Donald
Teuma-Castelletti
CAMPBELL’S BAY
Sept. 22-24, 2017
A youth festival in Campbell’s Bay saw kids and teenagers have the opportunity to race minibikes, play paintball, ride horses and a lot more, all while exploring their relationship with God.
The Church of Faith, Praise and Prayer hosted their annual Fall Fest, welcoming children and teenagers for the weekend of fun and learning.
“The big focus is bringing the youth together, that’s our goal,” said Pastor Daniel Bennett. “We hope to show them clean fun, with a spiritual backbone.”
Bennett said the gathering always proves a success, as the kids get the chance to explore a lot of opportunities otherwise unafforded to them, but can also learn from the special guest speakers they bring in, who teach youth-oriented values.

This year, two speakers were brought in from the U.S. to attend the festival. Rev. David Dillon from Virginia and Dr. Jay Leroux out of Florida helped relay traditional Bible stories into a modern understanding.
“They talked about stories like David and Goliath,” said Bennett. “They explained how the Bible is full of young people.”
Bennett said this was important, as they wanted to teach that God uses young people to carry out His messages, and breaking it down through guest speakers proved a great way to teach this.
Beyond the lessons, however, there is plenty more that draws the kids in. Throughout the weekend, beyond the previously mentioned activities, there were also scavenger hunts, craft workshops, face painting, drama, dance and music routines, plus lots of eating.
“Food is a big part of it,” said Bennett, with a chuckle.
Food definitely appeared a big attraction, as there was a lot of it. With the day’s activities scheduled around communal meals, the church wasn’t afraid to go big. Saturday morning, at 4 a.m. a fire was started, and three hours later, two pigs were pitched over top on a spit. By noon, when this reporter watched the cooks remove the pigs from the flames, the pork was cooked to a juicy perfection.
Of course, one of the most popular attractions proved to be the paintball games the pastors ran. Excitement was plastered across the kids’ faces as they anxiously waited their turns to play five-on-five games, returning with varied splats from their makeshift course behind the church. With the pastors acting as referees, paintballs whizzed about, forcing the waiting group to take a few extra steps back as they found some ammo getting a bit close for comfort.
Another highlight, Bennett mentioned, was the music. With a full set-up for a band, the group could attend a lively service after a long day of running around in the sun.
“The music is awesome here,” said Bennett. “Music’s a strong part of what we do.”
The festival runs all weekend long, and offers room for camping or the option to set guests up with local hotels and accommodations. With the events mainly focused on the youth, there’s also programming aimed at adults, in terms of talks with the speakers.
“God has a plan and great purpose for their lives,” said Bennett, of the youth. “That’s the key to Fall Fest, hooking young people up with God’s plan for their lives.”