David Williamson and his wife, Gayle, are "magissionaries" who mix magic and scripture to evoke smiles from the children they performed before Friday evening at Jubilee Family Church's "Big Thing" on the Vennard College grounds. David has performed magic tricks since he was 8 years old. He and his wife have been full-time "magissionaries" for the past year.

David and Gayle performed magic tricks such as pulling a full-size scarf bearing Jesus' face from a handful of cloth pieces to pulling an more than 6-foot straw from a McDonald's bag at the Woodhaven Amphitheater at the former Vennard College.

"We've done birthday parties for eight kids and we've done community festivals," David said before the show Friday.

"This is what we do full-time," Gayle added.

The Williamsons were the main attraction to "The Big Thing" Friday evening. The Jubilee Family Church put on the two-day event to give kids a fun, summer-time activity.

This is the first such event for the church, spokeswoman Liz Tvedt said.

"It's a gift to the community," she said. There was free admission to the events on both days.

Besides the magic show, "The Big Thing" Friday evening featured a picnic dinner, blow-up games, and prize giveaways. On Saturday, the event featured carnival games, a free lunch, a drama team and a dance team.

"We're planning for 300 each day," Tvedt said. "That’s what we've been praying for."

Tvedt said about 50 t0 60 adult volunteers helped make "The Big Thing" a big deal and a reality. She said that about three months of planning went into the event.

Tvedt said the church hopes to do more such events in the future.

"We're here to bless the kids," she said.

Herald Editor Duane Nollen can be reached by email at oskynews@oskyherald.com