Have you ever wondered how to hold 80,000 people’s attention while informing them of the activities, resources, outreach, and locations of your church and school all on one sunny, summer morning? That is exactly what happened when Metropolitan (Metro) Seventh-day Adventist Church members marched in the Northville, Michigan, Fourth of July parade.
Bruce Higgins, a Metro member, suggested the idea to the church board as a way to announce to Northville area residents the existence of the Metro Church and its junior academy. He also shared his idea with Robert Black, who became quite excited about the idea as he saw Bruce’s passion for getting involved. Robert and Bruce spearheaded socials where members designed and built floats, crafted banners, decorated cars, wheelchairs, electric scooters, and red wagons with whatever they felt passionate about relating to the church or the school. All these carried the overall theme of true freedom more than just the freedom our country offers.
The morning of the Fourth was bright and glorious. Parade viewers showed up by the thousands. Metro members readied to march down the parade route. Ninety-five-year-old Leota Botimer and eighty-eight-year-old Mary Christner merrily waved from festively decorated wheel chairs, promoting the longevity of so many Adventists as the result of our health message.
Arthur Weaver, a physician, and his wife Natalie, Plymouth Church members, waved from an antique convertible decorated with information about their Better Living Seminars. People helped by their seminars marched alongside the car. They wore T-shirts emblazoned with "Freedom from Smoking," “Freedom to Eat Well," “Freedom to Exercise," "Freedom from Stress," and "Freedom from Obesity." Though these individuals are not yet Adventist church members, they felt privileged to participate.
The Metro Rangers Pathfinder Club members carried the Pathfinder banner and flags, promoting freedom to serve and participate in fun social activities. Other members and school students distributed water bottles from a float that displayed the phone numbers and websites of the junior academy and church. Promoted here was the freedom to learn in a religious setting. The water bottles had a church business card attached with pertinent addresses, websites, and phone numbers, and dates for the upcoming evangelistic series andTasting Extravaganza.
Handsomely decorated red wagons displayed the church name and Bible texts like John 8:32, “The truth will set you free.” Leading the Adventist entourage was an Adventist Health Services van, exhibiting the freedom to reach out to help others.
The local newspaper promoted the Metro church when it carried a story about the parade. A picture of Leota was included with a caption stating her age and church affiliation. Metro members put the church and school on the Northville map during the parade. The members passionately demonstrated a fun-filled, happy, and delightful face of the Adventist church and its well-established educational system, with its beautiful and happy youth, a life-saving health message, and the freedom given to us through Jesus Christ: “If the son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” All this was displayed for thousands to see on a lovely summer morning.
Joy Hyde is the Metropolitan Church correspondent.
