Thousands Arrive On Square For Christian Concert
Thousands of people converged on the square in downtown Oskaloosa for a Christian music concert. The concert featured local artists as well as national recording artists.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Thousands of people arrived on the square Saturday evening to hear some of the best local and national Christian music performers around.
Wyndell Campbell is one of those who performed Saturday night, “I think it was a great testament to our community and the foundation of faith within Mahaska County. The day was a representation of the religious freedoms that we all hold dear, and the ability to hold a gathering of that size, at no cost shows the ability of God’s people to come together and impact the world.”
“We are truly blessed to have churches like Central Reformed that can coordinate and raise funds for a gathering of this magnitude. As an individual performer, I was humbled and excited to be asked to open for national acts like Ryan and Tim. Very few times is there an opportunity for a musician like myself to plug in and play with a professional sound setup and crew,” said Campbell.
“I am very thankful that Central asked me to be a part of yesterday. The fact that they allow local talent to play helps keep the local connection to the worship element of modern Christian artist concerts,” added Campbell in closing.
With such a large crowd and so many moving pieces coming together, Malea Trainer, coordinator for the event, said that things “have gone smoothly today. We had a huge group show up at nine o’clock ready to work. Within an hour, hour and a half, we had things ready to roll.”
No one complained about the sprinkles that fell, “it’s what we’ve all been praying for,” added Trainer.
“Leading up to this has been a huge team effort,” said Trainer. “We had team members that were involved early on in our committee and our planning process that have since left us and moved to other communities or even other countries, but they played a huge part in really making this happen today.”
Trainer believes that Saturday’s turnout was the largest so far, with estimates for attendance going above 3000 people. “That’s God’s work.”
“We really appreciate everyone’s support. This isn’t just a Central Reformed thing, it isn’t just A [one] church, this is a community and people coming out to feel God’s love,” said Trainer.
Central Reformed Church is one of the presenting sponsors for the event, but other’s played a big role in making the day happen. Trainer thanked Jennifer and Chad Main, Steve and Jan Boender, Van Maanen Seed and Chemical, and Modern Floor Covering, all were big donors in helping make the evening possible.
Other churches helped out by donating funds and providing volunteers for the many different needs such an event requires.
Malea Trainer said, “What a community effort this is, and it’s so awesome that we can have the freedom to worship, and that Oskaloosa supports an event like this year after year. Hopefully, we can continue in the years to come.”
