Luis Palau Returns to Sunshine State

Evangelist Luis Palau is following the largely successful Costa Rica Festival with his first U.S. festival of the year in Orlando, Fla.

By Lillian Kwon, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Within a month, evangelist Luis Palau is following the largely successful Costa Rica Festival with his first U.S. festival of the year in Orlando, Fla. And before the weekend kick-off, pre-festival outreaches have already drawn thousands of people toward the gospel message.

Returning to the sunshine state after hitting record numbers on U.S. soil three years ago, the Luis Palau Association and tens of thousands of locals are readying to crowd around the Citrus Bowl Stadium for two days of festival outreach.

Although the upcoming weekend event is not expected to draw crowds as large as 300,000 as was seen at the 2003 BeachFest in Fort Lauderdale, the Palau team, partnered with 650 local churches, plans to provide the very best entertainment that The Orlando Centroplex is known to house along with the good news of Jesus Christ.

Rather than limiting its outreach within the parameters of the stadium, much like a crusade, Kevin Palau, executive vice president of the Luis Palau Association, said the festival will "take up a much bigger footprint" on the outer field grounds of the stadium.

"We couldn't make it work as well in a stadium," he said.

Three years in the making, the Orlando outreach has been preceded by a series of rallies and group affinity events. On Monday, more than 750 guests attended the Women's Luncheon. The weekend was met with a Generations Rally at First Baptist Church of Winter Park that drew hundreds of seniors and those who would be least likely to attend the festival, which typically generates large crowds of people around a loud music and gospel stage. Clamor Latino, aimed at Orlando's Spanish-speaking population, was held a day ahead of the rally with an overflowing 3,400 attendants.

The Orlando Festival will be held Apr. 1-2 with top Christian artists including Disciple, Dave Lubben, Tony Vega, CeCe Winans, Kutless, tobyMac, 7th Poet, Jump5, Salvador, Point of Grace and Delirious.