By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

DESTREHAN – St. Charles United Methodist Church in Destrehan hosted a Christian Music Festival on the church grounds Saturday, which proved to be a fun family getaway despite the drizzle.
The Christian Music Festival is a spinoff of the church’s annual Family Fall Festival. Church officials decided to add in the music element last year after an event sponsored by LifeSongs Christian Radio, a Christian Music Showdown, brought a new level of public participation with fans of the performing Christian bands attending to support their favorite group.
Representatives of LifeSongs Radio hand-picked three area bands to perform at the event: Crave, In His Company and Dwight and Crucified.
Mike Bonstaff’s Academy of Tae Kwon Do and Johanna Jazz in Motion Dance Academy performed in between musical acts on the main stage. Ministry coordinator Gwen Keller said the event also featured a pie-eating contest, all-day game and inflatable passes for children, an arts and crafts table manned by a local Girl Scout troupe, prizes from local vendors and delicious concessions.
“It started out as a fun day for our church members, and it’s kind of grown to inviting our neighbors. The focus is still to provide a fun day for family activities with a Christian slant, because we are a church and you can go to a festival any weekend in this area. The Christian music is kind of speaking of what we stand for here, to promote that we are believers in Christ,” said Keller.