22 August 2011

By Patrick Butler | ResonateNews.com

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — Singing "There is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain, break every chain, break every chain," vocalist/composer Laura Hackett set the tone of Night Three of The Orange County Uprising Sunday as scores of teenagers and 20-somethings crowded the stage to chant the refrain with her.

     In a remarkable display of vociferous verbal passion, commitment and faith fervency, young men and women clad in beach attire or jeans knelt at a makeshift stage in the wedding tent of the Hilton Hotel at 21100 Pacific Coast Highway and "gave their lives to Jesus" at the urging of keynote speaker Rick Wilkerson. Multiple hands in the audience were stretched out toward — and even laid upon — those who had "come forward" in this Southern California beach city perhaps better known for its party-to-excess capacity than adherence to any religious codes, stringent or otherwise.

     There was barely room up front — at what could not be construed as an altar by any stretch of imagination — to navigate among young adults seeking spiritual solace and release from party-going lifestyles, and those praying along with Hacket's continuous refrain to "break every chain."           Boys in surfing shorts appearing to be as young as 11 or 12 joined much older party-going peers — along with men who appeared to be in their 40s — in penance and ultimate joyous celebration. With a smooth sense of timing, Wilkerson deftly navigated the decibel-rich gathering through prayers to break addiction, then prayers to receive physical healing and ultimately to a party of a different sort — one dedicated to God himself.

     There was dancing at the tent of meeting at The Uprising as people came out of their seats to participate. Toward the back of the tent, young, long-haired women in loose peasant blouses, flowered clothing, beach "hoodies" and jeans, danced  in the aisles to Hackett's "I've Got The Joy" refrain.

     One bushy-haired young man lay on the floor, laughing. Some older adults stood with arms fully outstretched in the air. One man, appearing to be in his 50s, laid his forehead on a table in the back, in continuous prayer with his wife sitting next to him, also in prayer. One young man in dreadlocks, T-shirt and shorts sat quietly and read the Bible in his lap. Many people of all ages simply knelt where they were, praying.

   "I think we're seeing a unique response here," said  Bill Welsh, 58,  senior pastor of The Refuge Calvary Chapel, a congregation of about 1,200 in Huntington Beach. "Not everyone responds to the Gospel in the same way. This is the way these people are wired."

     Welsh said he knows despite the fervency, some making commitments to faith may not follow through.

     "You see multitudes with Jesus," Welsh said. "You don't get closer to the heart of God and the truth of God more accurately than Christ. Multitudes responded and a percentage of those were there for the buzz of the moment. There were also those who were radically changed and never went back to who they were. They came away to be world changers."

     Surveying the happy young adults around him singing and praising, he said, "I don't know. I don't want to analyze. I love to watch God touch people. I don't want to cynically stand back to watch who falls and who doesn't."

     Welsh paused for a moment.

     "But I think there's a real need for moms and dads, fathers and mothers in the body to nurture and encourage and tend to the flock," he said. "That's what the elder people in the body are here for; to disciple kids, to help kids grow deep in the word, to stay strong in the Spirit and be sensitive to a move of God's Spirit."

     Asked if he thought he was witnessing a move of God's Spirit, Welsh said, "Oh, yeah. I would never question that. Yeah. This was so driven by the Spirit - and wisely, I think, tonight - to this generation."

    The OC Uprising is part of "passing the baton" to a new generation of believers, he said.

     "The word 'transition' has been on my heart for five years, the passing of the baton in a relay race where the old runner runs with the new runner for a little bit down the track," Welsh said. "I'm so excited to be an old runner passing off the baton to a new tribe. And I'm going to be running as long as I can; I'm going to run 'till I drop."

 

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