5,200 ATTEND EASTER SERVICES AT ARENA MUSIC, SPOTLIGHTS, VIDEOS

With the rhythms of rock and the words of the New Testament, 5,200 people celebrated Easter in the Spokane Arena on Sunday morning.

Outside, birds chirped and the new building stood against a bright blue sky. Inside, people wearing everything from pin stripes to jeans strode into the dimly lighted Arena. The red exit signs glowed in the darkness and the digital clock flashed 9:56 a.m.

It was the Easter service for Life Center, one of Spokane's mega-churches. "It's an opportunity to reach out to the unchurched who aren't in another church," said the Rev. Bill Kafflen, pastor of discipleship and evangelism. "Hopefully, some folks will leave and have a relationship with the Lord." Kafflen estimated the cost of the service at between $10,000 and $15,000. The stage was decorated with pots of silk tulips, gladioluses and leafy green trees. The service began with the Life Center Worship Band bathed in purple and pink spotlights on stage. Music from a synthesizer swelled through the Arena, and singers sang, "He is alive." Greg and Connie Bowman and their three children, Cameron, Chelsea and Savannah, were excited to attend church in the Arena. "You get this many people, they're going to spread a good, warm feeling all around Spokane," said Bowman. Chelsea, 6, carried a brand-new stuffed ballerina bunny and wore a gold ballet slipper necklace - gifts that morning from the Easter bunny. Cameron found a toy hot rod in his basket. The Bowmans have been attending Life Center, 708 W. Nora, for five years. Connie Bowman said she had been drawn by the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) program, which she began attending every third Thursday. "I was about going out of my mind staying at home," she said. Life Center, which has a staff of 13 pastors, provides a wide variety of programs, many of them aimed at young families and singles. The stage was filled with people under 40. They sang, played electric guitars and drums and performed in a short play. The Rev. Joe Wittwer urged the congregation to seek an extraordinary life through Jesus Christ. "Life is not about money or power or possessions or self," he said. "Your relationships with God and with people are the real riches of life." The congregation cheered, prayed and passed paper buckets for contributions. At several points, Arena spotlights swirled over the crowd, giving the service a mood that was part rock concert, part evangelical church service. The Arena's 15-by-20-foot video screen broadcast live shots of the singers and displayed the song lyrics. A music video called "Heaven in the Real World" by Steven Curtis Chapman also was shown. Wittwer gave the crowd careful directions for leaving the auditorium. Parents needed to pick up 400 children from child care provided on a lower level. Organizers hoped to avoid the panic children and parents had experienced trying to be reunited after a recent Spokane School District 81 concert. "Let's finish by giving a big, `Yeah, God!' to the Lord," Wittwer said. "Let's just applaud him." The crowd clapped and cheered. Down by the stage, ushers passed out free Bibles to newcomers, and two little boys in plaid vests danced to the electric guitar and drums.

Copyright 1996 Cowles Publishing Company
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