Thousands of Christians Gather in Portland for 'Riots to Revival' Worship Event
- Amanda Casanova ChristianHeadlines.com Contributor
- Updated Aug 14, 2020
While a riot went on in one part of Portland and a fire was started at a city police union building, thousands of Christians gathered in another part of the city to sing worship music this past weekend.
According to Fox News, worshippers met in Waterfront Park Saturday evening for “Riots to Revival,” featuring Christian musician Sean Feucht. Feucht has previously hosted similar worship gatherings in California despite COVID-19 restrictions.
A local news station reported that most people at the Portland worship gathering did not wear masks or follow social distancing advice.
Feucht said between 4,000 and 7,000 people attended the outdoor church gathering over the weekend.
“White, Black, Hispanic – we came and released our song of hope over this city. People gave their life to Jesus. Hundreds of people – We baptized people in the river behind us. There was so much joy that took over the streets of that city last night,” he said.
“Our tagline last night was ‘Riots to Revival,’ which we’re carrying with us into Seattle tonight. We just believe that the church has the ability to change the narrative. All of America has just seen these buildings burning, and they’ve seen this destruction and this violence, and the mainstream media seems to be infatuated with this. But what I’m telling you is that there’s another story of what God is doing in these cities and the church is rising up,” Feucht told Fox News’ Pete Hegseth.
The worship service happened just five miles away where another crowd broke a window and started a fire inside the Portland Police Association’s office. Protestors also reportedly vandalized the building with spray paint and broke security cameras.
Police called the crowd “hostile” and said three officers were injured as protestors threw glass bottles and used lasers to shine on the officers.
In July, the Trump administration dispatched federal officers to protect Portland’s federal courthouse, but the additional authorities may have escalated tension in the city. Last week, Homeland Security reached a deal with the Oregon State Police and the federal agents were pulled from Portland.
Related:
California Beach Revival Draws Hundreds to Christ, Likened to 'Jesus People Movement'
Photo courtesy: Sean Feucht Facebook
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
