The intimate crowd was on its feet, arms waving in the air, and they were connecting with the Lord as much as they were with the live music.

The second annual Praise Fest had succeeded in its one and only goal.

“I hope we were able to reach out to the Eastern campus while praising God. I wanted to start the Praise Fest as an outreach for all EIU students to get a little information about the different types of ministries in the area,” said Claude McGee, Interim Director of TRIO/Student Support Services and creator of the Praise Fest .

Four praise teams and one Christian rapper provided the live music entertainment for the night’s events. The number was up from only two praise teams, which are like choirs, last year.

The Praise Fest gave EIU students an opportunity to learn information about various ministries and bible studies on campus and in the community.

“It was interesting to see other Christian groups together like that. We all go out and support each other and learn more about each other at stuff like this,” said Ronnie Hughes, a senior psychology major and director of the Unity Gospel Choir.

Hughes and his Unity Gospel Choir praise team capped off the night’s festivities with an energetic performance.

The 10th annual Volunteer Fest also ran concurrently with the Praise Fest on the South Quad last night.

Eighteen volunteer groups were scheduled to be present at the night’s event. Among the volunteer groups that showed up were American Red Cross, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and Habitat for Humanity.

“My goal is to get students out here and see what volunteer services are out there. I’m hoping that students are willing to volunteer their time and their talents,” said Holly Waters, coordinator of the Volunteer Fest.

Students and volunteer workers saw the night as an opportunity.

“It was an easy way to find places to volunteer my time without a lot of work on my part,” said Debra Breitenbach, a junior biology major.

“I see the Volunteer Fest as a chance to suck (volunteers) in early,” said Laura Bosserman, site coordinator of Habitat for Humanity and a senior majoring in education.

Bosserman added that last year 40 people signed up for Habitat for Humanity and that she was expecting the same turnout.