Kids in the Park rocks Sisters Village Green

"Kids in the Park" rocked the Village Green as 120-130 kids gathered over several nights last week and participated in songs of worship, Bible stories and drama, crafts and games.

The second annual outreach event, hosted by Sisters Community Church, was for kids in Sisters from kindergarten age through sixth grade and was held Monday through Friday, June 23-27 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. A free barbecue for all volunteers, kids and their families was offered each night from 5 to 6 p.m., and during that time two jump houses were available for kids to bounce around in.

Thirty high school and college-age students put in 20 hours of training in preparation for Kids in the Park. The volunteers either led worship or were park squad leaders. Park squad leaders were responsible for a small group of children and led them in group discussions, helped them with crafts and also joined them in the fun during game time.

The high school/college students were thrilled to be a part of the week-long event.

"It was really cool to hang out with the kids in their own environment and play games with them," said park squad leader Harry Womack. "It was also fun to see some of the tough kids open at the end of the week and get to see their shining side."

Blake Henderson, who helped lead worship said, "It was so fun to teach the kids about Jesus through worship and dance. It was great to see their smiling faces looking up to us."

And, the response from the kids was just as enthusiastic: "It was so fun!" "I liked the dancing and singing." "It was really cool." "It's fun and a learning experience for all of us." "It's the best thing ever." "I don't want it to end."

"I was so impressed with the commitment of the high school students who sought to develop relationships with the kids," said parent Carol Ezell. "They helped everyone have fun and showed Christ's love to all."

Dan Keels, pastor of student ministries at SCC told The Nugget that one of the things he loves about Kids in the Park is that there are a lot of wins all the way around.

"Our high schoolers stepped up to the plate and served joyfully, and numerous parents and adults from SCC pitched in to make it a success," he said. "It was great to see kids from all backgrounds come together and have fun. We saw such a cool picture of unity in this town in one spot."