Washington Heights UMC in Battle Creek hosted a carnival, sponsored by seven area churches, as a way to unify faith communities and strengthen neighborhood bonds.
JAMES DEATON
Content Editor
July 27, 2022 | BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – There’s a United Methodist church in the northside neighborhood of Washington Heights that is dubbed the Hub of HOPE. God has been using this congregation to do powerful things in a neighborhood that has been marred by violence and economic hardship for some time.
Rev. Monique French has been at Washington Heights UMC only a short time, about two years. Since coming there, however, she has had the opportunity to see the potential that this church has to bring hope and healing to this neighborhood.
“People that know about Washington Heights UMC know we are heavily involved in our community,” she says. “We care about the people in the community. And we just want to uplift and encourage people to find their purpose and to use it for the building of God’s kingdom.”
So, when Pastor French was invited to join six other congregations in hosting a carnival as a way to unify faith communities and strengthen neighborhood bonds, she had to say yes.
On Saturday, July 23, Washington Heights UMC was the host site for the Family, Friends, and Fun Day Carnival, and it was a day filled with summer fun, fellowship, and community building. Several hundred adults, youth, and children came together in a positive boost to this neighborhood.
The day’s activities included a carnival with free rides and games for children and youth, a car show, giveaways, health and wellness resources, and food and craft vendors. Several local businesses and community organizations, such as the Battle Creek Community Foundation, were additional sponsors.
The carnival kicked off at 9am with a March for Peace, Love, and Justice leading community members from Second Missionary Baptist Church on Washington Street several blocks south to Washington Heights UMC. The carnival lasted until 3pm.
Rev. William Wyne, pastor of Second Missionary Baptist, had the vision for this carnival and first approached Pastor French to see if she and her congregation would be interested in collaborating. After conversations with a third pastor, the idea got the green light and Pastor Wyne brought in four other pastors to begin planning.
The other supporting churches included First Salem Missionary Baptist Church, Love in Action Community Ministries, Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, Maranatha Original Church of God, and Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church.
When these seven churches were crafting this event, they wanted to ensure it would be safe and life affirming. And they hoped to strengthen the community and celebrate the possibility of how good those neighborly bonds can be.
Pastor Wyne’s prayer was for safety for everyone at the event. “You know, unfortunate things have happened in communities when people gather, and my main concern was [that we] gather and be safe. I just prayed that nothing would happen.”
Pastor French agreed that safety was on everyone’s mind, so she and the other carnival organizers addressed this concern by asking the Battle Creek police department and the sheriff’s department to be present throughout the event. The fire department attended as well.
Clovis Bordeaux, Marketing and Strategy Officer for the Battle Creek Community Foundation, was invited to do a booth at the carnival teaching kids how to make puppets. During the event he witnessed the fruit of the churches’ labor and the impact it had on the people there.
“Washington Heights has been somewhat fragmented for a while,” confessed Bordeaux. “And these seven churches brought all seven different parts of that community together as one for this day. It was a full-day event, and it was very peaceful, and everybody was super happy, and the kids had a fantastic time.” In fact, over 400 puppets were made at his booth during the carnival. His entire supply of materials was gone by the end of the day.
Puppet making was just one of many things children had fun doing. All carnival rides and games were free. Hot dogs and drinking water were available for free. Six bicycles were given away.
The event was a positive experience for adults as well. Pastor French noted that it was a gift for families to be able to bring everyone without the financial burden hanging over them. It can be expensive to pay for food, games, and rides, especially for a large family. “And so this gave them the opportunity to have a sense of pride as an adult to be able to take your child to a carnival and just enjoy it as a family.”
Families were blessed in other life-affirming ways during the July 23 event. Free health screenings and COVID-19 vaccinations were available from trusted providers. A truckload of over 200 items, from simple beauty products to furniture, were given away thanks to a partnership with CityServe, a nonprofit organization out of Grand Rapids. There was also an opportunity to register to vote to ensure one’s voice is heard and counted in the next election.
Community bonds in the Washington Heights neighborhood were strengthened on Saturday as the seven churches that organized the event transcended denominational differences and worked together to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the community.
Raymond Dukes, a member of First Salem Missionary Baptist Church, was one of the many volunteers from the supporting churches to help out during the carnival. He felt it was a unifying event, a way for all these churches to come together, to get to know one another better, and to do something good for others.
“That was the most important thing,” Dukes said, “that all the churches got together and brought this event on for the community, you know, for the children. It just gives a positive note on Battle Creek. It would do that for any city.”
There’s a desire for the event to continue in the future. Pastor Wyne is pretty sure they’ll do it again next year. Pastor French feels the same.
“This was really a part of history,” she admits. “This has never been done in the community, and so it just impacted so many people’s lives. We’ve been receiving all kinds of calls. People want to volunteer for next year. And so, we’re just excited about being a part of this.”
Pastor French has also been contacted by Kellogg Community College, and they’ve already committed to be a sponsor next year.
Washington Heights UMC is living into its mission to bring back hope to the neighborhood, and the July 23 carnival was just one more step in that direction.
For more photos of the Family, Friends, and Fun Day Carnival, visit Washington Heights UMC’s Facebook page.
Last Updated on October 31, 2023