Churches, Salvation Army planning two ‘tent revival’ worship events

Back-to-school clothing giveaway

Ninth Street Missionary Baptist Church will be hosting a back-to-school clothing distribution event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 13 in the parking lot at US Bank, 847 Tenn.

The event will feature used and some new clothing, and clothing offered will be on a first-come, first-served basis. The event is free and open to the public with children.

Milton Scott, chairman of the executive board at the Ninth Street Missionary Baptist Church, sees the tough times some in his congregation are going through.

“People are struggling,” he said.

That makes it a perfect time for something different.

Scott — along with officials at The Salvation Army and Plymouth Congregational Church — are planning two old-time “tent revivals.”

“(We’ll) try to show people that we’re many churches that worship one God,” he said.

The public events — from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday and Aug. 24 — will feature music, worship, food and conversation, Scott said. The revival will take place at the vacant lot between 16th and 19th streets off Haskell Avenue.

Joshua Longbottom, pastor at Plymouth, said the event will get church members out behind the walls of the church for an old-time tradition.

It’ll be a fun way to worship, he said: “Expect the unexpected.”

Scott said the event is part of a “Ministering Without Walls” initiative that’s looking for ways to improve outreach in the Lawrence community.

“We’re going to them, as opposed to them coming to us,” he said.