BY CHARLEE BEASOR
STILESVILLE — Most fairs and festivals can end up costing a family a bit of money once the children have played games and everyone has eaten. And that doesn’t even include the price of admission.
But that wasn’t the case for a fair hosted by Crossland Baptist Church here on Saturday.
There were food and games, face painting for the children, entertainment provided by three bands, a visit from the local fire department, family portraits, and haircuts.
And it was all free.
No admission charge, free food and drinks, free haircuts, free portraits, and a garage sale with everything offered for free.
Dr. Steve Pierce, pastor of the church, said times are tough and it’s time for faith-based organizations to stand up and serve their communities.
“We’re trying to give something back to the community,” he said. “Faith-based groups need to get involved in our communities. This is a day on us. In God’s economy, things are cool. God’s economy is great.”
The church, which formed last April from combining two churches — one struggling with membership and the other looking for a home — funded the day and asked that no donations be given to anyone involved with the church.
“The President is calling for change, this is where it starts,” Pierce said. “We invested a lot in this with no expectation of a return. If you’re looking for a job, you could get your hair cut for free. We want to give you a day when you don’t have to think about how much money you have. We’re about joy.”
The church’s motto is “Love God, love others, serve the world.”
“This is us serving the world,” Pierce explained.
One of the church deacons, Doug Anderson, said they were expecting about 500 people.
“We had a huge, great turnout,” he said. “We planned for 500, and I think we far exceeded that. Our vision partly was to minister to kids and to kick of (Vacation Bible School). The really huge part was because of the economic times, a person could come here, get a hair cut, clothing, a nice meal, and entertain their kids.”
Anderson said at the beginning of the fair, a few people came in, picked out some clothing from the racks, and left without doing anything else.
“It was really cool to watch,” he said. “There was a company called JR Rentals that helped us. We were a little short on (tables) and he said ‘Take what you need.’ Most of it was all funds from the church. It’s nice to see the church come together and meet the needs of the community in the name of God.”
Brownsburg resident Elizabeth Canales said couldn’t believe the offers when she first heard about the free fair.
“I thought it was too good to be true,” she said. “This is really nice. A lot of fairs, by the time you get the whole family going, you can’t afford to go. But this is really nice.”
The church is also starting its Vacation Bible School July 27-31. Children ages 4 to those in fifth grade are welcome to attend. For more information or to register, call Becki O’Neal at (765) 376-6543.
Church services begin at 10:30 a.m. Sundays at Crossland Baptist Church, one block south of the traffic light in Stilesville. For more information, visit the church website at crosslandbaptist.org.
