By By Adrienne McKenzie
The youth of Atmore got to experience a day of games, musical entertainment and educational seminars Saturday at the "Stomp the Yard" rally at Houston Avery Park coordinated by Pastor Bernard Bishop Ministries in association with Deliverance Ministry of Jesus Christ, Inc.
Pastor Bernard Bishop and his wife, Felicia, organized the event. According to Felicia Bishop, the day was a success.
"It was a wonderful day," she said. "We've been getting so much feedback from it on how people enjoyed it."
Bishop said there were many people at the event from children to senior citizens.
"We were very pleased at the turnout," she said. "I'm almost certain we had over 500 people because of what we prepared to serve and how that went. We had people there aged from senior citizens all the way down."
The greatest aspect of the day was breaking down different boundaries set throughout the city of Atmore, Bishop said.
"The best part about it was that it was another effort of breaking denominational and racial barriers in the community," she said. "It was a fun filled day for the youth."
There were many attractions at the "Stomp the Yard" rally Saturday including, a puppet show by Grace Fellowship of Atmore, moonwalks, a waterslide, 3-on-3 basketball, horseback riding, Bible trivia, seminars from Huxford Elementary School principal Donna Silcox on the importance of education and a representative from Escambia County Health Department was in attendance as well.
"The highlight of the day was the guest, Truth Seekah, who captivated the children" Felicia Bishop said. "The best part about his performance was that in between songs he would talk with the children about the importance of building a relationship with Christ at a young age. Not only did he have them captivated with his music but he also talked to them about a foundation of having a relationship with Christ."
Felicia Bishop said the reason behind the rally was not only fun and games.
"The purpose was to bring the children together for a fun and festive day, but to also teach them some Christian values," she said. "It was fun, educational and inspirational, it had a very spiritual aspect."
Pastor Darryl Brundidge of the Prophetic Worship Center International in Pensacola brought with him approximately 20 children from his church to "Stomp the Yard."
"Pastor Bishop came to our church back in June and told us about it," Brundidge said. "We brought about 20-something kids. They are having fun so far. The awesome part about the event is the different activities. It's a blessing to see this."
Bishop said she and pastor Bishop are already looking forward to organizing and having a youth rally again next year.
"We look forward to it being bigger and better next year and we are even looking forward to bringing other activities to it," she said.
Bishop said they are beginning to plan an event for senior citizens of the Atmore and surrounding areas.
"We want to start working toward having a senior day," she said. "We want to wait until the weather is more appropriate for them."
As far as the "Stomp the Yard" event goes, Felicia Bishop said each child in attendance that registered will receive a special surprise in the mail.
"Every kid that attended and registered will receive a personal certificate of participation for the 2007 "Stomp the Yard" youth rally," she said. "For those children that weren't able to register for the event, they can contact us to receive the certificate of participation."
Please call 577-1430 for a certificate.
Bishop said she is thankful for each individual and business who helped with or sponsored the program.
"We would definitely like to thank all of our sponsors, business sponsors as well as community members, as well as all the many coordinators who assisted us during the day," she said. "They worked endlessly throughout the day. A special thank you to the city of Atmore and Mayor Howard Shell for reserving the park for us for the entire day."