COUNTY LIFE
MPACT youth share faith as they made repairs across Forestburg, Saint Jo
BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Summer fun for teenagers is usually associated with lake activities or family vacations, but for a large group of nearly 300 youth, they spent a week doing community projects in Forestburg and Saint Jo.
MPACT Missions’ goal is to make people aware of “Christ’s truth” by partnering with local churches to provide a safe, but challenging week for students to serve others in community projects and share the gospel. MPACT was founded by Pastor Mark McBride, who came to lead the First Baptist Church of Saint Jo last November. He grew up in Paradise, so he is familiar with the rural communities of North Texas.
McBride and another youth leader brought their teens together in the summer of 1997 to bring the mission team to help in Georgetown. At the time McBride was a youth pastor at First Baptist in Highland Village.
“We wanted to make people aware of Christ’s truth and do a mission project in the summer. First we did it in the other minister’s town one year and my town the next. We started with about 80 kids, but then pushed it to a high of 400 during some years. Since COVID it has been 250-260,” explained McBride.
Youth come from all over the state from as far south as Corpus Christi, west to El Dorado, to Austin and Huntsville. The director says there are people who have attended previously and newcomers creating a unique variety of participants. Contact may come through the website, churches, past guests and other media. The program takes place the second full week of June, and organizers are always looking for towns to host events.
Read the full feature in your weekend Bowie News.
Summer is slowly ticking away as the first day of school nears.
First day dates
Aug 6
Gold-Burg ISD
Forestburg ISD
Aug. 7
Bowie ISD
Nocona ISD
Aug. 8
Prairie Valley ISD
Aug. 14
Saint Jo ISD
Aug. 15
Bellevue ISD
See The Bowie News Back to School section this Saturday and next Wednesday with supply lists and other details to help you plan the start of the new year.
The Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash tribute concert drew an enthusiastic crowd on July 19 at the Bowie Community Center. Performed by Lisa Irion and Bennie Wheels, the show featured many of the classic songs by both artists. (Photos by Barbara Green)
For a fun night out make plans to attend the 22nd annual July Jam starting at 6 p.m. on July 27 in the Bowie Community Center West Hall
There will be a “chickin’ pickin’ fiddling fun time” as guests will be entertained by amazing fiddling tunes and enjoy a chicken meal.
Tickets are just $15 with the event starting at 6 p.m. The funds raised help provide awards for the championship fiddler competition during the Oct. 5 Chicken and Bread Days Heritage Festival. The contest attracts talented musicians from all over to visit downtown Bowie to test their fiddling skills.
The event, hosted by Bowie Community Development, will feature a unique array of items up for bid in the silent auction plus a wide variety of homemade jams.
Hosted in conjunction with July Jam is the July Jam Poker Cruise presented by the Piston Heads Auto Club. This event starts at 9 a.m. with a $5 per hand entry and is open to anything with a motor.
The 60-mile cruise with three stops starts in Bowie Plaza and ends in the same location. Half of the proceeds goes to the winning hand with $5 charge for each extra card for hand. Buy as many as each driver would like. The other half of the funds raised goes towards the July Jam fundraising event.
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