The first major evangelical event held in Portland in 25 years saw 35,000 attendees and 3,200 people make a decision to follow Christ. Athey Creek Church in Portland, OR hosted the PDX Crusade at the Moda Center over two days. The church states it is committed to teaching the Bible verse by verse and has three campuses throughout Portland. The event consisted of 3,900 volunteers from Athey Creek and included performances by Chris Tomlin, Zach Williams, CAIN, TAYA, Anne Wilson, Kari Jobe, and Cody Carnes, with invitations to accept Christ following each event. “We live in a town where darkness is all around us,” Pastor Brett Meador of Athey Creek Church told the crowd. “If you live here, you feel it – how desperately people need to believe in Jesus that they may find hope. We need to see our town, our city and our whole country come out of the darkness and into the light.”

The event attendance far exceeded expectations, with the church adding a Saturday afternoon service after its Saturday evening and Sunday evening pre-registrations reached capacity. It’s especially surprising given that the Portland-Vancouver area has been recognized as the only place in America where non-religious individuals outnumber Christians. Pastor Meador spoke to the darkness of the area. “If our mental health system is so good, why are we spiraling? So many people try to live their lives, and they feel like they are dying, but if you are connected to the vine and abide in the vine, you will find life in Jesus,” he said. “I believe the Lord’s doing a great work in Portland, and it’s evident here tonight. But we have more work to do and that’s why it’s important for us to declare that He is the light of the world.”

Amongst those who accepted Christ were an elevator operator and a security guard. Meador said the event’s success has given him hope of a hunger for Christ throughout the country. “The thing that I leave from this process is this desire to see the light of Christ ripple effect from this crusade — just to let the light of Christ just continue to go out to the Greater Portland area, throughout all of Oregon, and to the whole world. It way surpassed anything we even thought would happen,” he said.