Faith over fear was just one of the messages at worship service
VANCOUVER — Natasha Georgescu proudly displayed her feelings on her shirt Friday night at the waterfront in downtown Vancouver.
“Faith over fear” was the T-shirt’s message.
“It’s just a really good statement for this whole time we’re in right now,” said Georgescu, a resident of Vancouver. “So many people I think are overwhelmed by fear, and we really need to lean into our faith.”
While there was no official count, it appeared that thousands of worshipers showed no fear and they showed a lot of faith.
Let Us Worship, a tour that has had stops throughout America, made its way to Vancouver on Friday.
The event was needed, say some local Christian leaders. Judging by the turnout, the event was welcomed.
“Worship is not only an activity that God desires, it’s an important activity individually and collectively,” said Dennis Fuqua of Clark County Prayer Connect.
A couple of hours before the service, Fuqua shared his wishes for the event.
“What I’m looking forward to, hopefully a large group of very good worshipers, a stream of worship that happens from Vancouver to the throne of God,” he said.
Sean Feucht, who leads the singing and the Let Us Worship movement, and the band began playing a little before the 6 p.m. scheduled start time. Then the musicians took a break for a few minutes, allowing time for more and more worshipers to find space at the park.
David Sisco of Vancouver took advantage of the quieter time to sound his Shofar.
The horn is used as a call to order, he said. Earlier in the day, he and “six brothers” spent two hours praying throughout the grounds of the park.
Soon, it would be time to sing.
“I’m here to worship the Lord, man. It’s very simple,” Sisco said. “We need Him here. We need Him in Portland. We need Him in Seattle. We need Him in Olympia. Every person on the face of the earth needs Jesus in their heart.”
Feucht asked worshipers to wave across the Columbia River to Portlanders, to send love and prayers to the Rose City.
He said this night was about “joyful worship. Full of expectation. Full of hope.” He asked worshipers to just smile and thank God.
He also invited anyone to take a long drive to Sacramento, Calif., for another event there on Sunday. Feucht is from California, a state that has tried to lock down and stop church services.
On the Let Us Worship website, Feucht says: “It is time for the Church to rise up with one voice and tell our government leaders and the rulers of big tech that we refuse to be silenced.”
Andrey Ivanov, a Christian leader in the Southwest Washington community known for uniting pastors and business leaders, was right up in front of the big gathering, close to the band.
“Today was a statement for our right to speak, and more importantly, to declare the name of Jesus without ever being muzzled,” Ivanov said.
“The Church, we will not be silent,” he added. “We are not here to raise problems. We are here to serve our people. Today was a call to action for men and women to rise, for pastors to boldly stand and not cower to weakness.”
The night turned into exactly what Fuqua had hoped it would become.
“Worship is a powerful force in the universe,” he said. “We as a group of believers in Clark County tonight get a unique opportunity to stand with a whole bunch of people and say, ‘Jesus, You are the one we are worshipping.’”
A few people in the crowd were waving flags with messages on them. Jessica Iveson of Portland had a “Hope” flag.
She said she came to the event “to see the love of God released everywhere.”
Iveson was impressed with the turnout.
“People have a lot of hope and a lot of love to give,” she said.
