The Christ is King Festival will be a day of family fun, with games, inflatables, and food trucks, culminating in an evening of worship. The aim is to bring the Christian community together for a day while honoring the name of Christ. The festival kicks off at noon with a variety of events.
August 23
12:00–7:30pm
Grand Haven
12:00–6:00pm: Inflatable games will be around the Splash Pad & Chinook Pier
12:00–7:00pm: Food Trucks will be serving their specialties
1:00–4:00pm: Corn hole tournament will be held at Waterfront Stadium
6:00–7:30pm: The day will culminate with a Night of Worship at Lynn Sherwood Waterfront Stadium
The main force behind this effort is a three-member board headed up by Adam Reece, a small business owner. The board is supported by several local pastors and churches.
A goal of the festival is not only to encourage people to come celebrate Christ, but to bring churches together in a spirit of unity. As they say on their website “unite around one Body, one Spirit, one Lord and one God, Father of all, who is over all things.”
The organizers want to see the name of Christ back in the public square in a positive way. Society has told us that religion is a private thing, but it was not that way in the early church.
Christ, when he entered into ministry, did it in a very public way and told his disciples to follow his lead.
Grand Haven has a long history of bringing people together to share their faith. In 1947, over seventy years ago, the first Sunday evening community hymn sing was held at Green Hill Field—behind the Lakeshore Middle School. Over the years it moved to various locations, indoors and out, and was known as Vacationland Hymn Sing. In 1965, it settled in at Waterfront Stadium and became the largest Sunday evening attraction, drawing people from all over the area. In 1997, the name changed to Worship on the Waterfront, (WOW) attracting well-known bands and large crowds. In 2021, that event moved to Holland. And now, more recently, Praise by the Pier is bringing Sunday evening music back to Grand Haven.
This Festival is one step into making faith in God more public and less private, by proudly declaring Christ is King.
Jesus said, “Occupy until I come,” and that is an encouragement to stand on the word of God and live your faith.
What better way to do that than to gather with other believers and lift the name of Jesus together as a witness to the world that we serve a risen Savior. That is something to celebrate. Be the salt and light and speak Gods truth to a world that is lost and looking for answers.
For more details, volunteer opportunities, and donations visit the website, Christ is King.
Geri McCaleb was born in the Netherlands, the youngest of 5, and came to America with her family in 1951. Her hometown, Scheveningen, is a beach town near DE Hague on the North Sea. Her parents found a home in Grand Haven, a beach town on Lake Michigan. Her family lived through the years of Nazi occupation in Holland, and she grew up on stories of hardship and survival during those war years. It shaped her thinking and showed her the importance of faith in God and freedom. Geri served on Grand Haven City Council for 8 years, 2001 until 2009. She decided to run for Mayor in 2011 and served 4 terms ending in 2019. After her time with the city, she was a Community Columnist for the Tribune for several years. She and her husband and have 2 children and 4 grandchildren and now live in Grand Haven Township.
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