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Newsletters>
Spring Celebrations
May 4, 2009
EASTER
We chose to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ by hosting a big party for the neighborhood. We held an outdoor Easter service right there at the park outside of the community center which we normally meet in. We then followed this up with a free hot dog cookout, an Easter egg hunt, and games and crafts for the kids. It was a beautiful day and everyone had a great time. It was truly a neighborhood event!
Because of our strong relationship with Cesar Chavez Elementary School, they passed out invitations to each of their students earlier in the week. We had a couple hundred people attend the Easter service (at least half there for the first time) and several hundred take part in the ensuing festivities. Of these, we were able to get contact info for 80 new families in our community. PRAISE GOD!
We are excited that SO MANY were able to hear the gospel and hope to continue the relationships with those we met in our neighborhood. We are very thankful for the hard work of the college students from one of our partner churches, Gardena Valley Baptist Church. They came to serve and helped create an environment that God could use to touch lives.
SPRING CELEBRATION
The above Easter service would not have been such a success without all of the efforts of the youth group from another of our partner churches, Sun River Church in Sacramento, CA. They brought down a group of 60 people for their spring break and hosted a HUGE carnival for us at the park on the Wednesday before Easter. They had clowns, magic tricks, face painters, games and free food.
They did an absolutely fantastic job and everything pointed to Sunday’s Easter service. They passed out 2000 flyers in the community and several hundred attended the event. This played an enormous part in all of Sunday’s success. We are so grateful for each of these student’s willingness to give up their spring break to be a part of what God is doing in Long Beach.
We are humbled and encouraged by ALL of our partners in ministry. Each of you, whether through prayers, financial support or in person efforts have proved invaluable to the ministry God is doing here in this neighborhood. THANK YOU!
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