PEXELS Sparkler

More than a dozen area churches plan to fill the hours waiting for fireworks with funnel cakes, face painting and lots of family fun.

The Freedom Gospel Outreach is set to begin at 5 p.m. Saturday, July 5, just a few hours ahead of the annual Lincoln County Independence Day fireworks show that will begin at dark.

At least 15 churches will set up booths at the Lincoln Civic Center livestock arena to host food and drink giveaways and children’s activities, said Brandon Lynch, pastor at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, who came up with the outreach idea.

The Lincoln Baptist Association is organizing the event.

Lynch is hopeful this event will be a great opportunity for Christians to step out of their churches and into the community to share the Gospel.

“We need to be reminded of who we are. The church is who we are to be, not where we’re supposed to go,” he said.

Two inflatable jumpers will be set up for children. There will be lots of activities like face painting and cornhole and all kinds of food to choose from like popsicles, cotton candy and funnel cakes. There will be live music as well.

“There will tons of things going on,” Lynch said.

The pastor stressed that everything is free. The goal is to bring the crowd over from the parking area for the fireworks show so Christians can have conversations to share their faith.

“It’s all just for the chance of someone to ask the question, ‘Why?’ and there you have a gospel conversation,” he said.

There will even be a side-by-side ATV on display that will be awarded to someone in October by the Mississippi Baptist Convention. Entry for the giveaway is three minutes of time to hear the Gospel.

“Jesus told us to be fishers of men, but you have to have bait,” he said. “Whatever it takes to get people to stop and listen.”

The Freedom Outreach event will wrap up about 8 p.m. 

If churches want to volunteer to help, contact Nikki Lynch at the Lincoln Baptist Association at 601-833-8111 or Brandon Lynch at 601-341-3376.

“Hopefully, next year we can branch out and get more people involved,” he said. “I’d love to make this a real community event.”