Winterfest guests experience powerful speakers, concerts

More than 7,500 spectators celebrated the New Year and hundreds made first-time decisions or recommitted their lives to Jesus Christ at the 13th annual Winterfest, held Tuesday and Wednesday at Liberty University.

During the day, visitors enjoyed recreational activities offered at the world’s largest Christian university, ranging from rock climbing and a variety of sports in the LaHaye Student Union to snowboarding at Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre, skating in the LaHaye Ice Center, and skateboarding at the Liberty Mountain Skate Park.

At night, they flocked to the Vines Center to hear from popular Christian artists, such as Lecrae, Newsboys, and Skillet, and speakers, including Kirk Cameron, John Luke Robertson of A&E’s “Duck Dynasty,” and David Nasser, Liberty’s senior vice president for spiritual development.

Tuesday night’s panel of artists featured former “American Idol” contestant Angie Miller, Kari Jobe, Rend Collective, and pop duo for King & Country before Lecrae closed out the night.

As guests anticipated the countdown to 2015 the following night, they enjoyed music from Jamie Grace, Newsboys, and Skillet, and heard a relevant message from Nasser, who challenged the crowd to develop a radical relationship with God.

“An encounter with God is not about religion or behavioral modification,” he said. “Christianity’s not about bad people becoming good, it’s about dead people becoming alive.”

On both days, fans had opportunities to meet and tweet questions to the artists during Q&As hosted by alumnus Jake Holland and Robertson, who announced his intent to attend Liberty on Tuesday night.

Before the Newsboys — led by alumnus Michael Tait — took the stage, Wednesday’s lineup was kicked off by Exodus, one of Liberty’s ministry teams, and Jason Lewis (’08), better known as Humble Tip, who carried some of the momentum over from Lecrae’s crowd-rousing performance on Tuesday.

“God used this college to change my life, so it’s only right for me to continue to promote it,” said Lewis, a national recruiter for Liberty. “I tried to just go out there and give them the best performance with every ounce of energy I can, and they received it well, so I’m blessed and humbled by a fantastic experience. What other way would you like to spend your New Year’s Eve?”

Caleb Hercyk and his brother, Christian, came from Costa Rica, where they are studying Spanish through Liberty Online Academy, to celebrate with their family, which moved to Lynchburg from Haiti last week. His older sisters attended Liberty and older brother will enroll next fall.

“Since I’m a missionary kid, I grew up overseas; this is one of the first times I got to see some of my favorite bands,” said Hercyk. “It’s really exciting and encouraging to see how they’re as on fire for God on stage as they are in their music.”

More than just a music festival, Winterfest’s dynamic lineup of speakers stirred hearts and inspired guests to dedicate their lives to the Lord before the New Year. A staff of more than 40 volunteers, many Liberty students and alumni, provided prayer and counseling for the hundreds who answered Nasser’s powerful invitation on Wednesday.

“The amount of people who stood up for the altar call was amazing,” Hercyk said.

Many more responded remotely as Winterfest was streamed live on Liberty’s Online Communities website.

Jason Irizarry, a former School of Music and Theatre Arts major at Liberty, chaperoned eight youths from Grace Baptist Church in Charlottesville, where he is a worship leader. They enjoyed life on Liberty Mountain, especially at Snowflex Centre, and he said God’s spirit was alive and His hand was at work in the Vines Center.

“Skillet’s one of my favorites, absolutely,” Irizarry said. “When the Newsboys were out here, the Holy Spirit was dropping down and with Jamie Grace speaking truth … everything has been completely amazing.”

Grace opened her set with “Beautiful Day,” alluding to the first day of 2015, filled with hope and promise.

The Newsboys, performing their 144th show of 2014, opened with “Born Again,” the name of their first album recorded with Tait in the band. They then got the crowd jumping by playing “Restart,” the title song off their newest CD, before Tait exhorted the crowd to “Live with Abandon.”

“God is light,” said Tait, dressed in a white suit that reflected brightly throughout a spectacular video light show. “In Him, there is no darkness at all. In 2015, let’s be lights in a dark place.”

While introducing a rendition of their anthem, “We Believe,” Tait announced the release of a new movie, “Do You Believe?” on March 22 as well as a sequel to “God’s Not Dead” in 2016. Later, Tait and Grace teamed up for a duet of “Jesus Freak,” while drummer Duncan Phillips wowed the crowd on his inverted, spinning drum set.

Skillet closed the show with its highly explosive act, complete with flames and pyrotechnics, belting out songs from award-winning albums “Awake” and “Rise.” Lead vocalist John Cooper challenged youth to live out loud for the Lord from this day forth.

“It is a wonderful thing to never be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said. “In 2015, I want my life to count for Jesus every single day. Don’t wait until you are old to take a stand for Jesus.”

Next December, Winterfest will welcome back Rend Collective and for King & Country as well as Casting Crowns, a headliner from previous festivals.