By Mary Stewart | The Selma Times-Journal

The Edmundite Missions Community Festival is back for the fourth year to kick off summer.

The entire community is invited to join in the fun on Friday, June 2 from noon-3 p.m. on the Center of Hope Lawn at 1107 Griffin Avenue.

This annual event is a time where people come together, enjoy a meal and fellowship.

Chad McEachern, the CEO of the Edmundite Missions, is especially excited for the festival this year as it will kick off many events the missions has planned to celebrate its 80th anniversary.

“It’s just a great day for both the staff and for all those that come because it’s just fun,” he said. “Folks have a great time. They get to forget their cares for a while.”

McEachern said that they have activities planned for all ages to enjoy. They will have music, games, bouncy houses, the shaved ice truck will be there as well as raffles for children and adults.

He said this event was just another way the missions is giving back to the community.

“The Missions gives back 365 days a year, and I think this is just what family does. Family has summer parties and family reunions. This is our way of having a big family reunion to kick off the summer,” McEachern said. “These are the folks that we live with, work with, pray with and play with every day so this is how we like to kick off the summer.”

He said that one of the great things about this event is that they don’t ask anything of the people who attend the festival.

“You get to see old friends and make new friends. People are dancing, and kids are playing together with the various games, bouncy houses and slides,” McEachern said. “There is just so much going on. It’s just three or four hours of folks just enjoying themselves. All the guards are down.”

McEachern said he hopes people will make new friendships as well as reunite with old friends, and that when people go back into the community, they now have a whole new network of individuals that hopefully they can rely on and count on in the days to come.

He said this event is to bring people in the community together for an enjoyable afternoon where they can relax and get to know each other.

“One of the biggest struggles for anybody is getting to know people. We are in the heart of the community 365 days a year so when people come to us they know us, they trust us, and they trust that what we do will be good for them, for their families and for the community,” McEachern said. “That’s what’s most important about having these kind of events, but you have to have trust. You have to treat people with dignity, compassion and you need to meet them where they are.”

The Edmundite Missions Community Festival promises to be an exciting afternoon of food, games and getting to know community members better.

“The Missions has been here since 1937 in the heart of serving Selma and its community. We look forward to the next 80 plus years, and that this event continues to grow and continues to be a catalyst for hope and change in the community of Selma and all those that we serve,” McEachern said.