c. 1999 Religion News Service

PORT AUSTIN, Mich. _ Word has gone out to all the world that Port Austin College of Advanced Bible Study in this sleepy village of about 800 will be the site next weekend of what’s being heralded as the”Christian Woodstock.” Well, not all the world.

Village officials learned most of what they know from a visiting reporter, even though the free, three-day outdoor event has been trumpeted in the international editions of USA Today. It’s financed by five businessmen, four of whom prefer to remain anonymous. “We figured if God is behind it, he’ll bless it,”said the fifth, Glen Goslin, an Oakland County, Mich., businessman and president of the new college.”If he’s not, then we laid an egg.” Organizers don’t know what to expect, even though Goslin says they’re prepared for 15,000 visitors after full-page invitations were published in USA Today.

Port Austin College is a nondenominational Christian college that will open Oct. 4 with up to 50 students; next fall up to 225 students could attend, Goslin said.

For next weekend’s concert, a 2,000-square-foot stage has been built. Portable toilets have been ordered. Goslin said he bought 5,000 cans of pop and bottled water, which will be sold for 50 cents each.

But just days ago, there were no plans to sell T-shirts or any other souvenirs.”We haven’t even thought of that,”said Goslin, 47.

That isn’t all Goslin and his friends haven’t thought of, according to local residents.

Until a reporter from Lansing visited last week, several local business owners, village officials and others knew very little about the concert, the college or its founders. “I’m a little bit embarrassed that people from Lansing came here to tell me what’s going on a mile and a half down the road,”said Diane Ellicot, executive director of the Greater Port Austin Area Chamber of Commerce.

Port Austin is located at the tip of the Michigan”thumb.”The biggest event this year for the village was the Fourth of July fireworks show, which attracted about 8,000 people, Ellicot said.

A fireworks display scheduled for this weekend will use 16-inch shells, bigger than the fireworks the village launched in July. “Sixteen-inch shells?”Ellicot said.”Do you know how much that costs? They run $500 _ each!” Ellicot hadn’t seen the newspaper ads and hadn’t met Goslin, though she has had telephone inquiries about the college.

Port Austin Mayor pro tem Tony Fisher said the community is ill-prepared to handle a post-Labor Day crush. “I just can’t understand why such a large undertaking in a small community is not being verbalized,”said Fisher, a former newspaper editor.”What’s the secret? They’ve advertised internationally, but how about an ad in the local paper to tell us what’s going on?” Goslin said the college didn’t want any publicity _ he says he was too busy readying the college to answer questions _ until now. “I know three people are coming _ me, my wife and daughter,”he said.”I don’t know how many others are coming.” The newspaper ads cite biblical research conducted by scholars who will work at the college that shows Jesus’ birthday is Sept. 11.

In addition to concerts and fireworks, visitors will worship, listen to biblical law presentations and recite the Lord’s Prayer at 12:30 a.m. Sunday.

On Friday, the schedule includes free concerts by Christian contemporary singers Paul Kyle and Joshua Koepp. Brother’s Keeper, Bob Carlisle and Michael English are scheduled on Saturday.

The five Bloomfield Hills businessmen have personally financed the college _ they are renovating buildings from the former Air Force radar station at the site _ as well as the concert.

They won’t talk about what they’ve spent, but the ads alone cost $276,000.

The five are not religious fanatics, Goslin said. “We have a relationship with God. We wanted to do something different.” Eds: Further information is available from the college at (517) 738-5000 or at two Web sites: http://www.jesusbirth.com or http://www.portaustin.org)

DEA END SCHULZ