GALION — Oktoberfest is the City of Galion’s annual fall festival. It is held on the last weekend of September in Galion’s Uptowne Business District. The three-day event features food vendors, kids’ rides, and live music.
For the second year in a row, Galion Oktoberfest entertainment will feature all Christian music groups on the first night of the three-day festival. Organizers would rather not refer to the stage venue as “entertainment.” as much as they are worship leaders.
“Our schedule consists of different genres,” says Carol Kable, one of the organizers of Gospel Music Stage. “Several of the genres vary from traditional to country to contemporary Christian, bluegrass and rock. What unites it all is Jesus, Yeshua Messiah. They are all making music for Him.”
Beginning at noon, there will be almost two hours of “open-mic,” for individuals, especially local pastors and ministers, who would like to bring sound tracks, or a scripture reading, or offer a prayer on behalf of the nation, in Jesus’ name.
Another one of the organizers drew his inspiration from the history books.
“We began praying and planning this months ago,” Bill Seymour, another one of the other organizers recalls. “It was not until two weeks ago that a friend gave me a copy of Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation 85. It was written a few months after the start of the Civil War. Lincoln appointed the last Thursday in September of 1861, recommending all Americans, especially ‘Minister and teachers of religion of all denominations to unite for a day of ‘public humiliation, fasting and prayer,’ that God would restore the divided nation to its former greatness.”
“If you believe in coincidences, the first night of Oktoberfest, featuring the gospel music stage, is the last Thursday in September. Our nation once again is very divided, so we want to use the platform to help unite the churches to stand in the gap for our country.”
Bill Seymour, organizer of Gospel Music Stage
“Co-incidentally, if you believe in coincidences, the first night of Oktoberfest, featuring the gospel music stage, is the last Thursday in September. Our nation once again is very divided, so we want to use the platform to help unite the churches to stand in the gap for our country,” says Seymour.
Beginning at 2pm, “the Bridge,” musical intercessors from Morrow County will be leading a two hour “Worship Burn,” interspersed with special prayers and declarations for Galion, Crawford County and the United States.
At 4pm, prayer ministers will be reading Lincoln’s Proclamation 85 and other scriptures to bring an atmosphere of hope and celebration for the remainder of the evening. Also, there will be a sounding of shofars. All who can participate with shofars are invited to join.
To kick off the evening, “Stones Cry Out,” will bring a lively Christian Rock style worship at 4:30pm. They were a favorite from last year, returning.
Another popular group, returning from last year, at 8pm, is Dale Powers and Friends. Powers, a Richland County native whose music now is centered on Christ, is a founding member of The Ohio Express. Dale and Friends has a strong local following, and depending on which “friends” accompany him that evening, you may hear more or less country, soft rock, or bluegrass.
Other musical groups include Tabernacle of Praise, Set Apart, The Warriors, and Keagan Nicolades.
Kable and Seymour both expressed their appreciation of the Galion Area Ministerial Association (GAMA), which agreed to help cover the cost of the Thursday Christian event.
Prayer ministers from will be available throughout the evening for anyone attending who would like prayer for healing or salvation.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in the Psalms 95, “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.”
