Hundreds gear Salem up for big festival this September

By RICHARD KOE

      SALEM – Some 700 people joined together in the new downtown Salem Conference Center banquet hall on June 21 as the people behind the 2007 Salem RiverFest sought to raise $100,000 to bring a historic, life-changing event to the area Sept. 22-23 with evangelist Reid Saunders.
      Ron Post, founder of both Northwest Medical Teams — now Medical Teams International — and Missions Increase, guided attendees from businesses, organizations, and churches in filling out pledge cards to help reach the area with “Great Music, Good News, and Family Fun” this fall at Salem Riverfront Park.
      Donors could give a current gift ranging from $500 to $5,000 or make a faith promise, in dependence upon God, of similar amounts, to be given by next Sept. 10. Partnerships for prayer, volunteers, and counselors were also available, along with corporate sponsorships ranging from $2,500 to $25,000.
      The two-hour action-packed banquet included a full lineup of speakers, music, videos, and even a brief presentation on C. S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by director Lori Hammer and the Narnia cast members.
      Saunders shared his goal of “All for Jesus!” with the huge audience and his desire to help his community and the world to connect with their Creator. Saunders has ministered to nearly 140,000 people, with more than 21,000 making decisions for Christ.
      He began his own ministry, Reid Saunders Association, after serving an internship with the Luis Palau Evangelistic Associa-tion. RSA, based in Salem, is now primarily focused on partnering with local churches and organizations to bring RiverFest to the community next fall.
      Other speakers included Dave Johnson, Olympic bronze medalist in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games; Andrew Palau, international evangelist who has worked many of his father’s festivals; Gladys Blum, who will head the Narnia Kids Block Party at RiverFest; and Dick and Gayle Withnell, honorary event chairs.
      Johnson, who competed on a broken foot at the Barcelona Olympics, said RiverFest will be amazing and exciting for kids in the area, making a huge difference in their lives. There will be extreme sports shows, testimonies about Jesus by the athletes, and just a great time, he said.
      Palau said he’s “fired up” at what’s happening in Salem and how God is putting together RiverFest in an amazing way with the help of 100 churches in the region. He brought greetings from his parents, Luis and Pat, with the
passage in Psalms about “how good and pleasant when brethren dwell in unity.”
      Post told the audience that the phrase from the book of Esther, “For such a time as this,” had been mentioned by speakers all evening. and he’s excited that it’s finally happening in Salem. But it will take the body of Christ to come and work together, to sacrifice their time and money, to make it happen, he said.
      Preparation for Salem RiverFest began early in 2005 with Saunders approaching pastors and community and business leaders to jointly create an event where the Good News could be proclaimed publicly in a safe environment.
      Informational meetings were held at nearby Corban College, and an executive team was formed. On Feb. 28, 2006 at Salem First Baptist Church, Saunders and his associates accepted an invitation from more than 60 pastors, civic and business leaders to lead the festival and to pray for an abundant harvest.
      For more about Salem RiverFest with Reid Saunders, phone 503-581-7394, write to info@salemriverfest.com or visit www.salemriverfest.com