Presenting a fall festival for residents of Sevier County has become a tradition at First Baptist Church in Sevierville, Tennessee.
The event usually draws between 12,000–13,000 people over four nights, said Craig Mintz, Grow and Go pastor at First Baptist Church. “We do it up big,” he said. The festival typically includes a lot of food, hayrides, a corn maze, games and a biblical drama with a gospel presentation.
Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in late September, however, First Baptist leaders felt it was a good time to alter its tradition. “We decided to take our fall festival on the road,” Mintz said.
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“We sensed that we needed to use our resources to take care of our neighbors who were still recovering from damage caused by the hurricane,” added Craig Wells, Next Gen Ministries pastor at First Baptist who coordinated the effort.
“We felt the greater need this year was in Cocke County,” Wells said.
‘We are not alone’
First Baptist contacted Mike Hensley, director of missions for East Tennessee Baptist Association about the idea. He talked with his pastors and they were receptive to the offer.
“Our churches were blessed to have First Baptist Church come and provide their fall festival in five locations across the county,” Hensley said.
It gave people in the churches and community a time to relax and get their attention off the problems caused by Hurricane Helene, he added.
“First Baptist Church let us know in a very tangible way that we are not alone,” Hensley said.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Lonnie Wilkey and originally published by Baptist and Reflector.
