The 30th annual Creation Northeast Festival was
held from June 25th – 29th at the Agape Farm in Mt. Union, PA. It is the
nation’s largest Christian festival, with over 70,000 attending. A group
of 22 went from our church, and we camped with a group from the Cape
Island Baptist Church, making a total of 47. We gathered around 6:30
a.m. on Wednesday and made the 200 mile drive. We were pleasantly
surprised when we got there, as there was no line this year to enter the
grounds. So we got to our camp site around 1:00 and had lunch. The group
from Cape May had come up the day before, so we joined them in setting
up our camp – two RVs, two pop-up campers, two showers, about 10 tents,
shade tents, tables and chairs. Our site was flat (a real plus when
setting up tents and RVs) and very close to the main stage area!
The days and evenings were spent attending concerts, worship programs
and seminars, as well as playing games together and lots of talking.
About 45 top Christian bands came and went – including Newsboys,
Skillet, Tenth Avenue North, Chris Tomlin and special guest Amy Grant.
Speakers included Reggie Dabbs and Bob Lenz. We had arranged several
weeks earlier to help out GloryLane, a web company working to build up a
“Christian MySpace.” In exchange, they shared backstage passes with us
each day. It was one of the highlights this year to go backstage during
the concerts.
Other highlights included a fireworks show, communion and a candlelight
service. We had plenty of “free time” to cook meals, clean up, and play
games. We brought plenty of food and water, although there was a lot you
could buy there too (including fried oreos, pizza, lemonade, music and
t-shirts).
The weather was warm but pretty comfortable. We had several early
morning rain showers (which only increased the humidity), one afternoon
downpour (leading to lots of muddy shoes), and one evening thunderstorm.
But all in all, everyone had a great time!
“I always enjoy the uplifting spiritual experiences at Creation. I’m
glad I could come.” –AJ Reuter
“I always need a nice refresher like Creation!” –Reilly Luttenberger
“The backstage experience was awesome! Even though there were rules to
follow and people blocked my view, it was great!” –Kirstyn Heller
“Watching the bands from backstage was great. It was amazing to be that
close to them. The other great thing for me was that I won an I-pod!”
–Matt Cade
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be backstage, and I’m glad I
got the chance! The whole experience was great!” –Allison Zanow
“Moshing and going backstage were the best parts of the week. I’m glad I
could go again this year.” –Tim Herman
“I liked Skillet and Flyleaf the best. The good bands were all first.”
–Jackie Stauffer
“The Candlelight Service with 70,000 people was amazing.” –Willie Reuter
“I learned to forgive easier. God will forgive us on everything we do; I
want to do the same.”
–Hannah Farrow
“Once I can forgive someone, God can forgive me.” –Tori Giaquinto
“I learned the Great doesn’t start with a G, but with an H for
humility.” -Kaitlyn Farrow
“What I didn’t like was the rain.” –Adam Diekewicz
“It would be nice to have warmer spigot water and shorter shower lines…”
–Zack Wyatt
“I’d like to have no rain and cooler weather, hot showers and flushing
toilets. I’m not picky!” –Morgan Luttenberger
“Because the youth group doesn’t regularly meet in the summer, I enjoyed
just hanging out with everyone.” –Sarah Herman
“I really enjoyed hearing Chris Tomlin. I was also happy to see Tenth
Avenue North on the Creation stage; we’ve known them a long time.”
–Karen Luttenberger
“I felt challenged to read the Bible more often and to get involved in a
study group. I also felt reassured that with my up-coming career change
(I’m retiring from teaching) everything will be okay. God will put
plenty of things before me to do.” –Nan LaCorte
“Prayer and Bible study is a need for everyone, and something I need to
do more often.” –Anita Collings
“I liked the bands, the experience, the kids – all of it! I’m sorry that
more people from RUMC were not able to come. Everyone should experience
this at least once!” –Lyn Zanow
“True happiness and contentment don’t come from the more you have and
the harder you work. Only God can bring them.” –Jeff Zanow
“I enjoy watching the kids interact with each other, and am glad they
get involved in the contemporary Christian music scene.” –Steve Herman
“I’m glad that everyone who goes to Creation has a great time. It’s
always a lot of work to get there, but I never hear anyone complain. The
experience is amazing.” –Mildred Herman
