Now that we’re 12 days past the Easter Egg Hunt, I thought it would be helpful to reflect on why we (Bless Bellflower) do events like the Easter Egg Hunt. I’ve gathered a few of my favorite memories from our event last Saturday to help illustrate these ideas. If you want to view a fun recap of the event, check out this video put together by Keith Ko, youth pastor at Bellflower Brethren Church.
1. We want to encourage our city officials: A few months ago, I was approached by the director of Simms Park, who asked if we would be doing the Easter Egg Hunt again this year. Since the city can’t afford to host it, it really encourages her that the kids in her park still get to enjoy a fun event when it’s sponsored by the churches. After the event, Lucas Marquart and other volunteers spent a significant amount of time picking up every single piece of trash from the premise. The city staff commented that we left the park spotless! A clean park is one way that we can have a great testimony.
- All the eggs and trash were cleaned up in record time!
2. We want to encourage unity among the churches in Bellflower. It was so fun to see Pat Struiksma, Tami Hocking, and Sue Leck (along with others) working together on the cupcake craft. These ladies represent three different congregations, but together served 1,400 cupcakes to community kids. We believe that events like these help us focus on what we have in common with believers from other churches, and help us see the vision of the “church of Bellflower”.
- Teamwork to get the PA system going!
3. We want to build relationships with our neighbors: Without an event like this, the 150 volunteers would not have had the opportunity to meet the families of 1,200 kids from across Bellflower. A fun event opens up conversations that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. I got to watch Melanie Webb and Ana Vega share the gospel story in both English and Spanish to many children last Saturday–many of whom had never heard it before!
- Melanie Webb telling the Easter Story
4. We want believers in Bellflower to use their gifts: The best part about coordinating the event was getting to see volunteers excelling in different areas. A creative group of college students from Bellflower Brethren Church did an incredible job with puppets and drama, Nichole McGayhe and her team from Bethel Reformed helped 3rd and 4th graders have an awesome time with games, and Lee Baldwin put her skills to work in organizing a fun and creative planting craft. Without these talented individuals using their abilities, the event would not have been a success!
The Puppets were a hit!
In sum, we do events like the Easter Egg Hunt because we believe they are one way that we can “love our neighbor” like God commands us to. What do you think? What are other ways we can be loving our neighbors well together?
P.S. All the awesome pics on this page were taken by Carl and Ryan Leck. Thanks guys!
