Christian Music Online

Unity Christian Music Festival

August 14, 2007 – 10:46 am

MUSKEGON — Organizers of the annual Unity Christian Music Festival have already penned in Aug. 7-9, 2008, for next year’s musical festivities. And in the coming weeks they’ll be deciding whether to continue this year’s experiment of a “Day Zero” evening of free music added to the festival’s front end.

“We’ll be doing some talking and evaluating once we’ve wrapped this one up,” said festival director Kevin Newton.

In terms of numbers, the free-Wednesday line-up headlined by the Christian pop-rock band Kutless must be counted a success, drawing more than 8,000 spectators to Heritage Landing. However, it did mean another day of work for festival hosts, technical crews and the more than 600 volunteers it takes to make Unity happen.

Even without the added day, this year’s three-day line-up featuring headliners Newsboys, Casting Crowns and MercyMe, drew more than 41,000 fans, which at least equals the high water mark in the event’s seven-year history.

The culmination came when more than 16,500 heard the inspirational pop-rock MercyMe deliver a 70-minute set on Saturday night, bringing the festival to a close.

“We figure there were upwards of 20,000 here during the day, but families with small children tend to leave early,” said festival chairman Roger Eikenberry of the many kids’ games and activities which Unity offers, including a separate entertainment stage in the play area.

Tickets to the festival are sold as day passes, so organizers are unsure on which of the Unity days they might be used. Children 10 and under are admitted free with a paying adult. And since there are no turnstiles, an exact count is impossible.

It was the first Unity appearance for MercyMe, which offered two songs from its forthcoming CD, set for a November release. “Sanctify” and “God With Us” both emphasized the spiritual nature of the band’s mission.

Lead singer Bart Millard taught the chorus of one of the news songs to an eager crowd.

The band began its signature ballad “I Can Only Imagine” by repeating the chorus three times before finally digging into the first verse. The audience sang along.

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