Church holds first pumpkin patch
Published 10:01 pm Wednesday, October 23, 2019
- Children having fun at the Southside Baptist Church pumpkin patch are, from left, Jackson Wells, Hunter Owens, Zakery Owens, Robert Hewitt and Mason Sanders.
Southside Baptist Church is holding its first pumpkin patch this year to raise funds for its mission program.
Located right on the highly traveled Carolina Road, the church has a large selection of pumpkins as well as an inflatable obstacle course, face painting, children’s activities, cornhole, hotdogs, chips, drinks, baked goods and, of course, lots of candy.
Josh Butts, pastor to students and singles at Southside Baptist, said the pumpkins are highly visible to drivers, and they hope that will draw in more people.
“We did it out here intentionally just to kind of catch the public eye and draw people in as an opportunity,” he said. “All of the fundraising goes toward our mission program here, and it was a way for us to be able to engage the community, something fun for kids and families — someplace safe and enjoyable to hang out.”
The pumpkin patch is open from 1 to 8 p.m. every day through Oct. 31. There is a charge for the pumpkins and refreshments, but all of the activities are free. The playground will also be open on the weekend.
Butts said proceeds will go toward the church’s missions program. There is a youth team heading to Nicaragua in July, and the trip usually costs between $17,000 and $22,000 to send the entire team for a week, he said. The team partners with a church in a village and does food distribution and other acts of service.
“We’d love to be able to see that entire mission paid for,” he said. The students that go on the trip raise their own funds, but the pumpkin patch will help supplement if the total is shy of the goal.
Concession proceeds and any donations will go straight to the church, while a portion of the pumpkin sales will go to the pumpkin patch fundraising company with a portion being kept by the church.
“We’re excited,” Butts said. “We’re hoping to be able to do this every year and keep it as a good community event. The main thing for that is having community involvement, so we hope everybody comes out.”
Plus, he added, “All this candy has got to go.”
The church is located at 917 Carolina Road.
