Suffolk News-Herald

East End Baptist Church will sponsor its first Evangelistic Block Party from noon until 4 p.m. Saturday, May 17. At that time, new opportunities will be presented in a fun-filled and spiritual day.

The block includes the area from East Washington to Adams streets, and Mulberry to Maple streets; Mulberry will be closed to traffic during the event.

Dr. Mark Croston, pastor, said, &uot;As an end result, we hope that the people will have a great experience, some of their needs will be met, and that they will also experience a love of God and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.&uot;

Activities involved in this event will be good food, health screenings, games, prizes, a free car wash, an evangelistic gospel presentation, music and entertainment, and giveaways of clothes and groceries.

Carnival attractions of a moonwalk and cotton candy will also be available.

Croston also said that there might be some kind of microphone gospel presentation, and several trained faith evangelists will circulate through the crowd to share the gospel.

Clifton Bowers, event chairman, said he enjoyed planning the activities.

&uot;I had a great committee to work with. We are hoping for good weather; however, in case of rain, the block party will be postponed until May 31 from noon until 4 p.m.,&uot; he said.

Others on the committee are: Wanda Bates, vice chairman; Shauna Bass, Fannie Bowers, Phyllis Dixon, Kenneth Harrison, Woodrow Hyman Jr., Clinton Jenkins, Margaret Locust and Clarence West. Joanne Davis is in charge of planning activities at the church.

The same members are also serving the same positions for Family and Friends Day that will be held at the 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday, May 18.

Croston said one of the things he thinks is important is to realize that even though we believe we are growing up in a Christian nation and that churches are founded on Biblical principles, there are still a lot of people in our community who have never had the direct experience with a church or maybe who never have been inside a church.

&uot;…this is our opportunity to bring the church outside to where the community is, so that it can be clearly seen and experienced, and hopefully it will have a positive impact on their lives,&uot; Croston said.

The church is located at 523 East Washington St.