Celebrating New Life at Easter

You could feel the energy as neighborhood children began to gather. Casa de Oracion (House of Prayer) in Bakersfield, CA, was hosting a special Easter event.
      Before long, kids were running relay races and playing Scripture games. The youth pastor asked the group questions about Easter, and then the message got personal.
      Youth for Christ teens, plus folks from the church, presented each child with an Easter Bag provided by Here's Life Inner City. The Bags are filled with a toy, fruit, sweet treats, and Christian material for children.
      One on one, a Christian would sit down with a child, pull the Gospel booklet from the Bag, and share the Easter message of God's love.
      There was eager interest, and in the end, seven children indicated they had received Christ that day!
      This is one of the many ways that churches all over the country used Here's Life's Easter Bags to help inner-city children understand the true meaning of Easter.

ON A SIDEWALK IN ATLANTA

But the Bags didn't reach just children.
      In Atlanta, HLIC staff member René Foster took the youth from her inner-city church out into the surrounding neighborhood. They knocked on doors, offering Easter Bags to children in the homes and inviting families to Easter services at the church.
      As René and 9-year-old Jeremiah were walking down the street, they saw two women walking towards them. Even though it was only midmorning, it was clear one of the women had been drinking. René asked if the women had children who would like Easter Bags, and both women replied yes.
      René went on, “Inside there's a story about Jesus that would be good for you to read to your children.” She pulled it out, then asked, “This is about Jesus — can we share it with you?”
      After reading through the booklet together with René, both women prayed right there on the street, opening their hearts to the Lord!
      Thanks to the generosity of so many, more than 30,000 Easter Bags were distributed nationwide. We celebrate with much gratitude!

More Stories of Connecting, Empowering, and Developing:
Connecting: From Russia—via Brooklyn—with Love
Empowering: I Want a Clean Heart
Connecting: New Life at Easter in New York City

Some Helpful Links:
Here's Life Inner City Bakersfield
To give a gift online in support of these Easter Bag outreaches ...