The "27th Annual National Night Out", a unique crime/drug prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW), took place on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010, from 7:00 – 10:00 pm.  Last year's National Night Out campaign involved citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from over 15,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide.  In all, over 36 million people participated in National Night Out 2009.

Good News Bible Church was proud to team up with the Iowa City Police Department and the Broadway Neighborhood Center in sponsoring events for the Pepperwood/Broadway communities.  About 150 kids from the neighborhood visited the church, ate delicious Dane's Dairy ice cream, played in an inflatable "bounce house", watched a movie, met members of the Iowa City Police Department, and enjoyed a surprise visit from both McGruff the crime fighting dog and the University of Iowa's own "Herky the Hawk"!

"National Night Out" was designed to meet four specific goals, including: 1. Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; 2. Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs; 3. Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; 4. Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

Again, as an evangelical church we know that crime and criminal activity are the results of a fallen and depraved humanity.  We also know that the ultimate deterrent to criminal activity is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  It's our hope that meeting these children, as well as some of their parents, will forge new relationships and opportunities to ministers in the lives of the people of the Pepperwood/Broadway community.