Students, teachers, and volunteers gathered together Friday morning and made holiday crafts and ate snacks as members of Harmony Hill Baptist Church threw a Christmas party at Coston Elementary School, an annual tradition that began four years ago.
“We tutor and mentor on a weekly basis,” Beth Johnson, a member of the Harmony Hill Baptist Church Mission Team, said. “We do their Christmas parties and provide their snacks. We just have a presence here.”
Johnson was worried she would only have 17 volunteers, but 30 volunteers showed up.
Volunteer Christina Carver volunteers weekly to mentor students at Coston.
“I just love to serve,” Carver said. “To me it’s just joyful. To me it’s an honor and a privilege to serve our Lord, and this is just an extension of his love.”
The volunteers brought snacks and crafts to the classes and worked with the teachers to help students create. Parents were also invited to attend and make crafts with their children.
“We have a real good relationship with the staff here,” Johnson said. “It’s a wonderful school.”
My Experience
It was special to me to photograph this event and write this story because I used to accompany my mother to Coston elementary while she taught the weekly Circle Club, a Christian club where kids learn about the Bible and sing, craft, and play games. I barely remember going to Circle Club, but what I do remember is that the kids around me were so excited to learn new verses and the 10 Commandments.
For the kids to be able to have a safe place to sing, laugh, and play while their parents could finish up what they needed to do that day was wonderful, and seeing that legacy continued through Harmony Hill Baptist Church was amazing.
