The Agape Farm is beginning a new chapter for music and worship in the hills of southern Huntingdon County by hosting a back-to-basics festival that takes its cues from traditional revivals.
Jesus Ministries, which owns and operates the Agape Farm campground near Shirleysburg, announced Wednesday the Agape Festival is scheduled to take place Thursday, June 22, through Sunday, June 25.
The event will be free and open to the public.
The news comes roughly one week after organizers of the Creation Festival announced the long-running event is folding. Creation called the Agape Farm home for over 30 years.
Danny McKeehan, vice president of the Jesus Ministries board of directors, said Agape Festival won’t be Creation but noted many of the same people who worked behind the scenes all those years are lending their skills and spirit of volunteerism to the new event.
“We didn’t want the show, just a chance for people to draw close to the Lord,” he said.
The scheduling process is still underway but Jesus Ministries has secured the festival’s main musical act and its primary speaker.
Pittsburgh-based Josh Rutter, pianist and worship leader at his own hometown church, will serve as the festival’s featured musician along with his bandmates.
Evangelist Frank Menhart is taking on the role as main speaker for the four-day event. McKeehan said Menhart already has a strong Huntingdon County connection, having served as a youth pastor at a Mount Union church about 30 years ago. McKeehan said Menhart regularly returns to Huntingdon County to speak at local churches.
“He a very gifted speaker,” he said.
McKeehan said the plan to-date for the fest is to begin Thursday evening, fill all day Friday and Saturday with music and worship and close out the event Sunday morning with a church service.
“We want this to be a basic return to focusing on God,” he said. “There will be good music and good preaching.”
Bruce Shrewsbury, chief operations officer at the farm and Jesus Ministries board member, said his phone has been ringing off the hook between word that Creation is ending and that Agape Fest is beginning.
“We’re trying to pull off a four-day music festival in 80 days so we’re a little busy,” he said.
Shrewsbury said he welcomes the flood of calls as a sign that a higher power is looking out for the fledgling event which is…
Private Internet Access gives you unparalleled access to thousands
of next-gen servers in over 83 countries and each US state. Your
VPN experience will always be fast, smooth, and reliable.
