Fairgrounds site of HOPE FEST August 3

Family fun for all ages; motivational speaker coming

 

IMLAY CITY — A little over a year ago, Lisa Super says, “the Lord gave me an understanding. And all I knew is that there was to be a Christian outreach event at the (Eastern Michigan State) fairgrounds under one of the tents and it was to include all people, including our Spanish population.”

Her vision has developed into planning for the first ever Thumb Area HOPE FEST, on Saturday, August 3 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the fairgrounds.

Super says the event will have family fun for everyone including games, prizes, a bounce house, food trucks, giveaways along with informational tables and speakers.

“We are going to have live music (from 6 to 8 p.m.), messages of hope, in English and Spanish from our special speaker. Around the same time as we first started thinking about this, I found out about Justin Fahrenbruch and got his contact info. I contacted him, and I said ‘I’m not sure why I’m calling you, but hopefully I will find out.’”

And by the end of her conversation, she knew he was to be the speaker at the fairgrounds. Since that time, Super has taken the time to listen to his messages several times.

“He is called to many places, , from Saginaw to Flint to Lapeer to Vassar to Sandusky to Deckerville to Port Huron,” Super explained. “He was a drug addict for many years, and his life story and testimony and revelations from the Lord are amazing.”

In planning the event, Super stated, “I contacted him in February or March 2023, and I thought I was supposed to do something that year, so I contacted the fairgrounds and they really only had one date available in October and I would need to share the fairgrounds.”

The struggle to secure a location continued, causing Super to check with the speaker.

“I contacted another other organization to see if they were willing and I went to a meeting, but they did not want any Christian overtones and that’s what this whole event is about, so I knew that that door closed.”

She decided to chat with Justin and “we knew that God wanted it the next year in the summer, so I tried to contact the fairgrounds several times and finally was able to in February/ March and there was only a few dates open and August 3 was the only one that really worked.”

Super said she is thankful she had the time, the place, and the main speaker, and she knew it was supposed to be absolutely family oriented and include the Spanish people.

“One of the first things I had to do is come up with a name for this event, it really just took a day or two. I was praying about the people all around us. So many have brokenness, discouragement, depression and lasting negative effects of Covid and what’s happening in our country and the world! And what is dear to my heart is the children, the adults too, but the beautiful children. The word Hope kept resonating with me. And so that is why the event is named Hope Fest!!”

To put a day like this together has been trying, Super said.

“But God has definitely gone before me and has provided in many extraordinary ways!! Countless decisions needed to be made, and I have spent every waking moment that I have had, when not helping others, to coordinate this!”

Since the organizing began, Super says she has had a handful of people come alongside her since late May to help with the planning. “This has grown to beyond our community to have people helping from Sandusky and Deckerville and Vassar! So it is truly a regional event,” Super explained.

Organizers are hoping to have more people come alongside them, possibly for volunteering or possibly having a table for their organization or their ministry.

Super says since no one organization is putting the event on, they could use donations of prizes or food or gifts for giveaways.