Family Easter Celebration at MFBC

The Family Easter Celebration is one of our biggest events of the year for the community. With multiple games, prizes, a free pizza lunch, and sharing of the Easter story we seek to reach the children of the community along with their families.

With overall planning by Becky Ridgway and decoration by Betsy and Keith Weaver, the Fellowship hall was ready for a 11:30 beginning.

An abundance of prizes was prepared for the large number of children anticipated.

When family groups arrived, starting about 11:30, they were greeted by Mary Brumbelow and Brenda Nave. Adults were signed up for a gift drawing later. Bags for prizes were given to the children if they didn't bring one.

The Weavers daughter and two granddaughters check in.

The children were directed to the tables of games on the south side of the room until time for lunch. The first game was a cup-stacking race directed by Johnny Huffman.

Two children from another family take on the cup stack game.

Pastor Doug takes on two of our Awana students in the cup stacking race game.

The second game was a bingo game directed by Wanda Willey. The prizes were selected from the baskets of candy.

The candy rewards seemed quite satisfactory to these bingo-playing sisters.

Two more sisters take on the bingo game.

In the process they show off the nice face painting they had gotten earlier.

Melissa Little and Barbara Floyd direct the third game, an eggshell mystery game. It was quite popular.

Betsy Weaver with her daughter and two granddaughters move to this eggshell game.

The girls concentrate on opening the eggshells.

The fourth game was the jellybean scoop race directed by Lee and Leigh Miller. How many jellybeans can you put in a bowl with a plastic spoon in 20 seconds?

The fifth game was an egg mystery game directed by Jennifer Bentley and . Watching the girls are their Mom, Grandmother Betsy Weaver, Becky Ridgway, and Leigh Miller.

It is now noon and there is a call to gather at the tables for the call to go pick up the pizza, chips, and desert that is being provided.

Sets of tables are called by tablecloth color to proceed to pick up their lunch. It was served by Betsy Weaver, Jennifer Bentley, Barbara Floyd and Melissa Little with Keith Weaver backing them up.

The lunch process went smoothly and the families were able to sit at the tables and enjoy their lunch.

We were pleased that several of our active Awana families were in attendance and seemed to enjoy the event.

After lunch the children were invited to sit at the front while Marsha Thompson presented the gospel story. She used large colored eggs to represent the elements of man's sin, Christ's sacrifice on the cross and the resurrection.

The children were attentive and quite responsive, particularly some of our Awana students.

After the Gospel story, the younger children could go to the "Wheel of EGGcellence" and spin it to get eggs to exchange for gifts on the large prize table.

There was also a youth wheel to spin for the older children to get eggs to exchange for gifts from the prize table.

Ms Becky enlisted the boys and girls to draw names for gifts to parents or accompanying adults.

As the occasion drew toward a close, we enjoyed the pleasure of the children with their prizes and their general happiness with the events.

We have known some of these boys and girls since they were very young, and to see their happiness with this celebration was particularly gratifying.