It would have been fine if John Taylor had sat back and thought the lunch and all the fixins were for him. It was his 83rd birthday, and he had the hat to prove it.

But even though Taylor was adorned with a large, red, white and blue hat, complete with the number 83 on it, the day’s festivities at Suffolk Christian Church were for a special group and to celebrate a special day.

“We wanted to do something that celebrated and honored our local heroes,” church deacon and church anniversary celebration co-chairperson Becky Bradshaw said. “We wanted to thank the men and women of our local fire departments, police departments and rescue squad. They put their lives on the line for us each and every day.”

The Fourth of July picnic, held at the North Main Street church, was organized as just one of many events planned this year to mark the church’s 150th anniversary.

“We are not completely sure of the exact day, but we do know the church was started in November 1860, so we have set aside the first weekend of November as the anniversary weekend,” church pastor Michael Halley said. “This event is also part of our yearlong celebration.”

In addition to the effort to honor local emergency officials, Halley said the event was for the church membership and to unite today’s church members with church history.

“It is a great time for fellowship and what a great day to hold a picnic,” Halley said. “And it’s nice to sit back and think that over 100 years ago, church members were holding a picnic of their own.”