout the festival grounds, and incorporating mask and social distancing messaging from the main stage. For more information on the event at Butte Park, visit www.CityFest.org.

ABOUT THE LUIS PALAU ASSOCIATION
For more than 60 years the Luis Palau Association has existed to proclaim the Good News, unite the Church, and impact cities worldwide. In addition to citywide evangelistic festivals and an ever-growing global network of evangelists, the team also uses a far-reaching media ministry including online Bible training and daily radio shows on 5,539 radio outlets in 59 countries and a social media community of nearly 20 million followers hearing daily Gospel messages and encouragement. The Palau Association has had the opportunity to work with thousands of churches in hundreds of cities around the world, including nine top global cities: London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Chicago, Moscow, Madrid, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, and Washington D.C. They also have strong international experience with extensive ethnic and cultural understanding.

ABOUT ANDREW PALAU
For nearly 25 years Andrew Palau has played a key role in the ministry of the Luis Palau Association. He has been instrumental in building the LPA model for citywide outreach as an evangelist, director, and key team leader. He has guided campaigns, led church relations efforts, trained thousands, and proclaimed the Good News of Jesus Christ in person to hundreds of thousands of individuals in cities throughout Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, the Caribbean, and the United States of America.

SOURCE Luis Palau Association

CONTACT: Jay Fordice, jay.fordice@palau.org