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Steve Burt, Pastor of The Garden Fellowship in Palm Desert, California, told a recent gathering that over 400 people have already “accepted Jesus” in the pre-festival events over the past six months. Evangelist and pastor, Dr. Mike MacIntosh, who will be heading up this distinctive Festival of Life outreach to this extraordinarily beautiful area, has been busy with pre-festival events. He recently shared his extraordinary testimony of how Christ took hold of his scarred life of drugs and alcohol that had wrecked his marriage to Sandy MacIntosh which ended in divorce. Then, following his commitment to Jesus, she too became a Christian and they were remarried at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa by Pastor Chuck Smith.
The gathering took place in a home in La Quinta, California, and was attended by 40 friends of the late Jeanne Andersen, who passed away at the age of 52 on Monday, December 28, 2009, after a long battle with cancer. “I shared my testimony with about 40 people in an elegant gated community and invited them to participate in the Festival of Life and shared the love of Jesus Christ with them,” said MacIntosh.
“Our friend Jeannie Andersen, who is in heaven now, did so much to pray for the love of God to move in her Coachella Valley neighborhood, and those in the many home gatherings in gated communities all have a word of appreciation for Jeannie and many tear up when I speak to them about her.” MacIntosh, senior pastor of Horizon Christian Fellowship, San Diego, California, has also served as a chaplain for the San Diego Police Department, and was involved in post-9/11 rescue efforts in New York City, as documented in his book When Your World Falls Apart. He recently trained police dispatchers, chaplains, along with members of California Highway Patrol, Indio Police Department, Blythe Police Department, Border Patrol and others in Critical Incident Stress Management at the Palm Springs Police Department Headquarters. “The 16 hour sessions laid the ground work for of all the Coachella Valley Law Enforcement agencies to have a united front against critical incidents, disasters and painful experience for first responders,” MacIntosh told ANS. The course, that usually costs around $200 per person, was free to all participants as Mike MacIntosh used his credentials as a certified instructor for the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation to encourage law enforcement. Dr. MacIntosh then revealed that General William G. “Jerry” Boykin, a retired three-star General, will share a brief testimony the opening night of the Festival on April 9th. “General Boykin, a founding member and later the commander of the world renown Delta Force, is a much decorated war hero,” said Dr. MacIntosh. “He attributes his faith in the Lord as a strong factor of his survival in many armed conflicts and battles. He served as the Commander of the Green Berets and was commander of Delta Force and served in Mogadishu, Somalia. Each night, during the festival, Dr. MacIntosh, will present a message of “faith and hope” and will be joined by a talented line up of Grammy and Dove Award winning musicians.
On Friday Night (April 9) Grammy and Dove Award winning Third Day will perform. Saturday (Saturday April 10) is multi-cultural night with Spanish artists Salvador headlining along with Ernesto D’Alessio (famous novella star) and Maria De Sol and Fermin IV (ex-singer of Control Machete). Sunday night (April 11) will wrap up with Grammy and Dove Award winning artist Steven Curtis Chapman who will share his songs of hope in the midst of pain. Other special artists like Brenton Brown and Sarah MacIntosh will also be a part of the festival. But the event is more than a concert; there will be professional BMX exhibitions, a kid’s zone, village area, and much more. On Saturday morning there will be a special kids’ show for the entire community with a special guest performer. This is a free event. Doors open at 5PM each night. In addition to the Main Event (across from the Indian Wells Tennis Garden) there will be Festival of Life park outreaches during the week of the event in various communities throughout the valley. These festivals will include music, free food, kids’ activities, medical clinics and much more. This will allow the Festival of Life to be celebrated in every part of the valley. Some of the cities the mini-festivals plan to reach are Desert Hot Springs, Thousand Palms, Indio, Coachella, Oasis and Mecca. The Festival of Life Coachella Valley is a partnership between the Lighthouse of the Valley Movement (LOV) and The Festival of Life with Dr. Mike MacIntosh. LOV is a group of about 100 local churches, parachurch organizations and businesses dedicated to reaching out to the Coachella Valley. In a story about the event, the Desert Christian Times, said, “The vision of the Festival of Life Coachella Valley is to unify the churches and bring the love of Jesus Christ to the entire Coachella Valley.”
It added, “Since the valley is so diverse, regional meetings with pastors and leaders are being held throughout the valley to prepare culturally effective outreaches in each region from Desert Hot Springs to Salton City. From September 2009 through April 2010, the Festival of Life Coachella Valley is planning many events across the community that will implement the Prayer, Care and Share Strategy. “These are amazing times as the Lord is bringing unity to the body of Christ in the valley and preparing the desert for a spiritual harvest. Churches are being added monthly to this movement of the Spirit. This is an opportunity for every believer from every church and ministry to come together to reach this dry, hot desert with a cup of cold water in Jesus name. We invite you to join with us in this harvest!” The Festival of Life is recognized worldwide, holding its first event in the Philippines in 1990. Since this time, the Festival has visited cities throughout Mexico and the United States, and countries such as South Korea and Poland. This year’s Festival will culminate on the weekend of April 9–11, 2010 with a large evangelistic event. Between now and then, the LOV Churches throughout the Coachella Valley will work together to present a caring message to the community, utilizing dozens of venues and involving thousands of believers. A spokesperson for LOV said, “From the green golf courses to the dusty trailer parks, the entire Coachella Valley will hear the gospel. Regional events, which are culturally effective for the demographics of the areas, will be held throughout the valley. These events will integrate the three strategies of the LOV Movement: Prayer, Care, and Share — taking the love of Christ to where the people live and work.” For more information about the Festival of Life Coachella Valley, please call (760) 771-9587 or visit www.lovmovement.com Also, you can contact:
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