How To Reach Out To Your Community

Community Outreach

Our church just completed a week of outreach to our community. We began with a carnival on Saturday, August 1 from 11 AM to 4 PM. The carnival was geared to children but there was something there for everyone. Everything was free – food, games, etc. We had the inflatable jumpers for the children, volleyball, a radar speed gun for judging the speed of pitches. That was a real hit. We had a gospel sing that lasted for an hour. We had over 150 attendees and most of the children who came were not part of our church family. We distributed tickets the two weeks before the carnival and that seemed to be an effective way to reach people.

Then on Sunday, August 2, at 6.30 PM we began our Vacation Bible School and it continued through Thursday night. We registered over 90 students with a high of 68 on Thursday night. We invited the parents to come on Thursday night and we extended the program an additional 30 minutes. We had the largest turn out of parents ever – about 40. There were ten children who prayed to receive Christ. On the last night we did a pictorial review of the week so the parents could see what the children had been doing all week. That was a real hit with the parents and children.

We praise God for the desire of our church body to invest time and money into such outreaches. Only eternity will reveal the impact of these events on our community.

Editor's Note:
Dr. Jerry Burton and the members of Calvary Baptist Church, Rittman, Ohio, were responsible for the outreach program you are reading about. Way to go, Jerry.