The official lineup for this year’s En Fuego has been announced, and the headliners are Kutless. They will be sharing the stage with fellow Christian rockers Tiller, Group1Crew, Fee, Addison Road and Ohio Avenue.

Also returning will be guest speaker David Nasser and En Fuego co-founder Travis Crim, who will once again serve as emcee.

En Fuego is slated for Saturday, Aug. 28 at the site off County Road 23 in Verbena.

“We’re excited. We’re pumped about it,” said coordinator and event co-founder Johnny Giles. “We’re excited about having David Nasser back as our speaker this year and Travis Crim as our emcee.”

En Fuego began in 1993 in a large field in Verbena, where it is held to this day. In recent years, attendance has topped 20,000 as some of the most well-known Christian speakers and bands have graced the stage.

Aside from big names, a big draw of En Fuego is that it is a free event. Hundreds of volunteers pitch in every year, and many businesses, organizations, churches and individuals contribute to its cause.

“That’s what we strive for. A lot of hard work goes into it,” Giles said.

En Fuego also continues to be an avenue for youth pastors around the region. Many members of local churches are trained to serve as counselors to assist those who come forward with questions or to make a decision.

“Some kids might not ever get to see an event of this magnitude due to finances, location or whatever,” Giles said.

Between now and the day of the event, En Fuego volunteers will be praying for good weather and working to get churches and other areas of the community more involved.

For more information about En Fuego, visit www.enfuegoinfo.com or call (205) 516-0467.

Kutless bio

In late 2001, founding members Ryan Shrout, Jon-Micah Sumrall and James Mead, along with former band members Kyle Mitchell and Nathan “Stu” Stuart were a fledgling Warner Pacific jam band. Just over a year later, they had become the top-selling new Christian rock group of 2002.

In its short history, the group has landed three top singles on the Christian music charts, has sold 180,000 copies of its self-titled debut album, and 250,000 copies of its 2003 effort “Sea of Faces.” The group has toured with some of the top bands in Christian music and even performed at a Billy Graham crusade in Pasadena, Calif. before an audience of 95,000.