Yes… I’m working for Easterfest

It really has been way too long since I’ve written a proper update… so here goes.  I’ve been back in Australia now for nearly two months.  It’s been great catching up with my family and helping my little sister prepare for her wedding which is next weekend!  She turns 21 tomorrow and then gets married next Saturday.  She’s officially declared this to be the ‘Month all about Cindy!’

So what am I up too?   Alabaster Box are taking a much needed sabbatical after nearly eleven years on the road.  Naarah is also expecting another little one in January!  Mitchy’s gonna love having a little brother or sister.  He got caught holding a dolly yesterday!    Naarah is also about to release a solo project.  I’m sure I’ll have more info on that real soon.

So just two weeks ago I joined the  Easterfest team as their marketing person till May.   Easterfest is one of the biggest Christian music festivals in the southern hemisphere that literally engages a city over the Easter long weekend.  The park in the centre of town is literally transformed into a tent city… tens of thousands of people flock to Toowoomba from all over Queensland, New South Wales and beyond.  Coffee shops, cafes, cinemas, shopping centres and even pubs in town are filled with Christian music as ‘Easterfest City’  spreads into the public arena.  It’s truly an organisational masterpiece if ever I have seen one – even compared to US festivals I’ve had the privilege of going to.  Someone made up a highlight video here if you want to check it out.

In early 2000, as I was sitting in our church’s ‘Good Friday’ service at Minden I remember being completely distracted by the rain that was bucketing down.  It had been raining on and off all week and although I didn’t yet even have anything to do with Easterfest I respected the work the team would have been doing to try and set up the festival in the rain.  I could just sense how stressful it would have been and I remember feeling burdened to pray that God would stop the rain so the festival could go on and not be rained out.  From memory, I believe by the time the festival started after lunch the rain had diminished and it was a perfectly fine weekend.  I take NO credit for the answered prayer I know I was just joining thousands of pleas for fine weather!

Another interesting story… in 2002, I organised a concert for Alabaster Box in Ipswich.  The concert ended up having a huge response from people and drew quite a good crowd – which was quite unexpected for this particular area… God’s hand however, was all over it.  I’m not sure I’ve sensed the presence of God so tangibly at a concert since.  It truly was amazing and humbling experience.  Anyway, (I’m kinda embarrassed to admit it now!) but I remember being nervous when Isaac Moody (now my boss) rocked up to the show and wanted to meet me and back then talked about me being involved with Easterfest (previously called AGMF)!   I guess I’d always respected his vision and event organisation!  I ended up just helping out part time around the festival and joining Alabaster Box full time.

So it’s great to be joining a team of people I’ve known for years and think are awesome and I love how God used those little moments to prepare me for this time… even though I’ve never done a PR degree and feel quite under-qualified for a ‘marketing job!’    I really look forward to traveling all over Queensland and New South Wales connecting with pastors, youth pastors and Chappy’s about the festival.  Especially because I love our country!   So I’d appreciate your prayer for the Easterfest ‘season’.   Plan in April to come!