June 12-14, 2009
Canada’s first Steve Wingfield Festival was officially launched Thursday evening, June 11th when participating churches, local business leaders, and the Steve Wingfield Team gathered at the Strathcona Paper Centre in Napanee, Ontario for the Greater Napanee Summerfest dedication service. Calls of interest had been coming in from both Canada and the U.S. in anticipation of the largest evangelistic outreach the area has seen in years. Many were praying that these three days would be a pivotal turning point in the lives of many who would accept Christ as Lord during the Festival.
Friday evening, after worship leader, Leif Horrell, led in singing, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder came to the platform with great music and a heartfelt testimony from Ricky Skaggs himself. Steve Wingfield presented a message on God’s love and at the end many responded to the invitation.
Saturday was full of activities for children and youth. The day began with two performances by Untitled Skateboards. Hundreds of skateboard enthusiasts and their families surrounded the skate park in Napanee to see the demonstration and many stepped forward to accept Christ for the first time.
Children’s evangelist, Lesha Campbell, and friends spent the week prior to the festival conducting presentations in area schools. On Saturday, the children watched as Lesha and her puppets performed a skit about Christian morals which culminated in many children starting their relationship with Christ. Team Xtreme always brings with them a big, explosive and captivating performance and this time was no exception as one of their newest members is the tallest man in Canada, standing nearly eight feet tall. While hundreds were astonished at their feats of strength, it was their personal testimonies that captured the hearts of many who made a first-time commitment or rededication to the Lord.
John Schmid, a gifted prison evangelist and singer, did presentations in several local correctional facilities during the festival week and saw an eager response when the invitation to accept Christ was given. John also performed at the festival and was very well received. A youth concert was planned for Saturday night with Canadian Christian rock group, Manic Drive. Another first occurred on Sunday afternoon when a Service of Remembrance was held to pay tribute to the fallen Canadian service men and women in the war in Afghanistan. Canadian military officials read the names of the fallen while their pictures were displayed on a screen. M.P., David Sweet, along with Senator Hugh Segal, offered their condolences and prayers to the families. Steve Wingfield brought a brief message of comfort and hope to an audience of over 300.
Completing the festival weekend was a near full house to hear the testimony and hit songs from legend, Pat Boone. Pat’s transparency of how he came to find his faith in God and his sharing of the recent tragic loss of the son of a friend made the evening very special for all who came. When Steve Wingfield presented his message entitled, “The Banquet,” many responded without hesitation. There was evidence through the weekend of the moving of the Spirit of God in people’s lives. There were those who traveled hundreds of miles just to come and pray over the weekend’s activities, while others who couldn’t attend prayed from home. The number of those who made first-time commitments or rededicated their lives were in the hundreds. The churches who were drawn together in ministry and discipleship through the Sharing Your Faith courses are now beginning to assist in the growth and development of these new believers. It was an awesome experience to see God move in so many different hearts and give us a taste of what we can anticipate in the future.
