Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
The Forks of John’s Creek Christian Church is continuing its American 250 celebration with a series of patriotic events culminating in a nationwide bell-ringing ceremony on July 4.
For more than three months, members of the church in Maggie have celebrated the approaching anniversary of the American Revolution. Earlier this month, the congregation marked its 171st Homecoming by honoring vintage, handcrafted and cherished mementos from past and current members and friends of the church.
The celebration continues with a Potluck Patriotic Picnic from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at the Donald and Betty Caldwell Picnic Shelter on the church grounds. The event will feature lawn games, fellowship and a potluck meal.
During the 10 a.m. worship service Sunday, June 28, the congregation will present a patriotic slideshow highlighting John’s Creek’s perspective on the United States’ independence from British rule.
The celebration will conclude at 2:50 p.m. Saturday, July 4, when the church joins congregations, farms, fire departments and other organizations across the nation, Virginia and Craig County in Freedom Bells: A Nationwide Call to Toil the Bells. Members will ring the church’s restored steeple bell 13 times to represent the 13 colonies that united in the fight for independence from British rule.
The brief ceremony will center on Psalm 33:12 (NIV): “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.”
Church members said the public is invited to attend the patriotic events, worship services and the July 4 bell-ringing ceremony.
