Dec. 12, 2002: At Thiruvalla Public Stadium in Thiruvalla, Kerala, India
Reviews by: Jason Jacob, Shyam Mohan, and Vin M. Varghese
To see some great pictures from this concert, click here.
Review by: Jason Jacob
I was there at the PETRA show at Thiruvalla and it was splendid. I really enjoyed myself and I was really touched by the way the PETRA team was worshipping the Lord amidst the excellent songs that they were singing. I was also touched by the words that John Schillit used to talk about the love of Christ and the songs that they chose. They were extrememly appropriate. I am sure they were lead by the Spirit in their choice of songs.
Tell them that they are doing a wonderful job and that they are bringing Glory to God among a section of society that is tough to approach with the gospel.
Review by: Shyam Mohan
From the crowd's point of view, I can guarantee you that every person, young and old, responded to the band very well. They were dancing to Petra tunes. About 12,000 people attended the show. The crowd was stunned by the arrangements we made at the ground. It was south India's best show. Well, I could guess the surprised looks in Greg and Quinton's faces. I'm sure they neverĘ guessed that we would even know a single song. Well we were singing along with all the songs. Hehehe, we grew up with Petra songs. I wonder whether they were thinking "we should have come here a LONG time ago."
I tasted God's mercy in this show. I have never seen such sweet people in my life. Greg played a bass solo for me during their sound check. I guess his bass is custom made. I wanted to ask the fret board mesurements. But unfortunately, I couldn't dine with them because of certain commitments I made for the post-dinner.
John Schlitt is a sweet heart. He dined and mingled with our ministry kids and didn't THEY have a ball! Greg and Quinton looked a little out of place, maybe because they thought that we knew only Louie and John. I wanted to spend some time with Greg, and our lead guitarist wanted to spend time with Quinton, but we couldnt make it.
I talked to Louie a little bit. He is also a sweet heart.
Altogether, we were blessed. I love Petra and their ministry. I wanted to honor them, because Petra had a BIG influence on our ministry.
Review by: Vin M. Varghese
Greetings in the most awesome name of Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
"Petra Live in Thiruvalla" was an amazing experience for one and all who attended the concert. Believers were treated to arguably the best sound and lights in India, supporting one of the greatest Christian music acts ever!!! Praise the Lord.
The band performed Petra classics like "Judas Kiss," "Beyond Belief," "Praying Man," "Enter In"; a couple of songs from their praise and worship albums like "We Need Jesus" and "Ancient Of Days"; and songs from their latest album "Revival." Petra signed off encouraging the large group of Christians with a "back to the street" message about ministering the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Personally, I have not seen such a large gathering of youth for a specifically youth program in Thiruvalla. In all probability it's a first for Kerala. Throughout the performance, John shared the unique privilege of being Christian and let the songs speak for themselves. I was particularly impressed by his God-given tact and awareness of where they were ministering. A Hindu journalist came up to me in the gallery after the concert and asked me about the words of the song "Show Your Power." He was thrilled by the concert and expressed a great appreciation for Christians and Christ.
There was a HUGE crowd outside the stadium (on roof tops, even!). When the concert was about half over, the authorities decided to let the people in. About 11,000 came in, according to the newspapers. Total attendance was around 13,000-15,000.
I want to extend Parra Ministries' gratitude to those who helped us in this endeavor. Your valuable prayers and support in ticket sales, sheer man power, and funds have literally made this program possible. Please pray that there will be no loose ends left behind in any department from finances/bills to stadium cleanup.
For us the concert can be summed up in these words: "Beyond Belief" and "the power of a Praying Man."