This past Friday, FLOOD 2013 hit the Civic Auditorium for an absolutely FREE youth event. An estimated 1,800 people attended FLOOD, which was sponsored by many of the churches of La Porte.The evening included live performances from three Christian bands.
The first band to perform, Everfound, was a rock band based in Denver, Colorado, that consisted of 4 Russian brothers (Ruslan, Nikita, Yan, and Illarion Odnoralov), whose family moved to Colorado in 1996 as political refugees from Russia. Since their formation, they have independently released three EPs and one full length independent album.
The second featured Deshon Bullock, better known by his stage name Shonlock, who is a Christian Urban Rock/Hip Hop artist from Atlanta, GA. The headliner band was Rapture Ruckus, a Christian Hip Hop/Rock Band who joined us again this year from Wellington, New Zealand.
With the weather turning bad and forcing La Porte's Trick or Treat to be moved to Friday night, FLOOD hosted a “Trunk or Treat” alternative for students who didn’t want to miss out on the candy but also wanted to attend FLOOD. As the youth arrived, they were able to walk through the parking lot and receive candy before heading into the Civic for the action.
FLOOD 2013 featured a drama, written by Gina Johnson of Crossroads Community Church, that portrayed the struggles youth have in life, and an incredible worship band made up of young people from six different churches throughout the area.
Youth pastors Ken & Heidi Grace of La Porte Assembly, Joe & Keri Hutchinson of First Church of God, Aaron & Toni Jongkind of Bethel Chapel, and David & Faith Foelber of The River, hosted the evening, with all sorts of fun including stage diving, a giant game of “Rock, paper, scissors,” and giveaways that included one iPad, some gift cards, and a free bagged dinner for everyone in the building. MANY other youth pastors and pastors from many local churches helped to make FLOOD an incredible night.
Special guest speaker, Robert Madu addressed the crowd and challenged them to put their faith in Jesus Christ in the midst of their struggles. The main theme of his message was that it is easy to leave your past, but the real challenge is to get your past out of you so that you don't ever go back to what you were. Area pastors and lay people were available to counsel and pray with interested students. Pastor Mike Sutton of Liberty Bible Church told students that this city is full of people that love youth and encouraged them to connect with a local church.
FLOOD 2013 wishes to thank the hundreds of volunteers who gave of their time, effort and funds to make this event a reality. We hope that every teenager and adult knows that they are loved by God and many people from many churches throughout this city. FLOOD was a great example of people coming together to give of themselves and allow that love to be displayed. If you want to know more about FLOOD, contact Pastor Ken Grace at 219-851-2785 or go to www.facebook.com/floodevent