PROSPERITY — Churches from around the area gathered for the Back-to-School Blessing and Celebration to help kick off the new school year in a positive light.

“A lot of different congregations are coming together and blessing the book bags and the new school year. I will deliver a short message, and give a little biblical inspiration for the coming year,” said the Rev. Michael Price of Grace Lutheran Church in Prosperity. “We collected 300 folders to put in with the other supplies that the other congregations put in.”

Michelle Murphy, children’s worship director at Wightman Methodist Church in Prosperity, helped organize this community wide blessing of the book bags.

Murphy said different churches brought different supplies, like notebooks, folders, pencils, glue sticks, to donate to the children who attended.

This is the second year for this event that is held at the Prosperity Town Park and Civic Center. During the event the crowd listened to music from the Wightman Praise Band and were able to enjoy food like hot dogs, sno-cones and popcorn. The event started after most of the youths were able to fill up their book bags with supplies.

“We have a pastor from Grace Lutheran Church that will give a devotion, then we will end the day with a blessing of the bookbags by Wightman’s pastor, Brian Rainwater, and have prayer for them to start the year off right,” Murphy said.

Seabron Lecompte, a member of Wightman, brought her son, Ames Lecompte. She said they came out to support the cause and were very happy that Wightman does this for the community.

Gloria Smith brought her grandchildren to the event as well.

“We came out to fellowship and hang out with friends, and get school supplies,” she said.

Murphy said they planned on giving out supplies to 300 children, and the goal was to donate any extra to schools in need.

Barbara Chapman with the Newberry County Literacy Council also stopped by to donate supplies to give out to the youths. She said she heard about the event from her board member, Nadine Alexander, and wanted to help out.

Michelle Murphy makes sure everything is going smoothly during the Back-to-School Blessing and Celebration.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_DSC_0202.jpgMichelle Murphy makes sure everything is going smoothly during the Back-to-School Blessing and Celebration. Andrew Wigger | The Newberry Observer

By Andrew Wigger

awigger@civitasmedia.com

Reach Andrew Wigger at 803-276-0625 ext. 1867 or on Twitter @ TheNBOnews.