October 15, 2001

A STRONGMAN from Team Impact breaks concrete bricks at the community event sponsored by Grace Temple Baptist Church.

Kidd Springs hops with kids
___By George Henson
___Staff Writer
___DALLAS--More than 1,500 people came to Kidd Springs Park in Dallas for school supplies and fun, but more than 100 took home something of eternal significance.
___It started as the singles Sunday School department of Grace Temple Baptist Church decided to do something that would reach out to the community and unify the church at the same time. Other classes got enthused as well, and when the event finally happened, there was a dunking tank, a popcorn stand, more than 2,000 soft drinks served, a lemonade stand, pony rides and a jump house. In addition, more than 600 T-shirts were painted and given to children, and about 400 faces were painted.
___That's a lot of activity for a church of 300 people, but Pastor Mickey Moriarty explained it was the work of a united, enthusiastic group of volunteers.
___"In all my years of ministry, I have never been part of a church pulling together for one single cause like this," said Moriarty, who has been pastor of the church four years. "It was a true blessing to witness God at work in the lives of his people and in our neighborhood."
___Neighborhood families had plenty of things to see and sample. The Dallas Fire Department brought its fire safety house to educate children, and a neighborhood police storefront detail sent an officer to do thumb printing to help identify children if they should become lost or abducted.
___One of the most popular places of the day was the "Fajita Stop" where more than 1,200 chicken fajitas, 1,000 bags of chips and 880 bottles of water were consumed.
___More than 50 door prizes also were awarded through the afternoon.
___For many, the highlight of the day was an appearance by Team Impact, a group of Christian strongmen who blew up hot water bottles until they burst, broke bricks, concrete and bats and ripped Dallas telephone directories in half. One man broke a pair of Dallas Police Department handcuffs.
___"It was very impressive," Moriarty said, "to see all that strength and power in one man. But what impressed me most was when he began to tell the crowd where the real strength comes from."
___A former Houston Oiler, strongman Jeff Neal told the crowd, "All the power I have and all the real strength I have comes from my personal relationship with Jesus Christ."
___More than 100 people made professions of faith in Jesus Christ during an altar call.
___After the performance of Team Impact, more than 1,000 school-age children in the park received school supplies. The supplies had come through the donations of individual members and through the solicitation of neighborhood businesses by members.
___A number of factors played into the success of the event, Moriarty said.
___"The first is because God was in this from the very start. We began to plan and we asked God to give us the plans," he said. "It also was truly an event all our people could get involved with. We took a Sunday evening to go on a prayer walk, and more than 100 people walked and prayed in 100-degree heat. We asked God to open the area up to us so we could share the gospel.
___"The more we prayed about it, the more things fell into place. It was soon evident that God had much larger plans than we ever dreamed of."
___God didn't just give the church a big job and leave it to carry it out, however, but did a miracle of his own, the pastor said.
___"The night before the event, we were to pick up 500 tortillas from Mrs. Baird's Bakery, and then on Sunday morning we were to get 500 more from a local restaurant," he explained. "Well, we didn't get the additional tortillas from the restaurant and were in a panic, but we soon discovered that Mrs. Baird's had given us three times the amount we expected from them--just the amount we needed to feed everyone. Only God could have caused that."
___Grace Temple, like many churches, is in the midst of a community that is demographically much different than when the church began. Mainly Hispanic and African-American families now surround the predominantly Anglo church.
___An afternoon in the park has given the church a renewed sense of calling to reach that community, Moriarty said.
___"This has really united our church to minister to this community for Jesus Christ, no matter what anyone's skin color," he said. "We are praying that we will grow to a wonderfully multi-cultural church right here in the Oak Cliff section of South Dallas."
___The church already has a Spanish-language Sunday School class and is home to Estrelle de Belen, a Spanish-speaking mission. In addition, the church rents space to the Texas Language State Charter School.
___The bilingual kindergarten through fifth grade school has black, white and Hispanic students. Those who need to learn English do so, while English-speaking students learn Spanish, in addition to regular studies.
___"Wwe have learned that no matter what size church you are or what your human resources might be, God has more than enough and will use you to accomplish his purpose," Moriarty said. "I believe this was one of those Experiencing God moments. We just joined God in the park that day."
___

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