Party in the Park

I wrote this story for the Sentinel, and it was published August 22nd:

     “We are here to serve the community,” said volunteer and event organizer, Mike Powell, “and to expose them to what Christians really are like. We can have fun too.”

     Ten churches gathered together on Saturday, August 18^th, and coordinated the Party in the Park. This was the second year that a whole group of churches joined to sponsor this program, with a vision to “love people”.

     Years ago, Cottage Grove Faith Center attempted to put on the event alone. Kim Lawless started it, because the youth in her church wanted to bless the community. Every year, they would raise $100 and send it to missionaries to aid with their work. One year, the kids decided they wanted to do something in their own community, and thus began the Party in the Park. It started with ice cream and music, and a speaker from Eugene. There was such a massive turnout, they decided to make it an annual event, and continued to add activities each year.

     Since then, the Party in the Park has become a uniting function for both the community and the churches. This year, each of the ten churches contributed in different areas. Hundreds of volunteers worked on site and behind the scenes to make this possible. Their efforts created a family-friendly atmosphere, where the kids and parents played, ate, and laughed. This unity has made the event “better than I could ever have imagined it,” said Kim.

      Face painting, manicures, pedicures, haircuts, and hair styling were available for all the children, along with two bounce houses and an inflatable slide. 1500 meals of hotdogs, chips, and juice were given out, along with cotton candy and snow cones. The most impressive component was the 400+ backpacks, which were given away to children that needed them. They were filled with the school supplies the School District had listed as necessary for each grade level.

      The Party in the Park took six months to plan this event, but the volunteers claimed it was well worth it. Most of them were dressed in red this year, a “small army of crimson clad Christians,” commented one volunteer. Another volunteer stated that their favorite part of the event was “watching the excitement on the kids’ faces”. They continued to repeat how they had been overwhelmed with thanks from the participants, and how everywhere they looked, there were smiles, both from red shirts and non-red shirts.

      One food-serving volunteer mentioned how she had been touched. Two small children had approached her, and asked with big, sad, entreating eyes, how much the hot dogs cost. The request, coming from such small innocent kids, touched her heart, and made her ever-so-thankful that she was able to tell them, “This is all free for you.”

      The churches had aimed to bless their community and promote unity. It would seem, by the responses of the pastors, volunteers, and participants, they succeeded. Regardless of how many people and hours were needed to put it on, it would seem all the churches would be willing to do it again, simply to see how they had blessed their society. Pastor Hovet of Cottage Grove Faith Center said, “I am proud that Cottage Grove is a community that helps each other and that the churches choose to help too.”