LifeFest '06 Feature Article

CHRISTIANS SHARE THEIR FAITH AT LIFEFEST;
Free Items Given to 4000+ In Need
by Jane Fullerton Lemons, Observer Staff

In four years, the Washington Christian Life Centre�s annual LifeFest has more than quadrupled in size as it combines the atmosphere of a family festival with the environment of a yard sale, all in one free Saturday morning experience.

This year's event, held Sept. 9 at the church at 10501 Balls Ford Road, provided free goods and entertainment to more than 4.000 people, said Jenny Baird, church spokeswoman.

By 7:30 a.m., a line began to form down the street as people waited for a chance to take home everything a typical yard sale might offer: furniture, appliances, household goods, books, clothes, toys, nonperishable food. In addition, 1,000 backpacks filled with school supplies were given to students in kindergarten through fifth-grades, and everything was free.

The event had the distinctive feel of a small-town festival. Blue tents dotted the parking lot of the Elks Lodge, which overflowed with people carrying the blue-and-black tote bags provided for the free items. Children ran to play carnival games, get faces painted and jump in the moon bounces. Many sported new backpacks: red ones for the younger children and blue ones for the older students.

On the stage, performers sang songs, told jokes and offered puppet shows. Nearby, families lined up for free hot dogs, chicken wings, popcorn and drinks.

For Pastor David Baird and his congregation, the event�s purpose is twofold. On the one hand, it provides much-needed items for area families at no cost. On the other hand, it offers a first-hand lesson in living and sharing one's faith.

"The concept is based on the fact that everything is free," said David Baird. "We believe the Christian message is founded in that truth. The problem is that most people don't believe that. People think there is a cost attached to the Christian religion. We want to show through this picture, through this icon, that what God did for us really is free. It's ours for the taking."

To that end, church leaders strictly enforce a policy of "no strings attached" to the items offered. While businesses, for instance can donate goods or services, they can't offer discounts that require a purchase. The church won't even accept donations at LifeFest, said Jenny Baird, whose husband is the pastor's nephew.

Along with Washington Christian Life Centre and its sister Spanish-speaking congregation, Iglesia Cristiana, the event is sponsored by the Making Life Better Foundation, a faith-based community betterment initiative spearheaded by the church. More than 300 volunteers from the two congregations, plus others from the community, helped with this year's festival.

In its first year, the event was a fund-raiser to support a youth mission trip to New Mexico. While that was successful, church members opted for a slightly different approach the following year. "We decided it would be awesome to just give this even to our community," said Jenny Baird.

Each year, the event has grown steadily, from about 700 people the first year to about 3,000 last year. It is open to anyone in the community. Church members spread the word by distributing tickets and displaying road signs. In addition, flyers were handed out in local schools.

Donations for LifeFest came from church members as well as others in the community. Local businesses also provided funding and goods and services for the event.

As Prince William County continues its economic expansion, David Baird believes many residents underestimate how much need exists for services such as these provided by LifeFest. He estimates that within a five-mile radius of VA234 and Interstate 66, near where the event was held, �there are several thousand underprivileged families. We feel we have an obligation to respond to these people."

Those attending the festival represented everything from single-parent families to traditional two-parent households to single individuals and ranged from recent immigrants to long-time residents, David Baird said. "The beauty of this is that it's multicultural and runs the gamut."

LifeFest is just one way the church�s Making Life Better Foundation is helping the community, David Baird said. The foundation works with the school system to offer tutoring programs and English as a Second Language classes as well as programs for students from single-parent households. In spring 2007, the foundation plans to open a counseling center. "This is just the primer for that," he said. 'It still comes down to helping one person at a time."

More information about the The Life Church and its programs is online: www.thelifechurch.me