NEW FREEDOM, Pa., (BRN) – On Feb. 11, Mason Dixon Baptist Church in New Freedom, Pennsylvania, hosted a Sweetheart Banquet for those in their church family and those in their community. 

At 6:30 p.m., couples and families arrived at the church. Families were encouraged to bring their young children in their pajamas as the church provided childcare for the night and held a pajama party for the kids. Parents then entered the dining area, where they were greeted with twinkling lights, a violin quartet and a Valentine’s Day themed dinner.  

Once everyone was seated, they were served a steak and shrimp dinner. Later, they enjoyed a time of encouragement from guest speaker Pastor Tim Parker, who is the senior pastor at Stewartstown Baptist Church. Parker also shared the gospel in his message.  We also gave out prizes at the end of the night. 

In all, we had more than 84 adults in attendance with at least 16 of them being nonmembers/nonattenders of Mason Dixon. For the children’s pajama party, there were more than 25 kids who participated. By the end of the night, all of our guests heard the gospel – including adults and children.  

Many of our guests expressed a desire for prayer and gave us permission to follow up, which we plan to do in the near future. 

We are grateful for the evangelism grant funds provided by the Baptist Resource Network, and the opportunity they provided for us to connect with our community.