Night of worship, basketball tournament planned at local churches
Published 12:00 am Saturday, August 3, 2019
LAPLACE — Making conscious commitments to success on the first day of school sets the stage for a successful academic year, according to Brandon Foottit, student pastor at First Baptist Church of LaPlace.
St. John the Baptist Parish students are invited to a community-wide night of worship from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. August 9 at 120 Ormond Blvd. in LaPlace.
“We wanted to get the students’ mindsets prepared to go back to school,” Foottit said. “It’s going to revolve around musical worship, and our pastor is going to bring a message to students on preparing their minds to go back to and how to be committed and ready for the school year.”
Brandon Foottit, student pastor at First Baptist Church of LaPlace believes conscious commitments to success on the first day of school sets the stage for a successful academic year.
Pastor Jason Harris of the Lutheran Church of the Galilean hopes this will be a springboard to future opportunities where the church can continue to reach out into the community.
According to Foottit, the first 45 minutes to an hour will feature pizza, games and door prizes donated by local businesses. At around 7:30 p.m., students will move into the main sanctuary for music and a message.
“To start the night off seriously, I’m going to have the students write a letter to themselves at the beginning of the school year and address it to them,” Foottit said. “We’re going to mail it to them at the end of the school year.”
Foottit ministers to 30-plus youth on a weekly basis, and he is expecting a larger crowd Thursday night with participation from community members, First United Methodist Church of LaPlace, the LaPlace Lutheran Church of the Galilean, St. Charles United Methodist Church and First Baptist Church of Gonzales.
The Lutheran Church of the Galilean is also reaching out to St. John Parish youth with a LaPlace Community Classic 3-on-3 basketball tournament at 3404 Highway 51.
Tip-off is at 9 a.m. August 17, and registration is free. Open to ages 12 through 17, the double elimination tournament will feature eight teams with a maximum of four players per team.
Pastor Jason Harris said prizes will be given to the winning team and for best uniforms.
“We want to have the basketball tournament that’s free for kids to come to play and have some fun, and so our church members can get to know more people in the community,” Harris said. “Hopefully, this will be a springboard to future opportunities where the church can continue to reach out into the community.”
Harris said future basketball workshops and tournaments would be open to a wider age range of participants.
To register, email revjasonharris@gmail.com.
