There is nothing better than seeing a family come to know Jesus in such a tangible way. Our annual Block Party is more than just an event; it is a way to show the love of Jesus to others in practical ways. It opens your eyes to the fact that church isn’t a building, but the people!
“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? –Romans 10:14
An army of workers are necessary for the Block Party to come together. There is a plentiful harvest, but the workers must go into the harvest field. It takes a body of people coming together, and serving others with the compassion of Christ.
Living for Jesus is meant to be fun!
Whether enjoying a meal at the café tent, getting your child’s face painted, or just enjoying the live music, how can you not have fun? You could see the joy of the Lord on each and every face that day, and it is a true reminder of how tangible the love of Christ is.
We are believing for incredible things for this city! We can see God moving and it is a blessing to be a part of it. And the Block Party is a testimony of just that.
The rewarding part about the Block Party is that lives are impacted and changed. I was blessed by this event because the focus was taken off of what I could get out of it, and redirected to what I could give. It’s in the serving of others that I forget about my struggles and what I’m going through; even if it is just passing out a hot dog. What truly blessed me was seeing the fruit of what took place at the Block Party. To see that there were people who decided to come to church on Sunday and pursue Jesus because of this event illustrates the meaning of why we do it. The purpose is connecting people to Jesus!
“My father passed away the Friday morning before the Block Party. As you can imagine, I was overwhelmed and just wanted to stay busy to keep my mind off of things. I came to Block Party early and wanted to serve, and was asked to hold the signs on the street. I started screaming my head off to strangers with so much joy! It felt so good to serve. I received love from everyone, and my faith has grown an incredible amount since this day.” –Grace G.
“Before coming to New Life my husband and I had purposefully moved away from New Bedford. Sadly, I saw the people I grew up around with natural, earthly eyes and found them wanting and an inconvenience. The Family Block Party was the first time I really saw them through God’s eyes. As I was serving I spent most of the day choked up and feeling gratitude towards a God with a sense of humor who brought me back into this community.” –Taylor S.
“One thing really touched my heart during Block Party. As I was serving painting little girls’ nails, names were being called as winners for the giveaway table. One woman in particular was named a winner as she stood by the nail painting table waiting with her little girls. Once her name was called she screamed, jumping up and down saying, “I can’t believe I won! I’ve never won anything before in my life!” Watching her excitement and pure happiness filled my heart and reminded me of the reason why we do this.” –Rachel A.