By Eric Connolly

Thirteen-thousand people a day, 60 bands, four nights of camping, fire pinwheels, worship and conversations about God.

These were part of the experience for the 90-plus people in the Diocese of Helena delegation at Creation Northwest, an ecumenical Christian music festival July 20-23 in Enumclaw, Wash.

Also called Creation Fest, Creation Northwest takes place annually, began in 1998 and is similar to the older Creation Northeast, this year held June 29-July 2 in Mount Union, Pa.

“Creation Fest is an amazing, awesomely awesome music festival that really has God everywhere you look,” said Miranda LeMieux, a youth participant from Helena. “You just have to listen in the right way.”

To get there, the Diocese of Helena contingent went to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, teamed up with a group and then traveled across Washington in a caravan of nearly 20 cars. Creation Northwest usually is at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, Wash., but the 2010 festival was at the Enumclaw Expo Center.

En route to Enumclaw, conversation focused on the bands that would play, particularly headliners Switchfoot, The Newsboys, Toby Mac and Skillet, and on the ecumenical dialogue sure to occur.

“I think it’s really important for the youth to be able to dialogue with other Christians,” said Kelly Ruby, youth minister at Bozeman’s Holy Rosary and Resurrection parishes. “It not only breaks down misconceptions about the Catholic Church, but it makes us think critically about who we are as Catholics.”

The daily Mass celebrated at the campsite and the Creation Northwest speakers together provided a unique and diverse learning experience.

“You get closer to God and listen to all the different voices here,” said Jesse Jordan, a youth participant from Missoula. “It’s pretty intense. You meet new people and you’re all worshipping the same God.”

The festival featured 60 bands on three stages, plus merchandise booths and food stands. Especially popular with the Diocese of Helena group: a slip-and-slide put together spur of the moment on the second day of camping. Large pieces of black Visqueen plastic sheeting were staked to the ground, and with dish soap and ice-cold water spread on them, the middle of camp had a makeshift water park just right for human slipping and sliding.

Organizers of the Diocese of Helena group that went to Creation Northwest say the reasons for participating go beyond the music, the fellowship and the fun.

“As parents of kids in our group, it’s hard sometimes to find opportunities to connect family and faith,” said chaperone and parent Rita Pfau of Stevensville. “It’s a wonderful way to come as a chaperone, to come as a parent, to come with your child, to maybe experience some things that you might not experience given some other avenue of sharing.”

Even with the 13,000 people, the bands, the camping and the pinwheels of fire at the band Skillet’s concert, a deeper message stood out as the festival came to a close.

“Creation Fest is celebrating Jesus through music,” Pfau said, “Sometimes you can’t find language to share with each other,but music is inspired by someone else and that language can kind of connect everybody.”

“Everybody feels a message in their heart in their own way.”


Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 26, No. 8, August 20, 2010.