Vernon Christian Fellowship
Reviews: This
is what people have said about some of the events
and conferences that we have hosted at VCF: Click
below to choose or keep scrolling to read them all
! Ryle - Voice of
God Pat Cocking
Evening "The Glories"
Kids... Andy Park at
VCF To submit a review of any of the
VCF activities please click and email Web
Administration Chuck Girard -
music pioneer Chuck Girard came to town back in October and
performed for a small audience at Vernon Christian
Fellowship. The significance of having someone of
Chuck Girard's musical stature was obviously lost
on those who chose not to attend (I'll be fair,
though - it was Thanksgiving !) but for
those who showed up, Chuck performed many of the
songs that brought him and his band 'Love
Song' to prominence about 25 years ago, and
delighted those who were familiar with his music.
It was good to be able to just sit back and let the
music soak in for an hour or two. The evening was
incredibly laid back, though one would find it
difficult to have any other kind of evening with a
solo performer. The use of midi tracks is always a
debatable point. Chuck used tracks for about fifty
percent of the evening. I'll reserve judgement, but
I'd love to see him with a band again! On his own
with voice and keyboard Chuck periodically
displayed the vocal prowess that made him such a
notable singer and brought him attention from the
'surf music' fraternity of the late sixties. He
tended to overuse the strings voice on his piano
sounds, but hey, I'm just being picky. It was a
thrill to be reminded of the music of one whose
pioneering Chuck at the
keyboard Chuck with Bob
Oldfield exploits in the world of contemporary christian
music opened the doors for many of the 'in ' names
of today. Chuck may have lost a little of the
ability to really hit those high notes - but time
does that to everyone - but he has lost none of his
fervour and passion for God and it is to be hoped
that we'll see him around a few more times before
he hangs up his vocal chords for good. Reviews
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This is what was written in BC Christian News about Welcoming the Lord of the Harvest 1999 |
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Welcoming the Lord of the Harvest "There's a real thrill about stepping into the unknown and throwing yourself into the arms of God, knowing His protection, yet not knowing quite what is in store." That was certainly the case for the organizers of the recent "Welcoming the Lord of the Harvest" event which took place at the Interior Provincial Exhibition (IPE) grounds in Armstrong. Armstrong ? A small rural community whose claim to fame rests largely in the annual IPE and the thousands it draws in. Standing in the middle of the empty rodeo arena , the day before the festival, Bill Olsen, one of the main organizers and resident of Armstrong explains, " Armstrong is a town of seven thousand that annually draws 80-90,000 here over the five days of the IPE. Some time ago, God gave me a vision of these same rodeo grounds being filled with worshippers, musicians, artists, dancers celebrating not the harvest, but the Lord of the Harvest. Here in the North Okanagan God is doing some neat things. We are not a spiritual backwater here. We are taking the message of the cross outside of the walls of the church to where the people are." Putting money where their collective mouth is, the organizers kept this event free - by voluntary donation only. There is no question that with sensitive nurturing, this event, organized in conjunction with several Vernon and Armstrong churches, will feature large in the developing muscle of the North Okanagan. Armstrong is starting to flex the "strong arm" of the Lord! Musically the "names" were Andy Park and Graham Ord, worship leaders of stature and authority yet demonstrating different styles. Indeed, Ord's intercession song using first Nations drumming rhythms went into a 12 minute drum session utilizing four drummers. Powerful. Andy Park led the celebrations into the evening with mainstream worship that had most of the audience dancing at the front of the stage. The Bill Olsen band provided a solid musical backing for both Andy Park and the passionate Lianna Klassen as well as doing a set of their own material. Two young bands stood out both for their musicianship and for their attitude. The first, Slaves to His Service featuring D.J. Stott, provided an alternative edge to the music and then MNW from Calgary gave a cutting edge to some of the more familiar currently-circulating worship songs. A real treat at the other end of the musical spectrum was Debi Johnson and her celtic harp, who quietly and gently brought people into the presence of God in a different way. More music was brought by Bob Oldfield, Ryan Young, Becky Thomas, Mark Olson and Scotsman Ian Paget who we will all hear more about in the future. Alongside the musicians there were able and stylish dancers from Armstrong, Vernon and Kelowna, including the talented Emma Hill and it was good to see that the organizers had given space for artists to be expressive, in their own medium, about what God was saying through the worship. A diversity of styles blending to produce a festival which had the presence of almighty God blowing through it - ask anyone who was there. Look out for next year.
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Erol Bortucene - New CD - 'Who Can Rival Him ?' |
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