Cape Girardeau's First Presbyterian holds outdoor story time

First Presbyterian Church has started an outdoor story hour program during the summer.

At 10 a.m. each Tuesday at Peace Park on Broadway in downtown Cape Girardeau, there will be a free, all-ages storytelling.

Former teacher Brenda Randolph is one of the women who helped start the program. She said it is a new outreach the church is doing for those in the downtown area. Volunteers take an hour out of their week to read to those who stop by and enjoy the company.

The books change each week depending on the group that is there. On June 12, Randolph read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle to two teenage boys who showed up to her story time. She said the boys probably stayed just to humor her and for the free snacks, but stayed the entire time and even recited the book back with her as they had heard it when they were younger.

The story time lasts about an hour each week. A book is read and an activity or lesson is tied into it to relate back to Christ.

"I tied it in with, you know, how the caterpillar becomes a butterfly. You know, that's how your walk is in Christian faith once you find Christ and come out a butterfly. And so I kind of tie the story in that way." Randolph said about "The Very Hungry Caterpillar".

After the book, there is a snack provided and then time for children to play on the church's playground, Randolph said. If the weather is too hot to be outside, attendees are welcome to go inside to a Sunday school room to play games.

The story time program is set to end Aug. 1, one of the last Tuesdays before school starts.

Randolph said the church has other outreach programs they do during the summer such as offering free water and snacks in the lobby to those who need it. Throughout the year, the church also makes lunches for the homeless.

She said First Presbyterian Church members make about eight sack lunches a day to fill the lunch box program they have at Peace Park for homeless people, and in the winter, they also add in hats and socks.