ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Churches in Liberal are always looking for ways to increase their community outreach and later this month, they will have just that.

Members of all churches in Liberal are invited to participate in a special parade Wednesday, Aug. 26. The parade will start at 7 p.m. and will go from Trail Street to 11th Street. Coordinator Summer Hernandez said the main goal of the parade is unity.

“The goal of us doing this is to be united and proclaim the name of Jesus. This parade is for churches around and anybody who wants to be part of it,” Hernandez said. “Anyone wanting to be part of this can put together their own floats, or they can just walk, whatever they feel like doing. We need to come out of the church, out of the four walls of the building, and proclaim  Jesus is the center of us all.”

Hernandez said the idea for the parade came a short time ago.

“I was talking to a friend of mine and she said, ‘I feel like wanting to get out of the walls of the church and do a big event that brings people from all the churches together, like a parade.’ I really liked that idea, so I joined her, and I said let's do it,” Hernandez said. “So we went to the city, and the city gave us all the permission and everything else we needed. We need people to hear the message of Jesus, but they can’t do that if they don't go to church, or if the church doesn't come out of the four walls. So that's what we're doing, bringing everyone together.”

Hernandez said she and other coordinators hope to see a large turnout to the parade.

“I want people to just come and help proclaim the name of Jesus. Let's just join like a church, like the one body we are, and be together, and just let the world know who our God is,” Hernandez said. “A lot of people in this world have a picture of a God of who is mad at us, and He's not. He's a good God. He's a loving God. So, like the body of Christ, let’s show the world who our God is. The vision is to show the world how if they don't have a way to come out, we're going to be out there letting them know Jesus is the way.”

Along with community participation, Hernandez said she also hopes to see many of the local churches participating.

“Church is an enjoyable experience – everyone’s calm and comfortable, and everyone’s indoors with the AC, which is especially nice in the summer,” Hernandez said. “However, I feel like we have forgotten about the people who are outside of the four walls of the church who might be dealing with grief and anxiety and other issues. They might think the church has rejected them, or God has rejected them, but that is absolutely not the case, because God loves everyone, no matter who they are or what they’ve done.”

With this being the first parade of its kind, Hernandez said there is a lot to be excited about.

“We are very excited about just being out there, out of the church’s four walls,” Hernandez said. “We want every church out there supporting every person. Even if you don't have a church home, we want everyone to be there and just pray. Pray for Liberal and everyone in the community, and everything around us. We want this to be a time when everyone comes together. Prayer makes a big change, so it's not only for all people, it’s also to declare, you know, peace in our town and put our town in God's hands. We're going to be ending up at the Light Park Pavilion, and we'll be having a service there in English and Spanish, so it'll be a service for everybody who wants to join, or whoever who missed the parade. During that time, we'll be praising God with music, prayer, worship, and preaching.”

Anyone interested in having a float in the parade should call Hernandez at (620) 309-1773 to get their place in the lineup set.

“I’m just very excited we’re going to be doing this,” Hernandez said. “I’m excited to see how many people come out and how many floats we see put together. At the end of the day, this is all about bringing people together, and I think an event like this is a great way to do that.”