Businesses encouraged to capitalize on influx of people for outdoor religious event near Poplar Bluff

Editor's note: This story has been changed to correct a quote attributed to Jerry Murphy, host of the event.

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The local business community is being encouraged to capitalize on a planned religious gathering predicted to as much as triple the population of Butler County for a short time this summer.

The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce held a series of meetings Monday with a large-scale event-planning firm for Wilderness Outcry, a free, nonstop worship ceremony slated for June 14 through 18. The event will be held on Jerry Murphy's farm on Butler County Road 543, 4 1/2 miles outside the city limits.

Poplar Bluff hotels are already filled for the week along with half the hotels in Dexter, Mo., according to organizers.

"No matter how you feel about it, people are going to be here," said Steve Halter, president of the chamber, noting he receives daily calls about the gathering, many from out of state. "Business people within a 60-mile radius are foolish if they aren't prepared, but it'll just make it that much better for [those of] us who are prepared."

The Guesthouse Inn's 100 rooms have been booked since January with visitors from 17 states, according to Steve Johnson, general manager of the hotel and restaurant.

Planners are anticipating 50,000 to 100,000 people will attend, according to Steve Brown of the Florida-headquartered Resource Group AV, which has coordinated much larger events throughout the United States, such as the Emmy Awards.

Brown, who has been flying to Poplar Bluff since September, said his engineers have determined Murphy's more than 400 acres of land will hold 150,000 people, although they do not expect more than 125,000.

"The city is going to be congested," Brown said, adding that he is in talks with the Missouri Department of Transportation to relieve traffic. "We're not trying to hide that fact."

The campgrounds of the site will open for visitors the week prior to the event, beginning June 7. There will be a charge for primitive camping.

During the celebration, which will feature gospel music, attendees will be looking to see the community, mostly late at night, Brown said. Restaurants and convenience stores will benefit the most during that time, he said.

Organizers said musicians and speakers being booked are from the "Christian A-class," although Murphy declined to release any names at this time.

The target demographic for Wilderness Outcry is 18-40 years old, with 10-15 percent of guests outside of the age range, according to Brown, who will bring in his own security team.

"It's great to know this level of professionals and expertise has been hired," said Jeff Rolland, deputy chief with the Poplar Bluff Police Department.

Vendors will be on site on a section of the property that Brown described as a "self-contained village." Details are currently being worked out, which will include a booth fee, organizers said. Local vendors will be contracted first, Halter noted.

"All churches are proud of this event," said Jean Hillis, co-owner of Camelot RV Campground, adding that she has received calls from church groups from the east to the west coast. "We are the Bible Belt, and ought to show the world we're a good place for Christians to come."

A church member from Little Chapel Church in Harrisburg, Ill., traveled here to ask how his church could volunteer, for example, by cleaning up afterward.

A marketing campaign will kick off soon out of the new fully staffed Wilderness Outcry office, which will serve as a phone center. Every church within a 500-mile radius will be contacted, according to Brown, and press releases will be issued to the media.

Murphy is "pouring in lots of dollars" to his property as his vision is for Wilderness Outcry, which some are calling a religious Woodstock, to become an annual celebration, Brown said.

"I think this is going to be a beautiful opportunity for this whole region -- not just Poplar Bluff -- for decades to come," said the Rev. David Craig, owner of Life Radio in Poplar Bluff. "I believe it's going to exceed our expectations."

The gathering has gained momentum nationally, as Murphy, a born-again Christian, has been traveling to major cities with the Awakening and Reformation Tour, preaching with national religious figures about how the country needs to rediscover God.

"I want to be real clear, this is not a tea party, or about the DNC or the GOP, this is about G-O-D for the U.S.A.," said Murphy, who also owns Gamma HealthCare. "This is not political or denominational, it's about God's people coming together, seeking his face, and asking him to heal our land."

"There's a cry coming out from the wilderness," Murphy said. "It was birthed on my property through a series of divine connections, I feel, and I don't know why me, but I'm willing to do it."

A temporary Wilderness Outcry link for the chamber website is being created to keep the business community informed at www.poplarbluffchamber.org. Organizers said registration for Wilderness Outcry has been rescheduled to open up this week via www.wildernessoutcry.com, where all other inquiries can be directed.