By: Joshua Jones
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| Compassion Pastor James Davis tests a weed eater before a workday with other ministers and church youth on Friday, June 4, in Statesboro, GA. The church is hosting Waterpalooza, a children's event featuring waterslides, games and food, on June 5. |
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| Pastor James Davis drives to Lowe's in search of sandbags and hose splitters. These items are needed to make a slip-and-slide on which the kids at Waterpalooza can glide into the pond on Compassion's Statesboro campus. |
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| From left, Kids and Local Engagement Pastor Preston Seeger and Pastor James Davis plot where to trim the grass in order to place the tarp for a slip-and-slide. "The whole idea is just to have fun," said Davis of Waterpalooza. "We feel like COVID has been really hard on people." |
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| Pastor James Davis shovels dirt in order to soften the ground before the tarp is laid down. Grass had to be cut in order to create a clear path down to the pond below. |
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| Pastor Preston Seeger rakes dirt that was previously shoveled in order to smooth out the ground. Any roots, sticks, or large rocks had to be removed to ensure the safety of the kids going down the slip-and-slide. |
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| Pastor James Davis, middle, takes over raking duties as church youth shovel and trim the grass to clear a path. Davis said he has been the pastor of Compassion Christian Church's Statesboro campus for eight years. |
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| Pastor James Davis takes a video on his phone as crew from an inflatable rental business blow up one of the two waterslides for the next day's event. Davis said that he will use recordings taken June 4 of church youth playing on the waterslides to promote Waterpalooza. |
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| Pastor James Davis begins to roll out the tarp for the slip-and-slide. The Waterpalooza event will take place June 5 on all of Compassion Christian Church's campuses, with locations in Statesboro, Savannah, Rincon and Midway, according to the church's website. |
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| Pastor Preston Seeger (right) assists youth in shortening the slip-and-slide tarp. Seeger said that he has worked at Compassion Christian Church for seven months. |
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| Pastor Preston Seeger searches for something in Compassion's break room to make the tarp slippery. Seeger sent church youth to the store for baby oil, saying that dish soap could burn if it were to get in the kids' eyes. |
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| From left, Justin Colbert and Pastor James Davis relax on Davis' truck to discuss the next day's activities. Colbert is the former Kids and Local Engagement Pastor at Compassion's Statesboro campus before Pastor Preston Seeger took the job. |
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| Pastor James Davis, right, lifts one of the waterslides so that church youth can pull the tarp underneath. "People," said Davis, when asked what his favorite part of the job was. |
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| Pastor James Davis interrupts his work day to hop on a Zoom call with a local church leader in his office at Compassion's Statesboro campus. "Some of the best stuff is to watch people get filled with hope and joy and strength, and develop the kind of strength that produces endurance and steadfastness in bad situations," said Davis on his favorite part of the job. "That's awesome." |
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| Justin Colbert fills up a waterslide using a garden hose while securing a fastener on the slide. Colbert said he enjoys being able to come help set up for events like Waterpalooza. |
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| From left, Pastor Preston Seeger applies baby oil to the tarp as Justin Colbert sprays it with a water hose. Seeger said, as the Kids and Local Engagement pastor, he was responsible for the planning of Waterpalooza. |
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| Pastor Preston Seeger flings baby oil onto the tarp as one of the youth test out the slip-and-slide with a pool float. In exchange for their efforts setting up, church youth were allowed to have the first go at the waterslides for the event. |
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| Pastor Preston Seeger applies baby oil one of the youth's pool floats in order to make it slide faster into the pond. The youth who tested the slide had trouble gaining enough momentum to make it all the way down the tarp, a problem that was fixed with the addition of more oil. |
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| Pastor Preston Seeger takes a water break after working in the Statesboro sun for three hours. "My favorite part is for people to come here and not only learn more about Jesus, but just grow as a family and grow as a community," said Seeger on what he loved most about his job. |
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| Pastor Preston Seeger places a sandbag on top of the slip-and-slide tarp. Sandbags were added along to sides of the tarp to prevent it from sliding into the pond. |
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| Pastor Preston Seeger hauls a sandbag over his shoulder to place on top of the tarp. "I'm in charge of making sure all the activities are set in place and volunteers are here and ready to go so we can just have an awesome time tomorrow and to provide a place for families to be," said Seeger. |
