---

Allison Kolarik, 34, a former Asbury Park resident who now resides in Long Branch, said she was called to action after researching the highly publicized Festival of Life, a six-day evangelical gathering, sponsored by Revival Today.

Billed as a live music event with contests, giveaways and activities for kids, the 6 p.m. nightly gathering is a part of Oakdale, Pennsylvania-based Pastor Jonathan Shuttlesworth’s crusade events held across North America, India, the Caribbean, and Central and South Africa.

Flyers advertising opportunities to win a car, a cruise for two, cash prizes, yankee tickets, laptops and ipads, and Nintendo Switch games have been widely distributed across the triCity region.  

“I found one of them stuck to my mailbox,” Kolarik said. “It looked so innocent, but then I saw the Twitter feeds.”  

The Asbury Park creative, who works as a graphic designer and muralist, said she became more and more incensed as she researched the evangelical pastor and his mission crusade, which is being held June 24 to 29 at in Bradley Park, located along Ocean Avenue at Fifth Street.

By Monday afternoon she posted an LGBTQ support community call to action via social media that read, in part:

“There is a homophobic, transphobic, anti-islam, anti-woman evangelical “church” organization en route to #Asbury Park this weekend,” the 34-year-old wrote. “This traveling evangelist freak show is bringing it’s message of hate and oppression under the guise of a ‘festival of life’ to Bradley Park, where #PRIDE is usually held…”

Within 24 hours, over 1,000 people responded with interest to her call for a peaceful counter protest, beginning at 5:45 pm on June 24.

“My hope is that people will show up all week but I know people have lives,” she said. “I want a presence there, I want to show Mr Shuttlesworth that we do not preach messages of hate in Asbury Park; not one single church.”

In a September 2017 Star News article, a young woman who grew up in Shuttleworth’s father’s congregation, gave a personal account that said in part:

“Jonathan Shuttlesworth has posted public statements condemning marriage equality, the Pope, and Muslims. His online revival-tent videos are reminiscent of the “camp meeting” experiences I had as a teen that did so much damage to how I have viewed myself, and how I thought of God as constantly judging me. I don’t want that fearful, guilt-ridden experience for anybody.”

And in an August 2017 WHYY article, a reporter covering his Camden crusade wrote:  

“Less understandable was that Shuttlesworth, a staunch Donald Trump supporter who called homosexuality, Islam, and both Democratic and Republican parties “wicked” in a January sermon that appears on his organization’s Facebook page, had been warmly welcomed by Camden politicians. In the same video, Shuttlesworth opposed taxation; called Planned Parenthood an “enemy;” argued that churches and not government should help the poor; and contended that colleges are training grounds “to hate private wealth, to hate individual freedom and to just be a tool of the state.”

Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn said she immediately became inundated with questions and concerns from members of the diverse community, asking how this could happen in a progressive town that has seen a resurgence in its development and its arts and cultural offerings.

Quinn, who voted to approve the festival, said when the application was presented to the City Council in February, they had no idea it was associated with Shuttlesworth, who referred to homosexuality as ‘being bound by a wicked spirit’ in a taped sermon posted in August 2015 via social media.

“An application submitted by Pastor Lyddale Akins, a community leader I had respected very much, was approved initially by the Special Events Committee then the City Council,” she said. “Jonathan Shuttlesworth was not mentioned on the application, nor was his rhetoric regarding the LGBTQ community. Asbury Park has worked hard to have open, healing dialogues among the very diverse population here. Speakers like this don’t facilitate relationships between our communities. I am disappointed on a lot of levels.”

But Akins, who has participated in and hosted many community events, like the Annual National Night Out, said there is no message of hate coming from anyone associated with the religious gathering.

“It wasn’t a message of hate,” Akins said in a Tuesday afternoon interview. “He was preaching against sin; it is actually scripture. Listen, I preach against sin; not what I classify as sin. I don’t classify lying or gluttony as sin, the bible classifies it.”

Akins’ Triumphant Life Church sponsors the weekend carnivals that feature rides and fair fare in Bradley Park throughout the summer season. He said he was introduced to the Festival of Life by Glad Tidings Assembly of God Pastor Jason Scarci, whose church is located on Asbury Avenue in Tinton Falls.

“When I saw that other places have done it [Vineland and Camden], and it was done well, I agreed to bring it to the city,” he said. “We were not expecting to have a problem. We just wanted to to meet, have church outdoors and preach the gospel. Then we got these attacks. On Friday or Saturday, we began to see the posts. I’m not talking about one or two but an onslaught of hateful statement.”

A screenshot of social media posts on the event’s social medial listing page that he shared with the Sun reporter shows post calling the groups ‘trash’ and ‘hate mongers.’

Scarci, a military veteran and retired police officer said he was introduced to Revival Today’s mission crusade while serving as a member of the Vineland Police Department. He said the event, complete with its over 30,000 giveaways and high ticket contest prizes, is meant to pour love and resources into underserved communities.

“We have over 1,000 boxes of food to give to the community,” he said.  “Obviously there is a spiritual message but from my experience it is a message of love and of hope. I’ve seen the benefits. I’ve seen thousand in the community that needed food benefit.”

“The whole gist of this is that people are hurting,” Akins said. “People that need help, that are disenfranchised, people that really need to hear something, can transform their lives.”

But Kolarik said if this were truly a charitable endeavor, the organizers would do it in an altruistic manner, not one that promises a car, sports tickets, trips, and expensive video games.

“Indoctrination through deception is just evil,” she said. “I have no patience for this particular ‘snakeoil’ evangelistic nonsense. If you truly had charity in your heart you would do this under a blanket of anonymity.”

Akins, who also serves as a community chaplain, said everyone has the right to their opinion and to coexist within the fabric of the small community.

“Everyone has the right to do what they want,” he said. “Our whole church did not go down during Gay Pride to protest even though we don’t believe in that lifestyle. In America, we should have the freedom to practice what we believe. I never project my beliefs on anyone I work with in Asbury Park.”

But for Kolarik, the fact that the Festival of Life is taking place at the site where the LGBTQ community celebrated Pride just weeks ago, is a further affrontage.

“This is slap in the face, plain and simple, to the LGBTQ community and to Muslim community,” she said.

At the time of this posting, multiple attempts were made on Tuesday and Wednesday to reach Pastor Shuttlesworth or a his Director of Operations Tony Archuleta. A spokesperson for Revival Today reached by telephone Tuesday afternoon said Shuttlesworth was unavailable; out of the country until the next week’s event. When asked for a media packet that defines the event, he said none was available at the moment.

According to Guidestar database, Shuttlesworth Revival Today has $2,931,242 in gross receipts and $481,669 in assets. The Facebook page he shares with wife Adalis shows over 40,000 followers. His YouTube channel boasts 5.9K followers and his there are 9K followers on his Twitter feed.

Trinity Episcopal Church’s Pastor Michael Way cautioned that by accusing the community of sinfulness, they are in fact being sinful.

“They are not respecting the God in someone else,” he said. “We have to start recognizing  where those downright evils exist and start calling them out. This theological bend is up to him [Shuttlesworth]…Dehumanizing others [is a sin];  particularly if you accept as most of us do, that if you are part of the LGBTQ community, you were born that way, and that we [Christians] believe that everyone was created in God’s image, and part of that image of God is expressed in the LGBTQ comminty.

“I lead from love, as many of us do, and if we do lead in love we are being called to look into the eyes of each other and see God,” said Way, who heads a large congregation with manyLGBTQ members. “When you deny the dignity of others you are denying the humanity and that God is in them. When you start doing that, it leads to dividing people and creating hatred.”

Akins said he has spoken to the Shuttleworth and did relay an edict that no message of hate will be tolerated during the event.

“I’m not condemning but I’m not condoning anyone’s lifestyle,” he said.

Scarci said he welcomes the protestors.

“Everyone is invited,” he said. “We are glad the protesters are coming — the whole philosophy is to come into the community and bless the community. I would everyone to come, if they want to protest, protest, it is your second amend right. If you hear anything that is hateful or bigotry they can speak with the event coordinator or myself. I will be available.”

In the end, Kolarik said she is not detering anyone attending the Festival of Live.

“Show up and get those gifts, but know exactly where it is coming from,” she said.

By Wednesday night local church and community leaders were organizing a united protest campaign, Asbury Audio owner Jason Dermer said via social media. They group includes members of Second Baptist Church, local community activist Rev. Nicolle Harris, Garden State Equality Executive Director Christian Fuscarino, and community leader Joe Grillo.

“We are one of the most tolerant communities, not just in New Jersey but in the county,” Grillo said. “The one thing we are not tolerant of is bigotry, especially bigotry under the false pretense of giving away stuff.”

——————————————————————————————————————–

Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.

---