“We’ve got to give God praise for this day, because He moved the rain for us,” Pastor Berta Newsome of United Faith Fellowship Church of God said as crowds filled Elm Street early Saturday afternoon. “We were certainly praying.”

It would have taken a lot more than a little rain to dampen spirits at Saturday’s Back to School Bash. “It’s just a wonderful sense of community — and that’s certainly what we were trying to do today — unite the community,” explained Newsome, whose church joined Bethel AME Church and the local NAACP in co-sponsoring the event.

“We wanted to unite the community. Unite the children and the adults. And pretty much let this neighborhood know — because it is an older neighborhood — that we haven’t forgotten them. We just wanted to honor them with our presence, share the good news of Jesus Christ, give them a hot-dog and a bag of popcorn — and a good time.” Oh yes, and bags of school supplies, too.

The organizers were especially interested in involving the area’s youth in the event.

“We have eight different ministries for the youth, and we wanted to do something to take them out of the churches and back into the community,” she explained. “We wanted to celebrate them going back to school because we do push academic excellence. We wanted to celebrate them, prepare them for going back and give them some school supplies. There have been wonderful community donations of school supplies.”

For Duchess Overton of Childcare Information Services of Crawford County, Saturday’s celebration was the perfect place to spread the word that her organization can help people find and pay for childcare. In fact, it’s what they do. “It’s been a great day,” she said. “It gives kids an opportunity to get things their parents might have a hard time buying for them — while they’re having a good time.”

Kiashiah and Diandra Newsome, third- and second-graders respectively at Second District Elementary School and Berta Newsome’s granddaughters, were among the celebrants. With their faces gaily painted and clutching bags of school supplies, they were having a very good time. They’re also looking forward to going back to school, they both agreed.

Mary Spicer can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at mspicer@meadvilletribune.com