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Local mothers and those who love them will be able to celebrate Mother’s Day early this year with a luncheon organized by Bethlehem Baptist Church in West Point. It will take place on Saturday, April 30 at noon in the church’s Bethlehem Family Life Center.

Church member Opal Holloway, who helped organize the event, said it will be free and open to the public. You do not have to register ahead of time to attend.

“We’re going to have chicken salad, pasta salad,” she said. “We’re going to have ham and turkey sandwiches, we’ve got homemade strawberry pound cake, tea and lemonade.”

Entertainment will be provided. Scotty Johnson, a West Point local, will perform gospel music, and Mikki Rowland, a student from Atlanta, will lead a praise dance.

“We’re going to be giving away gifts,” Holloway said. “As people come in, we’re going to give all of the mothers a ticket, and then they’ll pull names. We have some nice air fryers and different things like that that were donated that we’re going to give away.”

Holloway said 100 gift bags have been prepared for the first 100 mothers to attend the event. Two items Holloway named that will be in the gift bags are bracelets and bookmarks.

“We lost so many people during the pandemic, and we’re just opening back up to where we’re kind of being able to [meet with] one another,” she said. “So, this is just an event that we wanted to have to kind of kick off Mother’s Day, just to have people come in, fellowship and try to love one another.”

Holloway said the event isn’t intended to increase membership but rather to get people “back on board.” During the pandemic, a lot of people couldn’t go to church, and some are still afraid to come out, she said. The event is intended to break the ice.

This event is being organized for the first time by the Women’s Day Committee of the Bethlehem Baptist Church.

“Come out and enjoy,” Holloway said. “Bring love because that’s what it’s all about. Loving one another.”

Bethlehem Baptist Church is located at 1111 East 10th Street in West Point. Dr. W. T. Edmondson is the pastor. To learn more about the church, visit https://bethlehembaptistga.com.