Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Christian Believers, Central Baptist Church combined for back-to-school block party.

link ...

Staff writer

[email protected]

An end to summer fun, a time to get the best deal on school supplies and preparing to teach class — the phrase “back to school” means something different for children, parents and teachers.

For members of Central Baptist Church and Christian Believers, back to school means showing more than 100 Clovis children the love of Christ.

Both organizations will help give away backpacks filled with school supplies Saturday during a block party. The event will also feature entertainment in the form of a bouncy house, games, an obstacle course and music; food, a raffle drawing, balloons and beverages.

All are welcome to the event, said Sistar Yancy, founder of Christian Believers, a nonprofit that provides various community services, such as behavior modification training, prison outreach and counseling.

However, only children ages 5 to 18 who have invitations may get a backpack, she said.

link Staff photo: Vanessa Kahin

Associate Pastor BJ Brooks, left, and Sistar Yancy go through

donated school supplies Thursday morning at Central Baptist Church.

Congregants of Central Baptist Church donated the 160 backpacks that will be distributed, including their contents; items such as pencils, erasers, three-ring binders, notebook paper, glue and crayons.

This is the third year Central Baptist has helped with the event, said Associate Pastor BJ Brooks.

“We’ve had success all three years,” Brooks said. Aside from purchasing the school supplies, Central Baptist congregants, about 1,200 strong, will also volunteer during the event.

Brooks said last year’s block party had about 300 in attendance.

“We really see that this is a wonderful opportunity to support our local community,” Brooks said. “Central Baptist Church is proud to partner with Christian Believers to show the love of Christ in a practical way; through service and family fun.”

Brooks and Yancy noted that the event is a family affair.

For example, the raffle to take place during the event will include three prizes for each age group, with groups ranging from age 1 and up.

It was Christian Believers, which has been in Clovis since 2006, that started the backpack giveaway and block party event in 2007. The organization coordinates two block parties — the other one will take place at Gatewood Village Apartments in August.

“To be honest, it’s for the glory of God,” Yancy said as to the reasoning behind the block party. “The Lord placed it in my heart to do this.”

Brooks said the event falls in line with the Central Baptist’s mission statement: Connecting cultures to Christ. Church officials and members strive to do good on this mission statement at a local, statewide, national and global level.

An event such as the block party is a way of connecting cultures to Christ locally, Brooks said. So is Central Baptist’s work with Bread of Life Ministry at Matt 25 Hope Center, where church members help in the food kitchen, distribute clothes, and help lead prayer.

On a nationwide scale, the church has recently undertaken the task of a military cookie drive. Congregants made homemade cookies and gathered other goods such as coffee, floss, baby wipes, deodorant and coffee to be shipped to military personnel overseas.

“We had a member of the congregation whose husband is deployed, and this ministry was laid in her heart,” Brooks said. He said many church members were moved to help.

“We had a major outpouring of generosity,” he said, adding that the boxes were shipped Thursday.

The church also oversees mission trips on a statewide level and supports other church plants within the state.

Central Baptist also hosts its own global mission trips, sending individuals to the African countries of Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Tanzania. There, they share the story cloth — a cloth with 42 pictures depicting Bible stories — to help instruct others.

“The Bible stories coalesce to reveal God’s work of salvation, culminating in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus,” Brooks said.

The church also hosts a mission to the Central American country of Belize, where the story cloth is also used, Brooks said.

FYI

What: Block Party

When: 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Saturday

Where: Clovis Housing, 2101 W. Grand Ave.

Who: Sponsored by Central Baptist Church, anyone in the community is welcome to the event. However, only invited children can receive a backpack filled with school supplies.

Information: Christian Believers, (575) 763-1715; Central Baptist Church, (575) 762-4727

 
 
Rendered 02/27/2024 21:50