By Jasmine Willis
WAYLAND — Some came out to run the race and others came for the familiar joy of a community carnival.
Redefined Church held its first ever Kid’s Carnival and 5K on Oct. 3 in an effort to help with the Family Life Virtual 5K Race and Fall Sharathon. Family Life Network holds a huge fundraiser every year to support their ministries. Redefined Church has been part of this is some way since the church started in 2018.
Pastor Nick Lincoln and his wife Leah Lincoln ministered to the community through giving back at this fall event.
“It went really well. We have looked forward to this event every year at Family Life. We were disappointed they weren’t doing it this year. We always did the Family Life 5K Race as a church group. This year we were able to do it at our home,” Leah Lincoln said. “We had a lot of families I had seen around the community or gone to school with that came out to the carnival. We had people from our church donate a lot of the materials we needed for the carnival a couple of weeks before we decided on it.”
Leah Lincoln said Family Life Network does an amazing job every year with the Kid’s Carnival, Sharathon, and 5k Race. Anyone who registered for the race at Redefined Church got a Family Life 5K shirt and a Chicken Barbecue ticket for Oct. 17th. The photos taken of the race and carnival can be shared with the organization to let them know about the support from other local ministries.
Abide and Seek began the ministry for the new couple three years ago. It was at that point Leah Lincoln wanted to use her gifts and education to work with the farm animals and children to help them grow in an understanding of faith.
“It all started with Abide and Seek and sprung from there. We wanted to bring children into the ministry and focus on the animals. We wanted to use the animals to help relax them. I have a strong background in working with animals,” she said. “I find that certain children find a lot of fulfillment in doing chores with animals. We are meant to enjoy the animals and all of God’s creation. I want to show the children that in understanding the Creator they can have enjoyment in creation.”
“Nick and I talked about doing a 5K at our home for a while now. I have done many 5K’s in the past and I found that doing them in the woods, trails, or having a scenic view is a lot more enjoyable. I wanted to provide that on our property with the trails and woods,” Leah Lincoln continued.
Nick Lincoln said he has enjoyed supporting the Family Life Network every year. He wanted to think of a way to do the Family Life 5K still this year. When the opportunity came to have a Virtual 5K Race he was able to map out a race on his property.
“Anyone was able to come and do the Family Life 5K here for fun. Leah and I had the idea to have a Kid’s Carnival since we love the one at the Family Life every year. We thought it would be nice to have one at our place and invite the whole community,” he said.
Nick Lincoln set up the Family Life 5K Race and offered a prayer before the runners and walkers took on the over three-mile journey.
Leah Lincoln said God has put things on their hearts to minister to the community. She wants to work through the animals and the children. They both want to help the youth of the community to find their purpose through Christ.
“God put thing in our hearts a while back. I wanted to do things with the animals before and it led to many other things. I am eager to serve. I want to see these seeds we planted come to light. I want to help show the youth that God gave them a purpose and we want to share the truth with them,” she said.
Redefined Church does many community type events throughout the year. For more information visit them at https://weareredefined.com or https://www.facebook.com/weareredefinedchurch For information on Family Life Network visit http://www.fln.org
