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Mt. Olivet youth write encouraging words of Scripture with chalk on the downtown Manteo boardwalk. Courtesy Mt. Olivet

Mt. Olivet youth write encouraging words of Scripture with chalk on the downtown Manteo boardwalk. Courtesy Mt. Olivet

Mt. Olivet youth write encouraging words of Scripture with chalk on the downtown Manteo boardwalk. Courtesy Mt. Olivet

Mt. Olivet youth write encouraging words of Scripture with chalk on the downtown Manteo boardwalk. Courtesy Mt. Olivet

Mt. Olivet youth write encouraging words of Scripture with chalk on the downtown Manteo boardwalk. Courtesy Mt. Olivet

Mt. Olivet youth write encouraging words of Scripture with chalk on the downtown Manteo boardwalk. Courtesy Mt. Olivet

Mt. Olivet youth write encouraging words of Scripture with chalk on the downtown Manteo boardwalk. Courtesy Mt. Olivet

Mt. Olivet youth write encouraging words of Scripture with chalk on the downtown Manteo boardwalk. Courtesy Mt. Olivet

One of the blessings of living in this community is being able to take advantage of the scenery on the boardwalk of downtown Manteo. Residents and visitors alike take advantage of running or walking among the picturesque scenery and the sound of water lapping up against the pilings. Those who took to the boardwalk the week of November 18 were given an added treat: the ability to engage in Scripture, thanks to a project of the Mt. Olivet UMC Youth Group.

“We saw on social media where on college campuses, students were getting together to use chalk to write entire Gospel Books on the sidewalks. They’ve done it at Carolina, App State, NC State, and other places, and so we figured we’d give it a shot,” said Mt. Olivet Pastor Marc O’Neal. “We decided on the book of 1 John because it was concise and full of great theology. Our goal was to use it to show our kids that they can all be evangelists, in ways that maybe they hadn’t thought of before, using the gifts that God has given them individually. We also wanted to ‘give a gift’ to this community and its visitors, to give them a chance to encounter the Word as they encountered God in nature.”

The impact was felt by those that found it that week. “Seeing that our youth had done the 1 John activity on our boardwalk came at the perfect time for me,” said resident Liz Brown. “I changed up my morning walk and just spent time on the waterfront reflecting and imagining our local kids hard at work, sharing these verses with our community. Several people stopped to read as I was down there. What a beautiful way to share His word! You just never know who may be needing to see those lessons at that exact moment.”

Manteo resident Sarah Benson added, “Running on the boardwalk is pretty much an early daily drill for me, and there is always a surprise or two, especially after an event in Manteo. But recently, I noticed chalk writings on the boards and realized, by listening to others already looking at what I could not see up ahead clearly, was that the writings were Scripture and lots of it!”

The youth who participated were also impacted by the activity.

“It was super special to write on the boardwalk. To think of someone having a hard day and walking down there and seeing those words and being encouraged and changing their day … maybe even their life! How amazing is that!” said Leila Fisher.

“I liked writing the Bible verses on the boardwalk because it felt like a good way to bring Christ into our community and share His joy with everyone who walks by,” said Isabel Binkley.

Madeline Logan agreed. “I enjoyed writing Bible verses on the sidewalk because we got to use our own creativity and I loved that we got to share the message of the Lord to others who may not know Him,” she said.

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