Fishbone Ministries hosts hayride
Fishbone Ministries hosted a group of children who got to experience something on Sunday, Oct. 26, that few city children get a chance to experience — an old-fashioned autumn hayride.
Fall hayrides for children have become a staple at Fishbone Ministries for at least three years, according to Aaron Petsinger, who drives the tractor for the hayride,
“It’s neat because the kids get to enjoy something that’s a small version of a big hayride,” Petsinger said. “They get to enjoy being close in the trailer, not having to control anything and just having fun. It’s become a staple down here.”
The route of Sunday’s ride took participants around the surrounding neighborhood, past the Butler Eagle building on West Wayne Street, past Rotary Park on Shore Street and back to Fishbone Ministries.
Petsinger estimated between eight and 10 children boarded the hayride, which was pulled by a tractor which originally belonged to his grandfather.
“It’s just something to have fun with the kids, for them to experience something that would happen out in the country,” Petsinger said. “A lot of kids would never have the ability to experience this.”
Fishbone Ministries was established in 2002 by Tom and Sandy Bowser as a means to spread Christianity to the youth of Butler County and steer them away from bad habits, such as drug use. Today, Fishbone has programs for fifth-12th graders on Tuesdays and prekindergartners through fourth-graders on Thursdays.
“Their goal is to help people break harmful habits and lifestyles so that they can live in the freedom of Christ and a lot of that starts with teaching these kids about that stuff and helping them to see that there’s hope beyond the brokenness of the world that we are in,” said William Petsinger, who leads the youth group.
