A Word About Karitos 2007: Awesome!!!
God's presence was evident in all areas of the conference beginning with the opening processional on Thursday evening. Powerful worship followed, leading us into the night's visual and aural display of God-given talent. Space doesn't allow us to share all that took place as the Lord's artists presented their gifts and talents as a love offering back to Him (and to those of us of us who were privileged to be in the audience).
The diversity of gifts and the quality of each offering was amazing. Alan Atwood, Pamela Hardy, Patty Hickman, Glenn Kaiser, Tony Mujica, Karen Williams and Way of Life shared their art. The mix of drama, music, dance, literary art and visual art was stunning as it all came together.
While not wanting to single out any one artist, we must mention the amazing one-man play presented by Alan Atwood. The forty-five minute performance in which Alan played a number of characters including God, Abraham, Moses and the Devil was flawless. The performance left everyone talking. Thank you Alan! We should also say a word about Glenn Kaiser. Not mentioned in any pre-conference materials, he blessed us again this year with his musical talent, challenging message, and humble spirit. Glenn epitomizes what Christian music ministry was meant to be, and again, we say: Thank you Glenn, we will indeed "Finish What We Started".
Workshops on both Friday and Saturday went well. Attendance was up from last year, and many classes saw excellent numbers. God was exalted, our faculty was outstanding, and people were blessed, equipped and encouraged.
Friday afternoon's General Session is difficult to describe. You really had to be there to get a sense what the Lord did. Under His leadership and through the submissive heart of our speaker, Vivien Hibbert, we were privileged to spend 90-minutes in the presence of the King. The sanctuary became a sea of praise, flags, banners, dancing and unbridled joy at times; awe, reverence, worship and deeply felt love for God at other times; and finally, bold declarations and petitions as we interceded for our country and for the nations. As mentioned, you had to be there. A TV ad used to say, "It's the next best thing to being there" and we hope to be able to announce the availability of a video of this spectacular session.
It is almost impossible to describe Karitos 2007 without running out of adjectives. Friday evening's gathering was another spectacular time of celebration. Worship, led by Sharon Harper, brought us into God's presence. Offerings by Jack & Edie Hill, Maura Hoagland and Michael Landers enhanced our anticipation for what was to follow. Way of Life then took the stage (and the space above the stage) for a thrilling display of agility, balance and beauty. Way of Life's art form is called Acrodramance, and is a combination of acrobatics, drama and dance. Living Water Church offered the perfect platform for their unique presentation as it allowed the group to literally swing from the ceiling.
For nearly an hour, we were mesmerized by what was presented. At the end of the production WOL's founder, Pastor Steven Gonzalez led an altar call that saw scores of people coming to the front of the sanctuary. Some gave their lives to Christ while others rededicated their lives (and their gifts) to Him. Still others were healed.
Following a challenging message by actor and film producer Diane Wigstone, Saturday's General Session gave us a chance to see what some of our attendees were doing through their own ministries and in their home churches. Drama, dance, film and literature were offered.
On Saturday evening, Karitos 2007 came to a close. Not with a whimper, but with a bang! Those who were able to be with us to the end were treated to another heaping helping of God's bounty. Kim Brunner's dance faculty put together an awesome (there's that word again) processional. Cory Ratliff led the worship team for the first half of the evening and, of course, it was ______________ (fill in the blank).
We paused for a time of testimony as several people shared of God's healing power that they had experienced the night before. Ginny Ching Yin Lo then presented a beautiful dance after which we had Ginny, her husband Phillip Wong and their children Gershom and Nehemiah come to the stage for prayer. The Wong's leave us in September for ministry in China. Ginny will be involved in full-time dance ministry and Phillip, a doctor, will work in a hospital. Pray for the Wong's.
Karitos Worship Director Courtney Hay brought the worship team back to the stage joined by Vivien Hibbert. The powerful song, "I See The Lord", seemed to bring our worship to another level. Perhaps it was a combination of the song, especially the line that speaks of God's touching our lips with a burning coal, and the spotlight focusing on Tony Mujica as he put the finishing touches on a painting that showed a hot coal touching the lips of the prophet Isaiah. Actually, the painting might have represented any one of the several hundred artists present.
Vivien then led us into a time of powerful, prophetic worship as a huge flag was paraded across the stage and through the sanctuary, bringing the entire crowd to their feet. While some worshipped, others, accepting the invitation to come forward for prayer, made their way through the crowd to get to the front of the auditorium. The closing song, Look What the Lord Has Done, was the perfect ending to what was more than simply an arts conference. It was, in the words of one attendee, a spiritual journey!
We are now planning for Karitos 2008, the dates are July 31, August 1 & 2. You won't want to miss it.
- Bob Hay
