c. 2000 Religious News Service

WASHINGTON _ When her husband knelt down and kissed the feet of her son, Paula Lubrano enthusiastically waved her hands in praise to God.

The scene on the National Mall on Saturday (Sept. 2) was replayed across the famous stretch of grass in an emotional act of reconciliation during TheCallDC, a multicultural, interdenominational event that drew Christian teens and adults from across the country for a day to dedicate themselves to spiritual renewal.

“As my husband prayed for my son, it’s like all the angry words and all the distance became a thing of the past,” said Lubrano, 40, who attends a nondenominational charismatic church in Farmington, Conn.

Tens of thousands of Christians _ mostly young, white and charismatic _ filled the sections of the Mall nearest the U.S. Capitol for a 12-hour period of prayer, preaching and songs. Often, many in the crowd raised their arms skyward, and sometimes they prayed in tongues, with “Jesus” the only recognizable word in their utterances of praise.

Like other events that have brought Christian groups to the Mall in recent years, the focus was on repentance for past sins and hopes for future evangelism. But this gathering moved beyond issues of racial and denominational reconciliation to emphasize speakers’ belief in the need for healing between the generations.

“’Til we turn to one another, the world will not know Jesus,” said Rich Manley, executive director of CampusWave, a nondenominational ministry in Chico, Calif., that encourages youth to be Christian examples on their junior high and high school campuses.

He urged parents to stop reading their newspapers and fingering their remote controls and spend more time with their children.

“We’ve gone from lap time to laptop,” he said.

Promise Keepers President Bill McCartney, who spearheaded the “Stand in the Gap” event that filled the Mall with evangelical Christians in 1997, got down on his knees onstage and washed and kissed the feet of his 27-year-old son, Marc, as an example for others to follow.

“It’s time for the men to humble themselves, to take a posture as Jesus taught us,” he said.

Marco Lubrano, who kissed the feet of his 21-year-old stepson Brad McAlister, said he took the action in hopes of building reconciliation in his family.

“Things that were wrong in the past, hopefully they will be right in the future, with the help of the Lord,” the 40-year-old man said.

McAlister said he was overwhelmed by the act, which he said would help improve relations with his stepdad.

“It meant a lot for him to take that first step,” he said. “It was incredible, and also I looked at it as an act of intercession for families all around the country.”

The recognition that passed from generation to generation went beyond relatives to young people attending with youth leaders and even a perfect stranger who felt compelled to kiss the ankles of two nearby children sitting in strollers.

Beyond reconciling the generations, Che Ahn, master of ceremonies and organizer of TheCall, emphasized the inclusion of teens in future ministry efforts.

“The boomer generation, we’re saying now it’s your turn to transform cities and states, nations for Jesus Christ,” the Pasadena, Calif., pastor, said near the conclusion of the all-day event. “Right now, we pass the baton to you, the baton of the mantle of leadership.”

Speakers known for their campus ministries shared the podium with students who spoke enthusiastically about their faith. Elijah Sung, a young speaker with a Bible in his hand and an earring in his ear, led the crowd in kneeling on the ground in prayer.

When the event was hit with a rainy downpour, most of the crowd stayed put,using umbrellas and trash bags to attempt to keep dry. Often, they seemed unfazed when their Christian T-shirts _ advertising TheCall or emblazoned with slogans such as “Life is Short. Pray Hard.” _ were soaked to their skin.

Darrell and Craig Scott, the father and brother of Columbine High School shooting victim Rachel Scott, led the passing of a torch through part of the crowd as the thunder rolled. Craig, now a junior at the Littleton, Colo., high school, urged the audience to be compassionate toward fellow youngsters who may not be popular.

“Kick-start a revolution by touching other kids’ hearts, by being Jesus Christ to them,” he said. “You might be the only Jesus Christ they know.”

As the mostly youthful audience was urged by young and old speakers from the stage to evangelize their schools and the world, some said they felt emboldened to be more outspoken about their faith.

Joy Martinez, a 24-year-old graduate student from Baltimore said it was “awesome” to have well-known speakers like charismatic evangelist Benny Hinn of California say they believe that “our generation is going to make a difference.”

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Campus Crusade for Christ President Bill Bright voiced his support for plans announced at the gathering for young people to fast and pray from Sept. 20 _ the day students pray for their schools and their country at “See You at the Pole” events _ through Oct. 29.

Walt Mueller, president of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding in Elizabethtown, Penn., welcomed the efforts to bridge the generational gap.

“This is the first organized movement of that type that I’m aware of,” he said in an interview just before the event. “I think it should happen on a large-scale level all across the country at the community level and on a smaller level in individual homes.”

The decade-old evangelical organization has found that Christian students and parents seek advice on ways to enjoy time together, communicate better and learn what the Bible says about parent-child relationships.

“My concern about this thing would be … that it not stop with a public display” Mueller said of TheCall.

Organizers of TheCall said they already have made plans to foster the generational ties that have been renewed through the event. They have created a Web site (http://www.livethecall.com) and are planning a multiple-city tour this fall that will continue to spread the message of the day across the country.

“If two generations can’t reconcile, everything that we’re talking about becomes irrelevant,” Manley said in an interview. “The youth have the zeal, the vision and the passion, but the fathers have the wisdom, the authority, the resources.”

Manley, like other attendees at TheCall, expressed hope that the event would not be a single-day spiritual emphasis, but rather, the catalyst for more evangelistic work by teens.

Charles Riley, a chaperone for a youth group from an Assemblies of God church in Brenham, Texas, said over the course of the day he saw an increasing resolve to be more involved in praying for others and telling friends on campus about Jesus.

“They’re actually saying, `Look, it’s my turn.’ It’s not just for adults. It’s not for this generation. It’s for all generations.”

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