8/16/07
Nick at Nite brings fun and devotion to Clarendon kids
By Konstantin Vengerowsky
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Prepare to be slimed! Just like last year, pictured here, this week’s Nick at Nite event at Manning High School promises to be messy. It will also be a great time of Christian fun and learning. The event is free and open to children of all ages and their parents. |
When people hear “Nick at Night,” the first thing that comes to their mind is the nightly cable television program, not the three-day event full of fun, fellowship and devotion that is happening at Manning High School. The event, sponsored by the Myrtle Beach-based, Carolina Forest Community Church, as well as the local branch in Manning, is in its second year of existence in Clarendon County.
The event started at Carolina Forest’s main campus eleven years ago.
“Our founding pastor noticed one evening how much his son enjoyed watching the Nickelodeon television shows and thought how awesome it would be if kids were that much excited about church, ” said Brian Brunson, Carolina Forest’s main campus Children’s Pastor. “We wanted to combine Vacation Bible school with messy Nickelodeon-type games.”
With the inauguration of the branch church in Manning a few years ago, the event was brought to the Clarendon community last summer.
“The program is about sharing Christianity with the community, and just having a fun time with the kids,” said Jim Fleming, Manning campus pastor.
The event, which is free and open to all children grades K-5, includes an inside and an outside portion.
Upon arrival, the children are divided into teams, and compete in different team activities throughout the evening.
The inside portion includes dancing, praise and worship, as well as a Bible lesson. But the real fun starts outside, where a never-ending list of games includes slime, pies in the face, and lots of spraying water, thanks to the Clarendon County Fire Department.
“We have a segment called ‘what would you do,’” said Brunson. “The person has an option of either getting pied in the face, or doing what’s on the card, which is usually a lot messier.”
Most of the outside activities take place on the high school’s parking lot and practice field. There is also a 40 by 60-foot tarp covered with baby oil and water that creates a fun and slippery event for all.
Brunson also brings a homemade sledgehammer that can make a watermelon go “from zero to sixty.”
There are many other fun games for the specific purpose of getting kids to have a good time, while learning about Christianity.
“We have a station set up specifically for kids to have someone to talk to if they are interested in committing their life to Christ,” said Brunson.
Over 45 volunteers came out from the church’s Myrtle Beach campus, as well as many from the local campus to help out with the event last year.
Fleming was very pleased with the outcome, attracting over 300 children.
“I just love seeing the joy on the children’s faces and the excitement of knowing we have a good Christian fellowship within our community.”
Fleming would like to thank all the community support that the event has received including the Clarendon County Fire Department, Pro-Med Ambulance Service, as well as Principal Mike Shorter and Coach Robbie Briggs for allowing the use of the MHS facilities.
The events will take place from Monday, August 13, through Wednesday, August 15, 6:30-8 p.m. each night. Admission is free for all children grades K-5 as well as their parents.
“Our main goal is to let people know that God made them, God loves them, and Jesus wants to be their friend,” said Brunson.
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