The Truth Staff
On Saturday, August 30, St Paul Missionary Baptist Church held its annual Back-to-School Church Picnic offering community prayer, fun and giveaways, school supplies and a sumptuous buffet meal to students and their families.
“I always try to do something that’s positive with our children so that they will have a mindset of what going to school is really all about and really what we’re trying to do as a church,” said Senior Pastor James Willis about the event and about his and the church’s ongoing efforts to work with young people. “We celebrate not only at the picnic, we celebrate them.”
“As they prepare to go back to school there are three things I want to share,” Willis added.
“First of all, I want them to stay rooted in their faith as in Proverbs 3:5-6 – ‘Trust in the Lord with all thy heart, acknowledge him … and he will direct your path.’
“So what we are looking for is for them to rely on the Lord and allow the Lord to direct their path. I know at an early age that’s a lot for them to grasp but if we start talking to them early enough, it will eventually become part of them.
“Second, pursue excellence … not perfection but excellence. God is not asking you to be perfect but asking you to do your best. So I’m asking them to be prepared and to be able to do their work by working hard, respecting others, respecting their teachers as they go into the classroom to learn and let their gifts speak for them.
“Third, be a light wherever you go! They are young and don’t think they have a lot to offer. But young people have a lot to offer – Matthew 5:16 ‘Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify God in heaven.’
“Let their light shine so others can see what they are doing. I want them to let this school year be remembered – that they are not just students … they are leaders; they are difference makers. I want them to understand it is about what God wants for them.”
Saturday’s church picnic was held in the parking lot and grounds of the church and included a number of games for youngsters to enjoy including a bouncy house.