Monday, July 16, 2007

Back-to-School!

I'm starting to get fired up about something! If you haven't heard, Freedom is putting on a big back-to-school event on August 12 at Century B park in Greer. Tamara Whitener just dropped by the office to show me some of the planning their team did yesterday, and I'm very excited about the impact this event can make. Here are a few reasons I think this thing will be big.
1. It's in a public place
Century B park is where tons of kids play little league baseball every year, so people know where it is. Also, it's directly behind Kid's Planet playground.
2. Everything is free
When we made the decision to do this we chose to provide everything from rides, hot dogs, snow cones, and more at no cost to the community. We think that is a great way to let people know that our church cares about them.
3. Free school supplies
Here's the part I'm really excited about. We will give out 500 backpacks filled with school supplies to kids who need them that night! Imagine if your family was in a tight spot and you were dreading the beginning of school, because that meant you had to spend money you didn't have. Then you hear of a church giving away free school supplies, and your kids get to have a ball at a carnival type event. I believe that will matter to families.
4. It will take a lot of people to pull it off
I love when we do stuff that involves a lot of volunteers. When people find a place to serve some cool things happen. New relationships begin, old relationships get strengthened, people's confidence rises in the abilities God has blessed them with, and lots of other great things.
Here's what you can do. Pray for the planning and execution of this event. Volunteer to help: there are sign-up sheets in the atrium of Greer High School on Sunday mornings. Buy school supplies: This week Wal-Mart has spiral notebooks and glue sticks on sale for ten cents. Remember, we need to fill 500 backpacks!
This event will be a great way to let the people of our community experience the love of God in a tangible way. Find a way to get involved!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

CLIFF!!! Hey! This is Kelly Cooper Marbry, one of your youth from Calvary. You better remember! :) How are you? I am doing wonderfully. Living in Shreveport, LA and I have a 1 year old baby girl, Kaylen. Heather VanDyke and I were just talking about you the other day and she told me that she had a link to your blog. Also, we are meeting up in N.O. next week and Ms. Helen told us that you will be heading there sometime soon, too. Right? It is so good to be in touch with you and we'd love to get to see you!