America DC Festival with Luis Palau Draws 50,000 on Final Day

WASHINGTON, USA - The skies lightened up for the second and final day of DC Festival with Luis Palau, drawing a crowd five times the size of the previous night.

|PIC1|From 1:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, the Luis Palau team put on a full schedule of programs and activities for children, youth and families. While the rains kept attendant numbers at 10,000 Saturday, around 50,000 people left their umbrellas at home and stepped out onto the National Mall yesterday.

With two years of planning and US$3.4 million in sponsorships, DC Festival kept attendants on their toes in extreme sports, family entertainment, dynamic music and the message of Jesus Christ.

Wheels were rolling as the Living It Sports Tour awed the crowd with skate and BMX demos presented on the skatepark and vert ramp - a special feature requested by Luis Palau for DC Festival.

Children lined up for sports, face painting and photos with VeggieTales superstars Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber while youth and adults gathered around the main stage for hours of Christian music.

Sunday's featured artists included Yuri, CeCe Winans, Tye Tribbett & GA and Steven Curtis Chapman.

"This feels a little bit like heaven," said Palau at the start of his message. "There's everybody here."

|TOP|Palau pointed out the diversity of the people gathered across several blocks on the Mall and the thousands across the nation listening and watching through live broadcasts via radio and internet.

"You may be Hispanic or you may be Anglo; you may be from America or you may be from Asia. It makes no difference," he said. "You may be Catholic; you may be Protestant; you may be an atheist ... in God's eyes ... we are one race under God."

Driving in the message of sexual purity and the power of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of Christ, Palau received positive responses of cheers and "amens" throughout the his nearly hour-long sermon.

Counsellors stood by as 1,560 people invited Christ into their lives, bringing the festival total to more than 3,000.

"You'll never forget October 9, 2005," said Palau. "Every time you see the National Mall, every time you see that [Capitol] building back there, every time you see the national monument, you'll say 'I met God on the National Mall.'"

Already having reached 20 million people in 70 nations, Palau dreamed of coming to the nation's capital for 40 years.

With the partnership of 899 churches, the DC Festival was one of the most comprehensive campaigns launched by the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association. As part of the DC Festival plans, over 800 volunteers took part in Operation Compassion, a community outreach project through which hundreds accepted Christ.





Lillian Kwon
Christian Today Correspondent