In an incredibly rare moment for the ultra-secular state of Oregon, thousands of people made the decision to follow Jesus at a rally held in Portland, with the total attendance for the event surpassing 35,000, according to the organizers, who praised God for working in one of the country’s most spiritually dark areas.
For background, in early August 2025, PDX Crusade kicked off its multi-day evangelistic event at Portland’s Moda Center. The event drew thousands of people from the surrounding areas, and it included worship from artists like Chris Tomlin, Taya, Anne Wilson, and numerous others. Organized by Athey Creek Church in West Linn, Oregon, the crusade led over 3,200 people to declare their faith in Christ.
During the event, Pastor Brett Meador shared the good news of Jesus with the crowd of thousands, saying, “We live in a town where darkness is all around us… If you live here, you feel it – how desperately people need to believe in Jesus that they may find hope. We need to see our town, our city, and our whole country come out of the darkness and into the light.”
Continuing, Pastor Meador told the crowd, “Anyone who confess with their mouth and believes in their heart on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us that you’ll be saved.” He added, “Your sins are forgiven. Doesn’t mean that your life’s gonna be perfect or rosy, but it means that you’re gonna have that peace that only comes through Christ.”
Leading the thousands at the event who made the decision to become Christians, Pastor Meador said a simple prayer: “Dear Father in Heaven, I admit that I’m a sinner. I want to come out of the darkness and into Your light. So I believe in Your Son Jesus Christ. I believe that He died on the cross for my sins, that He rose up from the grave, and that I’m forgiven. Help me to walk with You. Thank You for saving me, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”
Speaking to KLove about the event, Pastor Meador said that he was confident that “the Lord’s doing a great work in Portland,” adding, “But we have more work to do, and that’s why it’s important for us to declare that He is the light of the world.” Moreover, Athey Creek Executive Pastor Rick Anderson said that the church is considering making the crusade a yearly event.
In addition, Anderson expressed optimism for Portland’s future following the crusade, saying, “If the city of Portland reflects back and recognizes that this was a catalyst for reviving the church… and really bringing the love of Jesus to a lost and desperate world, we’re going to consider that a success.” Likewise, an attendee of the crusade said that he had seen “a number of different people over these last few months and years that are moving from different areas to the [Willamette] Valley, because they feel like there’s some sort of revival taking place.”
Featured image credit: Shutterstock