The Yellow Shirt People

When Was It Written
This article was written for the Sunday, August 12th worship guide.  The article takes a look back at the Back-2-School Bash Trace Crossing held for kids off Ida Street in Tupelo. Every church member wore a specially designed yellow shirt with the church's logo and catchphrase, "Many People, One Passion".

Who Wrote It
Kevin Wood, Pastor


The Yellow Shirt People
The temperature last Sunday afternoon was hovering around 100 degrees. The air was thick with the sticky scent of summer. It was just like any average Sunday afternoon in Tupelo, Mississippi. The churchgoers were catching a quick nap between Sunday morning’s service and Sunday night church. The non-churchgoers were getting in a last few minutes of rest before returning to the grind of Monday morning. The kids were celebrating their last Sunday of freedom before summer vacation ended, and school restarted, later that week. Almost everything about last Sunday was normal. Everything except the people in yellow shirts who started to stir around 2:00pm.

Like an army of yellow-clad ants, people gathered one by one at Hancock Park off Ida Street. Some of the yellow shirt people carried popcorn machines. Some of the yellow shirt people carried bags and bags of school supplies. Some of the yellow shirt people tossed footballs and rolled bowling balls preparing games for kids to play. Some of the yellow shirt people iced down drinks and some of them fired up grills. There was activity of every kind, unusual activity for a Sunday afternoon. And while churchgoers slept and non-churchgoers rested, the people in yellow shirts threw an out-of-this-world party for a close-to-our-home people.

The yellow shirts came at 2:00pm. The kids came at 3:00pm. A handful at first , drawn by the oversized inflatable rides or the sound of music. “Can I go down the slide?”, one child asked. “It’s here for you,” came the answer. “Can I have a hot dog?”, another child asked. “It’s here for you,” came the reply. “Can I have a drink?” “Can I play that game?” “Can I… Can I… Can I…?” And every time the questions were asked, the answer came back the same: “It’s here for you.”

The handful of curious kids eventually grew to hundreds. And not just kids. Moms. Dads. Grandmoms. Uncles. Friends. And gradually the yellow shirt people found themselves surrounded by shirts of every color. There was a dot of yellow here passing out popcorn. There was a dot of yellow there painting faces. There was a dot of yellow over there playing basketball with a bunch of young men. There was a dot of yellow right there wrapping arms around the neck of a single mother.

And it was in that moment - in the popcorn, in the face paint, on the basketball court, and with the hug - that it all made perfect sense. Where on a normal Sunday there was hunger, now there was popcorn. Where on a normal Sunday there was a blank face, now there was face paint and smiles. Where on a normal Sunday there was just another game of pickup basketball, now there was someone who cared gracing the court. Where on a normal Sunday there was a single mother sitting on her front step, her arms wrapped around a small child, now there were arms being wrapped around her. Arms of hope. Arms of help. Arms of grace, extending out from a heart hidden behind a yellow shirt.