CULLMAN, Ala. – Commissioned for Christ will host its inaugural “Bibles & Backpacks” back-to-school outreach on Saturday, Aug. 2, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Cullman County Fairgrounds fair theater. The free event is open to all school-aged children and their families and will include free Bibles, backpacks, haircuts and a day filled with worship and prayer.
In addition to free school supplies and haircuts, guests can enjoy complimentary food, with hot dogs and drinks tentatively planned as final details are confirmed. Licensed stylists will be volunteering their time to provide haircuts for any school-aged child in need.
Throughout the day, the stage will feature live worship, guest speakers and prayer for students, teachers and families heading into a new school year. A special church service will take place immediately following the event, open to all who would like to attend.
The goal, according to organizer Jennifer Carpenter, is simple: to serve God by loving His people and to provide hope by meeting the needs seen in their community.
“This started after seeing many different people from different churches come together during a revival in Cullman. After this, so many people had a hunger for more,” said Carpenter. “We decided we weren’t going to let that fire be extinguished and that we would carry that with us and do whatever we could to not only keep serving God, but to also be a light to others.”
She added, “God gave a vision to one of the individuals involved — a blueprint for this event — before we even launched the group. He had it set in motion before we even started Commissioned for Christ. What’s so beautiful is seeing people with the same vision come together and step into obedience. This is bigger than anything we could do on our own.”
Donations of school supplies, Bibles and other event support are still being accepted. All donations will go directly to this event and future outreach. Anyone interested in donating or volunteering can contact the group on Facebook at Commissioned for Christ – Cullman or reach out directly to Jennifer Carpenter.
“Our hope for this is to reach others. We just want all families and all youth to see Christ through us,” Carpenter shared. “So many people are struggling financially and in many other ways and we want to help. We want to offer love and hope to everyone. We want to offer Bibles so that everyone has His Word available to them. It’s our instruction manual for life. We don’t push religion. We don’t force anyone. We’re just so excited to bless our community.”
Commissioned for Christ is a new ministry in Cullman built on a shared mission: to live out the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19. For more information on Commissioned for Christ or the Bibles & Backpacks event, contact them at commissionedforchristcullman@gmail.com or through their Facebook page.
The Cullman County Fairgrounds is located at 1501 Sportsman Lake Road NW, Cullman, AL 35055.
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