Today, Sidewalk Funday School remembers its co-founder, Burl was preceded in death almost exactly six years ago by his beloved Betty. While Betty was certainly the Face of Sidewalk Funday School, Burl was always hard at work behind the scenes helping to bring the vision to fruition.
In 1995, Burl and Betty Traylor took a group of young ministry students to share the Gospel on the street corners of New York for a week. They visited Metro Ministries, an inner city ministry to the kids of New York City. Betty felt the Holy Spirit wash over her, anointing her and telling her she would do this work in Jacksonville. Just one year earlier, they had followed God’s call and began working with City Center, a local church reaching out to the unchurched of downtown. Now the Lord would use this journey to New York to move them along in His journey with Burl and Betty.
After much struggling with the Lord, Betty and Burl committed to the vision they knew God was giving them - to reach kids in unchurched communities throughout Jacksonville. Sidewalk Funday School, as the name implies, would be an exciting, impassioned presentation of God’s Holy Word set in a fun atmosphere of rollicking praise music, a loud sound system, crazy games…and a blue tarp. All this was meant to involve Betty, Burl and those that would come alongside them, in the lives of these children every week. They would not simply tell of the love of Jesus Christ but they would show His love to them as well, and watch them come to know Christ as their Savior, learn songs about the Lord, and learn His Word so that it might change their lives. We are honored to continue this sacred Trust. Love Jesus. Love Children. Share the Gospel.