Five years after the last Ichthus music festival was held near Wilmore, a similar event is planned on the Servant Heart Farm property.
It is not a re-creation of Ichthus, but, a brand new contemporary Christian music event.
The first River Rock music festival is scheduled for September 15th and 16th on the old Ichthus grounds.
Lexington Bethel Harvest Worship Arts Pastor Rory Comtois says he was inspired to coordinate such an event more than a year ago. He urges fans of the nation’s first Christian music festival to come out this fall to support this one.
“We’re hoping that people that went to Ichthus will get fire again in them and go I want to bring my kids to be a part of something like this,” said Comtois.
The lineup for the River Rock festival includes well-known performers like the Newsboys, Jeremy Camp, and Hawk Nelson. Comtois envisions most of the music coming from one, maybe two stages.
Comtois says, while on vacation last year, Kentucky Governor Bevin and his family attended a River Rock festival in Maine. “He said. ' Man, I’d really love to see like this in Kentucky.' And it was just after a week of our first initial conversation about doing the festival here in Kentucky, within seven days or so,” noted Comtois.
The Lexington church leader views this new endeavor as an opportunity for people to build relationships. He admits that’s not always found among religious communities.
“A lot of places we don’t see unity in churches, which is sad but, we’re praying that this will also bring unity with the churches and Christians and unity in people man that right now the world needs more than anything,” Comtois said.
Comtois hopes River Rock will become an annual event with future aspirations for a separate festival focusing on "worship bands like Hillsong and Jesus Culture."
River Rock is not affiliated with the former Ichthus ministries. Asbury University Spokesman Brad Johnson said the Wilmore Christian school has bought the Ichthus name and rights.
Johnson adds at this time and for the foreseeable future, Asbury has no plans to rejuvenate anything “Ichthus.”
