'Joy Took Over the Streets': Christians Come Together in Portland During 'Riots to Revival'

Andrea Morris
08-09-2020

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Thousands of people united in Portland, Oregon Saturday night for praise, worship, and to hear Bethel Music's Sean Feucht speak.

Feucht told Fox News that a crowd of 4,000-7,000 worshippers showed up at Waterfront Park for the "Riots to Revival" event in an effort to heal the brokenness that has affected Americans.

"White, Black, Hispanic – we came and released our song of hope over this city," Feucht said. "People gave their life to Jesus. Hundreds of people. We baptized people in the river behind us. There was so much joy that took over the streets of that city last night."

Images from the gathering show most people not wearing a mask. When questioned about the lack of pandemic precautions being taken, many attendees didn't seem too concerned. 

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"My faith is in God," one person said. "Not fear of COVID-19. I'm good."

"We're not big mask people so it doesn't bother us," another person said.

While these worshippers were seeking God to spread His hope and healing, across town rioters were tearing down the city in sharp contrast.

A few miles away from the worship site, protesters destroyed a fence, vandalized a dumpster, and then set it on fire. 

Rioters moved over to the Portland Police Association building where their destructive path continued. After breaking a window, they entered the building and intentionally started a fire. Police declared the scene a riot and urged everyone to leave the area.

"A riot was declared after a group broke into the @PPAVigil offices, started a fire, and continued to feed the fire more fuel. This is a terribly dangerous situation. Officers moved the crowd so the fire could be extinguished before it could grow out of control."

Several arrests were made after protesters threw glass bottles and paint balloons at the police, injuring three officers and sending two of them to the hospital. 

Protests over racial injustice and police brutality have gone on for nearly 75 days in Portland, leaving many wondering when these persistent and at times violent demonstrations will end.

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About The Author

Andrea Morris
Andrea
Morris

Andrea Morris is a Features Producer for The 700 Club. She came to CBN in 2019 where she worked as a web producer in the news department for three years. Her passion was always to tell human interest stories that would touch the hearts of readers while connecting them with God. She transitioned into her new role with The 700 Club in August 2022.
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