Matching funds campaign launched
By Michelle Drew
Editor – Vilas County News Review
The Praise in the Pines Christian revival event is roaring back in a big way, with new sponsorship opportunities and a two-year plan looking toward the future.
Bill Lochte, president of the Praise in the Pines Board of Directors, is enthusiastic about a major new financial incentive that two local businesses are offering.
Eagle Auto Group and Superior Business Systems have pledged a matching donation of up to $10,000. Under this challenge grant, every tax-deductible donation made to the organization will be matched dollar for dollar.
Lochte emphasized just how essential community involvement is to the festival.
“We have been overwhelmed with community support for the last two years of Praise in the Pines,” he said. “I want to thank them for past support — we couldn’t do it without them.”
The two-year plan organizers are sharing is to bring a more revival-centered event back next October, followed by a highly anticipated return of “Praise in the Pines 2027: A Summer to Remember.”
To keep momentum going, the fall event will be slightly scaled back in scope than the previous two events, while truly maximizing the concept of a revival, Lochte said. “We need to fund the October 2026 program, and we cannot do that without the generosity of the community.”
Thousands of attendees have turned out the past two years to support the Praise in the Pines event and its headlining acts including Big Daddy Weave and The Newsboys.
Transforming the Northland Pines field house into a space of worship, fellowship and music, this popular revival event not only supports attendees but also has donated tens of thousands of dollars to support community initiatives.
While both revivals on the books have drawn big crowds and were headlined with national acts, Lochte said there are other metrics to measure the success of Praise in the Pines. “The spirit was with us last year,” he said. “I could feel the spiritual presence there with us.”
Going forward, he’d like nothing more than to continue bringing that kind of togetherness to the Eagle River community and beyond.
Operating as a fully nonprofit endeavor, Praise in the Pines is run by volunteers who have dedicated countless hours to bring these events to the community.
“Nobody on our board makes a dollar,” Lochte said. “Everything we do is to glorify Christ. But the talent, crew, hotel rooms — it all takes money.”
His goal is to put on the best revival possible in 2026, all while gearing up for a bigger-and-better event in summer of 2027. “We’ve been incredibly blessed with past donors and supporters, but we need that to continue to keep bringing the best program we can.”
Lochte and other event organizers stress that these contributions are critical to continuing their mission of serving the community. Those looking for a year-end giving opportunity are encouraged to visit praiseinthepines.org/donate/ to contribute to the matching $10,000 campaign that is going on now.
