A fireworks display fills the sky about Rock Spring Church last Friday night. Tabitha Johnston

KEARNEYSVILLE — Thousands of local residents made their way to the fifth annual Family Festival and Fireworks Event at Rock Spring Church last Friday, ready for an evening of children’s activities, food, door prizes, raffles, live music and intricate firework displays.

According to Rock Spring Church’s pastor, Mike Lowrey, the free community event drew a crowd of 300 in its first year, when it was only open to church members. The next year, the event was opened to the public, leading its attendance to quickly multiply to an estimated 3,000 this year.

“We are celebrating the birth of our nation — that’s the purpose of this event — the Fourth of July, Independence Day,” Lowrey said. “We’re celebrating the birth of our nation, regardless of what you’re feeling about all that’s going on politically and stuff. This is our nation. This is where we live. And so we’re celebrating its birth.”

According to Lowrey, the event was inspired by one of his friend’s love for fireworks.

“I was joking with my friend J.C. about fireworks. He was the one who was big on fireworks and kept on saying, ‘We got to do fireworks!’ So when it became legal, we said, ‘All right, let’s do some fireworks,'” Lowrey said. “Then we did it and people enjoyed it so much, it’s become what it is.”

The praise band of Rock Spring Church performs a set, interpreted in American Sign Language, at the Family Festival and Fireworks Event on Friday. Tabitha Johnston

Lowrey endeavors to make the event’s environment pressure free, regardless of attendees’ personal beliefs.

“Not everybody believes in God, and that’s their God-given right, to believe in him or not,” Lowrey said. “But we want to build a connection with the community, so that if they have an interest in pursuing knowledge or a relationship with God, they will know of at least one place that they will feel comfortable coming to for answers. We want them to have a good time here with our people, so that if and when something happens — something gone wrong in a marriage or health or something like that — and they decide that they want to talk to somebody, they will be able to go to some place where they have made some kind of connection. That’s the whole purpose of this event.”

Children’s activities — face painting, temporary glitter tattoos, hair tinsel, tossing games, a fishing game, a jungle gym, a strongman game and moon bounces — took over a good portion of the church’s lawn. Many of the activities were provided by the church, although the moon bounces and strongman game were donated for the evening by Jefferson Rentals. A number of other organizations contributed to the event, whether through volunteering their expertise or providing donations and discounts.

“Not everybody gives the same amount, but they all contribute. We want to credit everybody, because they all chipped in,” Lowrey said. “We’re able to do this at no expense to the church, because of the donations and volunteers.”

An estimated 60-80 adult volunteers and 10-20 preteens and teens helped run the event, according to volunteer coordinator Jennifer Stemen.

Children play a fishing game at Rock Spring Church’s Family Festival and Fireworks Event on Friday. Tabitha Johnston

“For our church to provide a safe, family event for the community, where everybody can get together regardless of financial status or what’s going on in their lives, is amazing,” Stemen said. “There are so many smiling faces out there — kids and parents alike — it’s awesome!”

While a couple of things at the event were not free — the food trucks and the raffle ticket purchases — the church did its best to make sure no one went away feeling left out. Thus, the raffle was preceded by the giving away of 10 door prizes, and free food and water was available for all attendees, according to Stemen.