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By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

HELENA – The New Vision Christian Church in Helena is currently in the midst of preparations for an expanded iteration of their annual Family and Friends Picnic which is scheduled to take place this August.

The event will take place over the course of three days on the weekend of Friday, Aug. 16 and feature a long list of activities and giveaways for not only members of the congregation, but the community at large.

“At our church we throw a family and friends picnic every year,” said Stacee Brown of New Vision Christian Church. “This year, we decided to start the event by having a worship night for our young people at the church that was geared toward the youth and the young adults, just to have somewhere for them to have a place to come and praise, worship, have prayer and hang out with friends.”

The first night’s event will start at 6 p.m. and feature opportunities for guests to dance, enjoy music and take part in additional moments of praise and worship. The event will also welcome speaker Chris Brown from All Nations Church who will deliver remarks to those gathered.

“We are also going to host a hangout section for those who are 18 and up for our young adults afterwards to just kind of hang out and socialize,” Brown said. “It will be a mixer type event.”

Following Friday evening’s events, the church will then welcome individuals to their Family and Friends Picnic set to start at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17. This event will feature food, field games, a tent contest and the giveaway of free school supplies to those in need.

Those supplies were procured primarily through donations from the church congregation and with the help of local sponsors.

“We will have bookbags, notebooks, pencils, paper, erasers and whatever usually appears on the school supplies list,” Brown said. “The bookbags will be filled and we think we are going to give away about 100 bags (of supplies).”

The weekend-long event will then conclude on Sunday, Aug. 18 with the presentation of a Sunday Praise service scheduled for 10 a.m.

“There will be giveaways throughout the weekend,” Brown said. “It is just going to be a fun event for all ages. It’s geared toward the youth, but it is for all ages in the community of course. We just want everyone to come out and enjoy the event.”

While the three-day event is free for all to attend, Friday’s portion of the event will feature an optional registration fee of $10 which will act as a donation to the church. Payment of the fee will also allow for individuals to receive a swag bag featuring customized items and giveaway items.

“The fee is not required, but it will help go toward covering the cost of the event,” Brown said “It’s not required for attendance, but those who would like to donate can.”

Local sponsors for the three-day weekend event include SkyRocket media out of Alabaster, Helena Steakhouse and J&A Financial Services LLC.

“The event is open for everybody in the community and we want them to come out and have a good time in the Lord,” Brown said. “It will also be a good service to the community—giving away needed school supplies and just having a fun time filled with fun activities over the weekend.”