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ReignDown USA, Brownback draw crowd to prayer movement

Event leader says 'the Lord is alive and well' in Topeka, state

Corey Jones
The ReignDown Worship Team infuses the crowd of several hundred people gathered Saturday afternoon with spirit during a Christian rock song at McLennan Park for a religious service.

For about three hours Saturday, Topeka held the eyes, ears, hearts and souls of followers of Jesus Christ throughout the nation and world as host of a religious movement within a stone’s throw of the governor’s mansion.

Several hundred believers gathered for a celebration at MacLennan Park inside a large white tent before a simple stage that would transmit music and gospel from 3 to 6 p.m. to a projected 25 million to 30 million people across the globe via television and Internet.

ReignDown USA, a worship and prayer movement, welcomed Topekans and Gov. Sam Brownback with open arms and joyous spirits to pray for repentance, humility and unity.

“It is so great to be in Kansas,” — said the Rev. Walt Kallestad, a co-creator of the movement — “the heart of America, the heart of the nation.”

Kallestad noted that Jesus had 12 disciples he mobilized and empowered and then sent forth to change the world. Kallestad said there is no reason with the size of the crowd in front of him, and the many watching around the world, that they, too, can’t leave an indelible mark upon the Earth.

“The presence and the spirit of the Lord is alive and well in Topeka and Kansas,” he said.

An inspirational and uplifting aura marked the celebration as Kallestad, pastor of a Glendale, Ariz., church, and his daughter, Shawn-Marie Cole, also a co-creator, interspersed Christian rock music from the ReignDown Worship Team with religious remarks, prayer and passages from the Gospel.

Folding chairs lined the inside of the tent, though some areas were covered with blankets and pillows for sitting. Overflow chairs were placed outside.

Two large screens were set up on either end of the stage for the viewing of those inside. Lyrics to songs were displayed on the screens as people sang in praise. Others remained more reserved outwardly.

When Cole passionately prayed for repentance, some in the crowd became emotional as they stood, while others took to their knees.

Organizers said no public funds were used for the ReignDown USA event, the fourth in a series that began in 2008 in Washington, D.C. The others took place in 2009 in Minneapolis and 2010 in New Bedford, Mass.

The movement’s vision is to join the country in worship, prayer, and repentance and seek God’s mercy. The Topeka event was telecast live on Dish Network Channel 458 and the Internet at www.ReignDownUSA.com.

Brownback was introduced by Cole about an hour into the programming.

“Let’s repent, get before God,” she said. “You have a man, a leader, willing to do that.”

Brownback then walked front and center amid spirited applause.

“What a beautiful tent full of beautiful people,” he said.

The governor spoke for about 10 minutes, touching on 9/11 and the phrase “In God We Trust” as it pertains to the country and his wish that God be with it.

He also conveyed a personal story about his journey to Christ. In 1995 after being diagnosed with cancer, Brownback said he searched for something real he “could hold on to.” He thought of what was dear to himself — his farm, parents, children — and knew none would last forever.

“I finally reached up and said, ‘God, this life’s yours.’ It started a great adventure,” he said.

Brownback ended his time on stage praying for forgiveness of his sins, while also asking forgiveness of man’s sins, like broken treaties with Native Americans and slavery, or generalizations, such as greed and lust.

“I pray this as a child of God, I pray this as a sinful man, I pray this as somebody in the position of governor in the state of Kansas, I pray this in the name of Jesus,” he said.

Joyce Cowsert, 65, of Topeka, attended with a friend after hearing about it through her church. Cowsert said God sent her to the gathering. To be part of such a sizable movement was a “huge blessing.”

“There’s nothing like worshipping with a bunch of believers,” she said.

Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., traveled to the capital city specifically to take part. The crowd dropped to its knees as the elected official prayed for members of Congress, judges, President Barack Obama and other leaders.

“We’re not here to point fingers,” Franks said. “We just desperately need God.”