Saturday, April 18, 2015, the Embrace Henderson Family Spectacular event at SaddleRock Farm saw nearly 1,000 people in attendance.
850 kids and 125 volunteers, along with numerous area churches, joined forces for the event, which presents The Greatest Story Ever Told. One of the main organizers of the event, Kevin Kilgore, told WIZS News that in excess of 100 children have choosen to follow Christ in the event’s five year history.
Larry Johnson, who owns SaddleRock Farm, said it’s just so the whole community can come and have a free event. He said, “We are doing it because Jesus loves us, and we love others because of that.”
Longtime Vance County commissioner of 28 years and recent Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year for 2014, Danny Wright, was in attendance. And as he has each year, Mr. Wright had his trusty camera strapped around his neck. He said, “This is my community,” in reference to the Weldon’s Mill area as well as his home in nearby Cokesbury. He said, “This is primarily an evangalistic outreach effort to reach the children, and if you reach the children, then you reach their families. We are trying to change hearts, and when you change hearts you change cultures, and when you change cultures you change the community. So that’s what this is all about.”
Volunteer Phyllis Burnette said, “It’s wonderful to volunteer for this event, to see the children come out, to see the smiles on their faces, and to see so many churches out here working together, and to know that we have the opportunity to show Christ’s love.”
Harriett Baptist Church Pastor Wil Breedlove was in attendance, with his two children, and Breedlove said, “It’s a bunch of different churches in our community who love our community and want to make a diffence. It’s a great day; it’s a great family day. At seven o’clock this morning my kids got up and said, ‘Daddy, we are ready to go to the spectacular.'”
The morning prayer for the volunteers, just before the event started at 11:00am, brings it full circle for Kilgore and others. To the Glory of God only.