PERRY–As school children and their families in Perry bid farewell to summertime fun, they greet the coming school year with the love and support of First Baptist Church of Perry.

Now in its eighth year, First Baptist Church of Perry’s back-to-school bash has become its largest community outreach event, helping local families with much-needed school supplies while also providing an opportunity for the congregation to connect with local schools and the community.

With an inviting carnival-type atmosphere–complete with bounce houses, face painting, snow cones and cotton candy­–the event also includes representatives from all the local schools, law enforcement agencies and many other community organizations and partners that provide services to families.

“We want them to have fun and to understand and know that we want them to be connected to our church family,” said Pastor Steven Ruff. “We want them to know that we care for them and value them as families. This is our way of showing love to them.”

This year the church gave out 320 backpacks full of supplies to the 140 families that attended the recent event, and they served more than 600 hot dog meals.

Fundraising

The church starts in May raising funds to purchase all the school supplies that will be given away. Based on past experience, the church has determined that $20 can purchase a backpack and all the needed supplies. Rather than collect an assortment of various types of supplies, the church collects the funds and uses it to buy all the needed items in bulk. This year SEND Relief, the compassion ministry of the Southern Baptist Convention, provided 72 backpacks, with the local Walmart store also donating supplies. The church uses donations to buy the remainder.

Community partners

Ruff said all the local schools are invited to attend, as are local organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs, the hospital, police and fire departments and the Florida Game and Fish Commission, among others. Everyone is invited to set up a table to display information for families. This year there were about 20 partners participating.

“I think it’s really great for kids to see the positive side of law enforcement and how it strengthens the community,” he said. “And the schools are here every year. These principals and administrators already know these kids, so this is another way for them to connect with these families. We partner with the schools in all sorts of ways.”

Volunteers

A big event like this requires a lot of volunteers, and church members answered the call, Ruff said, with approximately 75 participating. Members spent about three hours two days before the event packing all the appropriate supplies inside each backpack and organizing them by grade level. Then, the volunteers were there for the event itself, registering each student and family, serving the hot dog meals, the popcorn, snow cones and cotton candy, manning the bounce house, giving out the backpacks, and being available to pray with attendees if needed. The church always includes volunteers who are ready to pray with attendees and engage in gospel conversations.

Connecting with families

While each student received a backpack, parents received their own bag full of information about First Baptist Church of Perry, including upcoming family and children’s events, sports programs for youngsters, service times and more.  The church uses these parent bags to connect with each family.

Follow up

Approximately 50 of the 140 families who participated in the bash were not current members of a local church, based on information received during registration. Ruff said the church has enlisted its small-group ministry to reach out to these new families and to invite them personally to upcoming church events. Families inviting families makes for a great follow-up for this popular event.

Ruff said his favorite thing about this event is seeing all the church members come out to volunteer. “This year was our highest number of volunteers. Seeing that many volunteers of all ages – from teens to 80+ – come out and serve does my heart well! I loved seeing their excitement and their willingness to come out in 100-degree temperatures and serve our community in this way.”

The church has already established quite a reputation for helping the community in the past two years after the area was hit by Hurricane Idalia in 2023 and Hurricanes Debby and Helene in 2024. After each of these incidents, the church served its community and the surrounding areas as the base of operations for Florida Baptist Disaster Relief. The church also provides free after-school tutoring and partners with local schools throughout the year.

“Families remember us for helping them in very practical ways,” he said. “Hopefully we’re making a lasting impression in their minds, and they know we are here for them.”