Crowds gather at Forsyth Park for Gospel on the Greens Credit: Courtesy of First Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church

Summer is coming to a close, which means students across the county will soon be heading back to school. In order to ensure that local students are equipped with the supplies they need for a successful school year, local churches have answered the call to host events and giveaways in anticipation of the return to school this fall. Three local churches are gearing up for upcoming events to provide a fun community oriented experience for families throughout Chatham County, complete with entertainment, resources and school supplies to help students in the area return to school with the things they need to excel in the classroom. Local families are encouraged to attend these free events that address local needs while providing a fun last hurrah as the summer break comes to an end.

Rock Fest

Credit: Courtesy of Overcoming By Faith Ministries

Overcoming By Faith Ministries will this week host their annual Rock Fest on Saturday, July 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at their church campus located at 9700 Middleground Road. For more than two decades, OBF has held this event to engage community members in fun and fellowship before students return to the classroom in the fall. The event features carnival rides, inflatables, play areas for younger children, music and more, all accessible to the public free of charge.

“The whole goal is to give kids and families something to do that weekend prior to going back to school, and to get them pumped up and ready for the school year,” said Christina Temple, OBF youth pastor. “We’ve also learned that for many families, some families didn’t have the opportunity to travel or do different things throughout the summer break. And so for them, families have told us that this is their kid’s vacation. This is their trip to Disney World, to be able to come to Rock Fest. So we’re just honored to be able to serve and give kids and families that nice opportunity to have fun prior to going back to school.”

In addition to the free rides and fun zones, OBF gives out hundreds of free uniforms to students and families in need, ensuring that they receive the proper attire to reenter the classroom and succeed.

“We typically service more than 500 families when it comes to servicing uniforms,” said Temple.

Throughout the duration of the event, the church is anticipating between 1,000 to 2,000 attendees. She encourages the public to come out to Rock Fest and enjoy all the free family-friendly festivities taking place that day.

“It’s an opportunity to get your kids pumped up and ready to go back to school. We know that sometimes there’s a lot of stress and things to consider when getting your kids ready to go back to school. Getting them on a schedule, families getting back into the routine of things. It’s just an opportunity to rest, relax and have one last hurrah of fun before we get back into the swing of school,” said Temple. “The biggest thing is my prayer that people come out and know that our whole goal is just to serve people. So if there’s anything that our church can do to serve people as they get ready for the school year, Overcoming By Faith is on board—from providing free uniforms to providing a smiling face while you’re riding your favorite ride at Rock Fest. That’s what we’re here to do.”

Back2School Fest

(From left to right) Pastor Taylor Lazenby and Harold “Zion” Edwards Credit: Courtesy of Bull Street Baptist Church

Bull Street Baptist Church is hosting their Back2School Fest on Saturday, July 27 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at their church campus location at 1400 Bull St. The free event, now in its fourth year, will provide an engaging opportunity for families to enjoy fun festivities and receive resources for the upcoming school year. The Back2School Fest arose during the pandemic from Bull Street Baptist’s outreach ministry called The Hope Initiative.

“Coming out of COVID, our church was being very careful, of course, considering our nation and also our city in particular,” said Harold “Zion” Edwards, the Back2School Fest’s lead organizer. “After much prayer and consideration, we thought [the Back2School Fest] would be a tangible way to reach out into our community and throw our arms around in a practical way as we strive to be a church in our community that is known for exhibiting true love and care for our community and striving to be a beacon of light and a door of hope.”

The Back2School fest is one of Bull Street Baptist’s largest and most strategic outreaches of the year, having grown through the years as a recognizable event that is well received in the community. The event includes live entertainment, bookbag giveaways and more, to help students succeed in the classroom this fall and throughout the entire academic year.

“The highlight of the day will be bookbags and supplies … but we have free food and fun fellowship. There will be artists performing, both local artists and some that will be traveling in from around the country. … There will also be free haircuts,” said Edwards, who will also be performing at the festival. “We actually have ladies doing some braiding of hair this year for the first time for the young ladies.”

In previous years, Bull Street Baptist has offered free haircuts for the young men in attendance, and after receiving feedback from attendees, they are offering free hair braiding services for the young ladies for the first time this year. In addition to the hair styling services, students can also enjoy live performances from local and regional artists like Big Fil, Grayce N Mercy, and Calvin J. Ford, among others. There will also be free food and giveaways of book bags and school supplies to ensure that local students have everything they need to excel during the 2024–25 school year.

The guest speaker for this year’s event will be South Carolinian minister Virgil Fripp, who will share an encouraging message to empower local youth. The Back2School Fest is a vehicle through which Bull Street Baptist can impact the lives of local students in a positive way.

“It’ll be a great time for the family … as it relates to all of the physical needs that we [serve] that have its roots in the Christian ethos, which is to love God with all our heart and love our neighbors as ourselves,” said Edwards.

This event is a product of Bull Street Baptist’s Hope Initiative, of which Edwards is the director. The church welcomed its new pastor, Taylor Lazenby, earlier this year, and he sees the Hope Initiative as a vital touchpoint to serve the community while spreading the gospel.

“My vision for the Hope Initiative is that it would continue to be an organization within our church that serves our people in the community by meeting physical and temporal needs, but also by sharing the gospel verbally with people about the salvation that’s found in Jesus Christ,” said Lazenby.

Since its inception four years ago, the Back2School Fest has grown exponentially. The first year, the event drew in about 250 people, followed by 500 the second year and 700 the third. This year, they’re expecting 1,000 or more attendees. Edwards and Lazenby encourage community members to come out and enjoy all that the Back2School Fest has to offer.

“We’re inside, thank God. We have the facilities, so we don’t have to worry about being in Savannah heat from 1 to 4 p.m. We have the space to accommodate the people. It’s comfortable. Again, we are doing all of this to love on them,” said Edwards. “It’s for them, so they should come out and partake in the festivities that will be going on. It will be a great time of blessing.”

Gospel on the Greens

Credit: Courtesy of First Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church

On Sunday, July 28 at 5 p.m. at Forsyth Park, First Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church will host their annual Gospel on the Greens event. In years prior, First Tabernacle would host an in-house back to school event at their church, where they would give away a few hundred bookbags. Seeing the greater need in the community, the event would evolve a few years later into Gospel on the Greens.

Andre J. Osborne, Pastor of First Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church Credit: Shots by Somi Studios
“We were seeking a way that we could help students overall in a greater way as they prepare to go back to school,” said First Tabernacle Pastor Andre Osborne. “Three years ago, we were able to put together an effort to give away 1,000 bookbags and to do it in an environment that would be fun, safe and encouraging so that our students could go back to school not only equipped to learn, but empowered and encouraged to enter the learning environment to do their best. There is certainly the component where we’re giving them the school supplies, but there’s also the component where we hope to let them know that there is a larger community that supports what they are trying to do, so that they go to school empowered to learn.”

This year’s Gospel on the Greens will be a fun evening as Savannah’s iconic Forsyth Park complete with live entertainment, games and more.

“We’re going to have a pre-show by Magic Mark. … We have some amazing local artists, one by the name of Calvin J. Ford and another by the name of Faith. And of course, we are going to have, live in concert, Jekalyn Carr. And she is a national recording artist,” said Osborne.

Additionally, families can enjoy kids’ play zones with bounce houses and games, face painting, food trucks and sponsor tables along with giveaways of more than 1,000 book bags. This year the event is expected to draw in anywhere from 500 to 1,000 attendees. Osborne encourages families to come out and enjoy this free celebration before the start of the school year.

“Our event is usually the weekend before school starts, so this is usually the last effort for kids and families to have a good time before you get back into the school rhythm,” said Osborne. “We’ll position our kids and families so that they are equipped and empowered to enter the school year in a great way. This is the last benchmark before school starts. So if you want to have a good time, here’s that last effort and it’s completely free.”

Gospel on the Greens is one special way in which First Tabernacle addresses need in our community.

“The Deep Center did some research and found that there were about 40,000 students in the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, 42% of whom live in poverty and 67% qualify for free or reduced lunch. We know that poverty disproportionately impacts communities of color. So we want to help families that may not be able to purchase their school necessities,” said Osborne. “I know that there are a lot of great efforts that are going on in our area, but the need is great. And so there is a need for all of us to brighten the corner where we are so that we can make sure that every student gets what they need and no student is left without the proper tools to be successful at learning. This is less about us and more about the kids and families in our community who we want to make sure are not disenfranchised in the learning environment.”

This article appears in Connect Savannah I July 2024.

Chantel Britton is a compelling storyteller with an ever-growing curiosity. She's built a rewarding writing career for herself in addition to serving five years as a Public Affairs Officer in the U.S....