San Diego will host a dynamic new countywide praise and prayer event called Heal Our Land on Saturday evening, Oct. 25, at the new 10,000-seat Cox Arena at San Diego State University.
A line-up of guest artists including original Heal Our Landrecording soloists Leon Patillo, Rick and Cathy Riso, Jamie Owens Collins and Tata Vega will be supported by a local mass choir expected to be close to 1,000 people.
The event is being brought to San Diego by churches across the county and the organizers of San Diego’s first March for Jesus.
Heal Our Land, an uplifting celebration of praise and prayer for our nation, is written by Grammy-nominated Christian composers Jimmy and Carol Owens, with additional songs by Jamie Owens Collins. Known worldwide for their widely performed productions including If My People, Come Together, and The Witness, the Owens’ will be part of San Diego’s Heal Our Land. The original recording band will also be participating. Heal Our Land is becoming a national movement, having recently been produced in over 100 cities, with San Diego’s production being viewed as a possible model for an interchurch countywide event, and the largest Heal Our Land planned yet.
The Heal Our Land mass choir will have its first rehearsal on Monday, Aug. 18, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Mission Valley Nazarene Church, 4750 Mission Gorge Place. Participants may register at the rehearsal, or in advance by calling 586-0400 and requesting a choir registration flyer. Individuals who like to sing or entire choirs may participate, as long as space is available. Prompt registration is encouraged, and participation is confirmed at a rehearsal. The choir is expected to span various age groups, with a minimum age of 14. Only four two-hour rehearsals are involved. Rehearsal tapes and songbooks may be purchased by mass choir participants for $5 and $3 at the rehearsals. For bulk order information, call the Heal Our Land-San Diego office at (619) 586-0400.
The Heal Our Land production will include uplifting new songs led by eight guest soloists and the mass choir, prayer narrative by composer Jimmy Owens and the Rev. Ed Smith of the Trinity Broadcasting Network, succinct scripted prayers by various local pastors, and audience participation. Dr. Paul Cedar, chairman of Mission America, will also participate in the program. Heal Our Land is designed to spur ongoing prayer and concerted action for sharing the goodness of Jesus with others. Plans are already in the works by another inter-church ministry group for a Christmas season evangelism program to follow the Heal Our Land musical event.
Recently opened, the new oval-shaped, indoor Cox Arena at San Diego State has been designed for entertainment and sports events. Tickets for Heal Our Land are $5 general admission, and extensive free parking is available adjacent to the arena. Tickets are available at the SDSU Box Office during the week and through Ticketmaster (619-220-TIXS). Ask for “Heal Our Land at San Diego State University.” Free passes for children under 12 who will be attending the event with their family are available by calling the Heal Our Land-San Diego office at (619) 586-0400, limit two per family, as long as they last. Doors open 6 p.m. with pre-event music at 6:30 p.m., and Heal Our Land at 7 p.m.
Says Heal Our Land-San Diego Chairman Jane Crane, who founded March for Jesus in San Diego, “I can sense God’s hand orchestrating Heal Our Land for His good purposes countywide, just as He did those marches. Our interchurch steering committee and I believe that God is in this!”
Heal Our Land is endorsed by Christian leaders including Dr. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ; Jack Hayford, senior pastor of Church on the Way; Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth With A Mission; David Bryant, president of Concerts of Prayer; and Dr. Paul Cedar, the chairman of Mission America, a coalition of over 200 national Christian leaders networking together for the gospel, with honorary co-chairs Billy Graham and Dr. Bill Bright. Heal Our Land is produced in association with Mission America. For more information, call the Heal Our Land-San Diego office at (619) 586-0400.
