By Simon Cassar
Our community has seen other groups come together to promote a lifestyle — that is the blessing of living in the USA that has freedom of speech.
However, there is another thought of how one can live their life: Having a true love relationship with the Creator of life itself. That is the hope of the True Love Christian Festival.
This year more than 12 churches are participating to show their love for God and their neighbors. Each church will bring to the gathering their unique styles of how they love God through music, art, ministries and fellowship.
As many pastors have said in the past, you cannot put God in a box; God is amazingly creative and you will see that creativity in the True Love Christian Music and Art Festival.
Two years have passed since the pandemic first pushed many Christians outside the walls of our church buildings. At first, this may have been unsettling, but perhaps this was the very thing needed to shake us up and send us to a world looking more than ever for true love.
The gathering of churches, showing that true perfect love, at the True Love Christian Music and Art Festival will be on Saturday, July 30, at Aptos Village Park. This event has a threefold purpose:
- To unite God’s church physically for one day,
- To reveal God’s creativity in awesome uplifting music for all to see and hear
- To bless our community and show what heaven can be like.
This event will combine Christian music, art, and local nonprofit organizations in an all-day event similar to an art and wine festival, where all is free, and where the church goes to the people, rather than expecting them to come to us.
Participation includes pastors, elders, lay leaders, and musicians from Santa Cruz Bible Church, The Point-A Jesus Community, Coastlands, Green Valley Christian, Vintage Faith, Calvary Chapel Capitola, St. Joseph, Calvary Chapel Aptos, ReGeneration Church, Scotts Valley, Twin Lakes and Watsonville Nazarene.
Last year we had a small taste of what God can do when we deny ourselves, with free services brought by the church, Second Harvest Food Bank, Monte Vista Christian School, Pregnancy Resource Center, Guadalupe Pregnancy Outreach, and Teen Challenge. We gave out 300 free meals, the way Jesus gave out loaves and fishes when he spoke.
The plan is to go bigger this year. In a time of such disunity, and where some of the church has not exactly led by example, we want to set the example of love for our community—as we should.
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For info, see www.TrueLoveChristian.com or email [email protected]