RUMFORD — The First Baptist Church of Rumford will offer Parents Night Out/Kids Club on the first Friday evening of each month for the rest of the year, the Rev. Dan Pearson said.

The Kids Club would allow parents to leave their children at the church and “enjoy a child-free evening” or “have a nice, quiet evening,” Pearson explained.

He said the idea was born out of an interest in “helping the community anyway we could,” as well as “finding a way to get people more interested in the church.”

“We have pretty limited resources, so we figured rather than doing a ‘once a week’ type deal, we could have one day a month where we allow parents to drop off their kids so they can have some time to themselves,” Pearson said. “We also welcome the parents to stay with their children for a family night.”

The Kids Club is from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Fridays for children ages 4 to 12. The evening would include games, songs, snacks and crafts.

Pearson said the church has a “number of trained workers that have been screened ahead of time to help out.”

The first Kids Club was held Sept. 6. A foster mother dropped off her three children and and thanked him for starting the club.

“She told me, ‘I haven’t had a respite in 18 months,’” Pearson said.

“For me, it’s worthwhile to do something like this if it means helping families like the one who came to us that Friday,” he said.

Though Pearson said he wishes he could continue hosting the Kids Club beyond 2013, he said the weather would not allow for it.

“January and February are the coldest months of the year, which makes it hard to keep the basement of our church warm,” Pearson said. “I have a vision I want to share with the church that involves getting that basement insulated, so we can hold community events there during the winter. We may not be at that point yet, but I feel this Kids Club is a little step in the right direction.”

For more information, call 507-1066.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com