The Derry LifeWay Church is sponsoring its third summer Block Party this Saturday as an awareness event for the community to bring back hope, religion, and faith in the community.
The event will be held at MacGregor Park in Derry on Saturday, Aug. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the admission is free for everyone.
Wendy Sims, a member of the LifeWay Church, said that the event is open to anyone who wants to attend.
"It is our way of reaching out to those in the community, to help families who may be struggling, and to show them that there is hope out there," Sims said.
The block party will feature a distribution center in which volunteers will be handing out free toiletries and other items for families in need, along with other prizes and gifts.
"We are doing this as a service to the community. We will have free backpacks for kids going back to school in the fall, free food, door prizes, and so much more. There will be a ramp for skateboarding, and live entertainment," Sims said. "We would really like to let everyone in the community be aware of the event, as it is a fun-filled day for the whole family to enjoy."
LifeWay Church Pastor Juan Saa said the event is about spreading religion no matter what church people choose to attend, because religion builds strong families, and the church wants to give people hope for a better life, especially because people in the world today are facing high amounts of violence, drug and alcohol use, and teen pregnancy rates.
"Instead of talking against the negative things that are happening in the world, the church needs to stand for giving hope to people. We want to let people know that the church cares, and that God still cares," Saa said. "There are people from every type of social and cultural background who have shown up, but people who are struggling financially will really benefit from the distribution center. We have families who come just to be together and have a good time. So although it is for everybody, we want to make sure to bless those who are in need."
The event, which will cost nearly $14,000, is funded primarily by the 150 church members and fundraising events. Saa said that although some people donate to the cause because they know and trust in the church, about 80 percent of the funds come from the church members.
"Christ didn't charge us anything, so this is a free gift for people. It helps people rediscover who God is and what church really is about, and hopefully we can begin to change the mind-set of people towards God, the Bible, and church," Saa said. "The ultimate goal is to build a bridge between people and God and ignite a desire in their hearts to want to know what their purpose is in life and why they are here, why they exist and hopefully this block party will build a bridge between the people in our town and the God who created them."
Last year, around 800 people attended the event. Planning and volunteering for the 2008 block party included help from other local churches, such as the Calvary Bible Church and the Fellowship Bible Church in Chester. T-shirts are given out that read, "ONE" on the back, which is an acronym for "Outreach New England," a slogan that expresses the hope of local churches to work together for a common good.
"It is a privilege to do this. The people are excited, and the church is not just a building, it is about the people. This is what the church should be doing, we should be about going out and becoming relevant to our community, region, and the world," Saa said. "We exist to serve and to bring the love of Christ and implant it. It's neat to see that people respond to the message of serving others and that is what we want to do."
