Children played on swings and two large inflatables on Saturday at Moulton Field as part of the Pleasant Street Christian Baptist Church picnic and everyone was invited.

“The community’s been really good and supportive of us — it’s kind of our way of reaching out into the community — and we’d like to reach out to the folks that are less fortunate than what we are,” said Pastor Bryan Chaffins. “This is why we’re here — just to give back a little bit. Let’s take the ministry outside the church.”

The church has only been in existence for 18 months. As part of an outreach program, it purchased a minivan to pick up people who wanted to go to church but did not have transportation.

“The children started out on the bus,” he said. “We had six children.”

Now the church has two minivans to be able to pick up all the people who want to go to church.

About 100 people attended the picnic.

“There’s folks that just don’t want to go to church,” Chaffins said. “They think they don’t fit in church. We want to have it to where we let them know we’re just like you. We want you to come and be a part of it.”

Just about the whole church turned out for the event.

A few months ago, the church started a youth program for teens and one for younger children. The junior church averages about 35 children.

“Now, we’re moving that also into our Wednesday nights,” Chaffins said. “We’re starting a new program called KFC — Kids for Christ — starting on Aug. 29 for ages three to 11.”

The new children’s program is 13 weeks and begins on Aug. 29. The first half hour will be a video or DVD, and then they will divide into three age groups, studying the Bible and working with crafts and other projects.

On Nov. 28, the children will present a program for the parents.

“I think it’s important to let people know that we care for them,” Chaffins said. “We’re not interested in what kind of clothes they wear — we’re interested in having them come and make Christ their personal savior, finding out that there’s life beyond what the city of Ironton deals with.”

The outreach program has been one of the mainstays of the church.

“We started off with three (people),” said Jared Hineman, assistant pastor of the church. “We’ve got a couple of teen teachers that just do an incredible job. Really, God is doing amazing things. To start off with three, from 18 months ago to doing something like this event — God gets all the credit and the glory.”

Robbie McClellan works with the children’s program.

“I look back at my childhood and going to a church that showed me who God was,” McClellan said. “And, I would like nothing more than to go out and show these kids who God truly is. Not all of us are blessed to come from families with great home lives, but we know that we have a God that is the greatest father of all. … These kids can show the light of Christ in their families.”