Garden Grove Church Allows Community to Break Your Fall
by James Coulter
Thanksgiving may be around the corner, and Christmas may be following close behind, yet that did not stop Garden Grove Church from celebrating the autumn season with its annual Break Your Fall festival.
Last Saturday, Garden Grove Church in Winter Haven treated residents and other visitors to a good time with bounce houses, carnival games, and even a few rides. Attendees were even treated to free hot dogs, popcorn, and soft drinks, with plenty of other concessions available for purchase.
For more than a decade, Garden Grove Church has been hosting its annual fall festival not only as a way to give back to itscommunity, but also to give their community the opportunity to learn about the Christian Gospel.
The week before, during Halloween, Garden Grove Church set up a booth to pass out to trick-or-treaters gift bags filled with candy and tickets inviting them to the annual fall festival.
John Schreck, Associate Pastor, owes its success every year to the volunteers who help host the event. More than 45 volunteers, most of them church members, helped to put on this event and allowed it to run as smoothly as it usually does.
“I owe it to our volunteers and also God’s faithfulness with how we are able to do this each and every year,” he said. “Seeing all of the families have good quality time together and their interaction with our church family, creating an atmosphere that is safe, and inviting for everyone makes it a real joy to keep doing.”
Kristin McGee, Children’s Church Pastor, loves seeing all of the families and children arriving to enjoy the event. Many attendees were return visitors, while many more were new people arriving for the first time.
“It is great,” she said. “We always have a lot of fun. It is always fun to see repeat faces. We have a lot of people who come back year after year and that is great. Our volunteers are incredible. It is always a great event.”
Pastor Frank Hawley loves being able to host this event year after year and allowing guests old and new to enjoy themselves. Being able to provide the community with a fun time and appreciate the love of God is always a good thing, in his opinion.
“It is turning out well,” he said. “People are still coming. It looks like they are having fun. They are eating and playing games. The kids are happy and the parents are doing well. They look like they are having fun. This is a safe place for them to bring the kids. We got people watching and that’s good. It is a good thing.”