COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Thousands of worshipers turned out June 8 for a statewide event dedicated to renewing their faith and their commitment to helping their churches and communities, according to a report in The (Charlestown) Post and Courier.

Sponsored by the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), the event drew between 18,000 and 20,000 people to the Carolina Center, and included a 500-voice choir.

Billed as "Pentecost in the Millennium," the event celebrated Pentecost, which comes 50 days after Easter and marks the birth of the Christian church.

AME is a predominantly black denomination that reports 275,000 members in South Carolina, according to the newspaper.

People were asked to commit to community outreach programs. During the first celebration in 2001, more than 7,000 people filled out volunteer commitment cards for programs ranging from prison ministries to health screenings, the newspaper reported.

The Rev. Dr. Grainger Browning Sr., pastor of 10,000-member Ebenezer AME Chruch in Fort Washington, Md., delivered a sermon asking the AME to show evidence of their commitment to Christ and their communities.

"Gangster rappers shouldn't be the only ones who have to show evidence," Browning said, referring to musicians who claim legitimacy by showing off gunshot-wound scars. "What about those who say they're of Christ, but they have no evidence of it?"

Hundreds of people came to the altar after Browning called for everyone who wanted to accept Jesus to come forward, according to a report in the Sarasota, Fla., Herald-Tribune.

"God does the unexpected with the least expected," Browning said. "Sometimes when you think God has forsaken you, he's recruiting you. Nobody else can do what you can do."