Rock of Ages Festival Undeterred by Rain Forecast

By Josh Kimball, Christian Post Reporter Friday, October 03, 2008

One of the largest Christian music festivals in Northern California might be getting more wet than wild this weekend with a 90 percent chance of rain looming over the city of Calistoga.

But rain or shine, the Rock of Ages Festival will be taking place Saturday, according to organizers.

And with musical artists including newsboys, Thousand Foot Krutch, and Salvador, the one-day event aims not to disappoint.

"With the utilization of music, action sports and other resources, the Rock of Ages Festival attracts both believers and non-believers alike, recruits various speakers from around the country to preach the Gospel of Christ Jesus to all of those who are in attendance and assists in calling all of those who are willing to give their life to Christ Jesus," organizers say.

For years, the ministry behind the Rock of Ages Festival has formed mutually beneficial relationships with churches throughout the Bay Area. And each year, the ministry presents the Gospel of Christ Jesus to those in attendance while providing some of the best talents in the Christian entertainment industry.

In addition to the main stage, which will be graced by some of the biggest names in Christian music, the Skate Zone Stage at this year's festival will feature a skateboard show from professional skateboarding team Boarders for Christ – a Christian skateboard, snowboard and surf ministry based out of Carlsbad, Calif.

Other attractions for this year's festival will include a professional motocross show from Justin Homan, a professional BMX show from Vic Murphy, a Children's Stage featuring musical ventriloquist Mark Thompson and characters from Veggie Tales, a Latino Stage featuring The Gutierrez Brothers, various workshops, ministry booths, vendors and inflatable equipment, and a rock climbing wall.

The main focus of the festival, however, according to organizers, is to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to non-believers in the Bay Area.

Speaking at Saturday's event include evangelist Brad Butcher; youth pastor Randy Olsson of Teen Mania; and Jason Harper of XXX Church, who will be conducting a workshop at this year's festival on pornography addiction and ways to bring healing to a life and/or family that has been affected by it.

"We want to make Christ Jesus more popular than wine in the Sonoma and Napa Valleys, as well as in the greater Bay Area," exclaims festival coordinator Ray Centanni.

Historically, the city of San Francisco had been predominantly Roman Catholic due to the Italian and Irish immigrants of the late 19th and early 20th century. Today, however, the city and many of the areas surrounding are renowned as being among the most liberal areas in the country.

And while the San Francisco Bay Area has a very diverse religious life and is home to numerous religious communities, it has less Christians per capita than most missions fields – under 3 percent – according to statistics.

The San Francisco Bay Area also happens to be one of the wealthiest regions in the United States, according to the U.S. Censure Bureau, and serves as the headquarters for thousands of high technology companies, including Adobe Systems, Cisco Systems, eBay, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, and Yahoo!

The Bay Area is also the site of the critical court case that led to the legalization of same-sex "marriage" in the state of California.