PraiseFest Ministries, a volunteer-run evangelistic mission based in Northport, Alabama, has chartered Royal Caribbean’s Sovereign of the Seas on May 29, 2006 for a 4-night cruise to the Bahamas.Cruise with a Cause has been designed to combine a family vacation experience with a faith-based opportunity allowing guests to participate in a mission effort on Grand Bahama Island.

This unique cruise will feature onboard concerts from well-known contemporary Christian music artists, a variety of popular speakers like wrestler Steve Bordon (aka Sting) and Josh McDowell, workshops catering to various age groups to prepare them for their island adventure, Christian- oriented entertainment shows as well as Royal Caribbean’s onboard activities.

The cruise is customized to provide families and churches an opportunity to participate in mission work if they choose while still enjoying all of the amenities a cruise has to offer. “Because this is a chartered cruise designed specifically for a Christian audience, there will be no onboard gambling and no alcoholic beverages served,” said PraiseFest Ministries President, Matthew Dunaway.

“When the ship reaches Grand Bahama Island, PraiseFest will host a stadium crusade called Bahama Fest 2006 featuring top Christian musicians and speakers. Bahama Fest 2006 has been sanctioned by the Bahamian Ministry of Tourism and is expected to be the largest event the island has even seen. We will be able to hold organized assemblies in all 33 schools on the island sharing the Gospel with over 14,000 students,” adds Dunaway.

The innovative concept of Cruise with a Cause has inspired Trinity Broadcasting Network’s JCTV, to film the cruising crusade and to produce the first reality television series with a Christian focus. Trinity Broadcasting Network is the largest religious television network in the world and America’s most watched faith channel (appealing to Protestant, Catholic, Messianic & Jewish faiths).

“We are thrilled to be able to offer this cruise to travel agents to sell on a commissionable basis,” said Honnie Korngold, President of Christian Travel Finder, the travel agency responsible for marketing the cruise to faith-based travelers and travel agents. “There have been many Christian cruise charters in the past but very few have been available for travel agents to offer their clients. We are receiving such a positive response from agents that have wanted to offer faith-based niche products but haven’t been able to previously. This cruise embodies the type of vacation experience that many Christians are hungry for,” adds Korngold.

The cruise will depart from Port Canaveral, Florida, and will visit Freeport, Grand Bahama, and Coco Cay (Royal Caribbean’s private island).

PraiseFest Ministries is an ongoing evangelistic mission designed to direct people all over the world to Christ by working with local churches to insure large numbers of people worldwide are presented with the Gospel message.

Christian Travel Finder, a division of Travel Network Group LLC, is a travel agency located in Seal Beach, California that specializes in developing group cruise and tour programs for churches and ministry organizations.
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