Wilkes Barre Church Revives Día del Niño

The Wilkes Barre Hispanic church’s Día del Niño (Children’s Day) event at Kirby Park in Kingston was full of activities, including face painting, piñatas, bounce houses and a water balloon battle. During the festivities, children also learned about dental hygiene and received new toothbrushes and bubble-gum-flavored toothpaste, learned about the Wyoming Valley Seventh-day Adventist School in Mountain Top, enjoyed snacks and received balloons and invitations to the church’s Vacation Bible School.

Story by Tamyra Horst, Pennsylvania Conference

Día del Niño, founded as a way to improve the welfare of the world’s children, is a big holiday in many Latin American countries. Many church members have fond memories of the day from their childhoods, so when discussing how to connect with the community, they decided to relive the holiday.

“Dia del Niño is a day everyone in our congregation looks forward to, not just the kids,” says Sandy Mattison, event coordinator. “The young adults in our congregation play an active role in planning and pulling off the event. And, the adults in our congregation are incredibly supportive and generous with time, energy and supplies. … We hope that by having fun in the park, we can draw people to … our church