HERMISTON, OR – Over sixty churches, in partnership with the Luis Palau Association, came together to share the Gospel on August 28 through Greater Hermiston CityFest with Andrew Palau. This massive outreach, which included multiple gatherings throughout the region, reached more than 6,200 people with a powerful message of hope in Jesus and resulted in hundreds of indicated decisions for Christ.

Greater Hermiston CityFest with Andrew Palau brought together thousands of Christians from throughout Umatilla and Morrow counties in Eastern Oregon. The campaign, led by evangelist Andrew Palau, featured outreaches to every sector of society — all featuring clear Gospel presentations and opportunities to connect with local believers for ongoing encouragement and support. The campaign also launched a long-term strategy to encourage, equip, and bless the local community.

Leaders from the area involved in CityFest commented on the unique unity and partnership the festival brought to the local faith community. Like all Palau festivals, much care and attention were given to church unity, community service, training in personal evangelism, and clear public proclamation of the Gospel.

“After living through the last 18 months of division and hardship in our community, it was so good to see our community of churches bring our cities together to share love and hope,” shared Chris Hankel, Pastor of New Hope Community Church, “For us as churches it was an investment into our community. It was well worth the many months of planning.”

In addition to the free festival at Butte Park on Saturday (August 28, 2021), there was a concerted effort to expand the reach of Greater Hermiston CityFest with Andrew Palau through multiple affinity events and smaller outreaches. These events included Fiesta Latina (a Spanish-speaking festival), an evangelistic luncheon for business leaders, and a gathering for women led by Andrew’s wife, Wendy.

All this was in the lead up to the festival at Butte Park in Hermiston, Oregon on August 28 featuring award-winning artists Danny Gokey, We Are Messengers, George Moss, and Marisol Park. The program also included a special children’s outreach in partnership with Kids Blitz, and an actions sports demonstration with The Stunt Dudes. Andrew Palau highlighted the evening by sharing a clear Gospel message and challenging those in the crowd to give their life to Jesus Christ.

In total, including all events, CityFest organizers estimate more than 6,200 people were reached in person through the campaign.

“This whole experience has been really, really awesome. Awesome that, first of all, 63 churches came together to begin to plan years ago and came together in unity,” said Bill Hansell, a member of the Oregon State Senate, “It’s also awesome getting to know the Palau Association… it’s a wonderful group and we are very privileged to have them here. And most importantly, what’s awesome is the message that has been conveyed. [Those] who have made the decision to follow Christ, to trust Him, [they] are on the edge of an exciting adventure.”

Partnering alongside the “I Love My City” movement, Greater Hermiston CityFest with Andrew Palau provided opportunities for the churches of Umatilla and Morrow counties to unite in service. Through this collaboration, local churches have seen open doors for the improvement of the life, heart, and hope of the region. The churches are planning to focus in on specific areas of need for their communities in the coming months. Specifically, in the future, there are plans for Andrew (in partnership with Prison Fellowship) to do a tour of local prisons for outreach.

“I was overwhelmed by the positive spirit of love and sense of community we saw happen over and over again during the course of festival week… I believe our region was and will be impacted for years and years because of the joint effort between the local faith community and the Luis Palau Association,” stated Mary Corp, CityFest co-chair and local community/business leader.

While local leaders continue in this effort, the Palau Association will move on to support similar campaigns in cities across the globe. Upcoming festivals are in the works with leaders in Malawi, Argentina, Egypt, Pakistan, New Hampshire, the United Kingdom, and Ghana, to name a few.

You can learn more about the Luis Palau Association and their worldwide work at www.palau.org.

About the Luis Palau Association

For more than 25 years Andrew Palau has played a key role in the ministry of the Luis Palau Association (LPA), which was started by his father, evangelist Luis Palau. Andrew has been instrumental in building the LPA model for citywide outreach as an evangelist, director, and key team leader. He has guided campaigns, led church relations efforts, trained thousands of believers in friendship evangelism, and proclaimed the Good News of Jesus Christ in person to hundreds of thousands of individuals around the world through evangelistic campaigns. Andrew’s festivals have brought him and the Palau Association into partnership with thousands of churches in cities throughout Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, the Caribbean, and the United States of America. Andrew’s weekly radio broadcasts are heard by millions of people on thousands of radio outlets around the world. He is also the author of Secret Life of a Fool, a retelling of his personal journey to faith in Christ, and What is Christmas?, a groundbreaking evangelistic book published in China in 2012.

CONTACT: Jay Fordice, 503-614-1500, jay.fordice@palau.org

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