'Celebrate Jesus' event set for Saturday, June 7, in Grand Forks
Jun. 5—GRAND FORKS — Families, friends and people of all ages are invited to participate in the "Celebrate Jesus" event Saturday, June 7, in downtown Grand Forks, said Joe Chine, coordinator.
Part of a worldwide celebration taking place that day, the event will include a community walk, starting near Grand Forks Central High School, and ending with a worship rally at Town Square.
Participants will gather at 10:15 a.m. in the high school's parking lot at the intersection of University Avenue and North Fifth Street.
Beginning at 11 a.m., the walk will feature music, singing, vehicles, banners and signs. Several vehicles will display "Celebrate Jesus" banners and broadcast music as participants walk east on University Avenue and south on Third Street to Town Square. A wagon will be available for anyone who has mobility issues and would prefer to ride.
"It's a fun, nice, easy kind of thing," said Chine, of Grand Forks.
The rally, beginning at 11:30 a.m. at Town Square, will include worship, fellowship, prayer, salvation opportunity and food. Scott Rhinehart of Grand Forks will serve as MC.
Several speakers, including pastors, will offer encouraging words; prayers for the Grand Cities, the states of Minnesota and North Dakota, the U.S. and the world; and an opportunity for salvation and rededication, Chine said. "Prayer stations" will be available for individual prayer and counseling.
The "Celebrate Jesus" event — held for the fifth time in Grand Forks — does not focus on or promote a specific church or faith denomination, Chine said, but rather is "an opportunity to praise the name of Jesus" in a family-friendly atmosphere.
It is intended to bring together various churches, organizations and neighboring communities to exalt Jesus Christ "outside the walls of church and organizational buildings," according to the event announcement. "(The goal is to) foster a sense of community and shared faith, bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds to honor Jesus. The day is filled with joy, music, unity and fellowship that transcends denominational boundaries."
Nationally and internationally, the event has been known as "March for Jesus," Chine said, and was first held in Texas in the early 1990s.
In 2023, the local organizational team changed the name to "Grand Cities Celebrate Jesus" to better reflect "a more family-friendly, community-friendly" purpose, he said, but it remains part of the March for Jesus organization. The team includes members from about 10 churches, as well as nonprofit organizations and businesses.
Funds for the event are raised through charitable donations, partnerships, church registrations and the sale of t-shirts and caps.
Similar events are expected to be held in about 30 cities across the U.S. and in eight other countries, Chine said. Grand Forks and Bemidji are the only cities in North Dakota and Minnesota, respectively, to hold such a gathering.
"It's really a unique event from a Christian perspective," he said, "but it's so difficult to get people to want to put in the time and effort, and get away from their comfort zone."
Each year, "Celebrate Jesus" is held on Pentecost weekend in the church calendar. In the Christian tradition, Pentecost marked the birth of the church and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to all nations.
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