Vacation Bible School
As we continue to work towards this year’s vacation Bible school program I have tried to continuously stay focused on our goals with VBS. If we add members to the church with these efforts, that’s great, but that isn’t the ultimate goal. If we provide a safe, fun environment for the children we bring in, that’s great, but that isn’t the ultimate goal either. If we feed a few kids who might not otherwise have a good meal at the end of the day, that’s wonderful too, but that, also, is not our ultimate goal. Our goal is to share our love for Jesus Christ with every individual we encounter, to provide the radical welcome that scripture requires of us, to teach the stories of God to another generation, and to express our love for God by loving our neighbors…just as Jesus commanded. If we can accomplish these goals with our Vacation Bible School program, then we have successfully achieved that which we are called to do in our community.
This year, we have over 50 volunteers coming together to welcome children from all across town, our own and others. Individuals who are not able to do the hard work of interacting with the kids are donating their time and money to set-up and take down our event. We have folks purchasing supplies to donate or sorting through their own stash of Christmas decorations to help make our sanctuary and learning spaces fun and inviting. Individuals will be providing volunteer hours cutting out snowflakes, hanging lights and canvases and prepping all the supplies for our craft and outreach projects. Great care is given to make sure our kids learn to give to others as a way of expressing our faith. As we learn about Jesus’ birth, kids will participate in outreach activities that will benefit our local Community Baby Shower and the Bourbon County Health Department H.A.N.D.S. program.
Our Green Team volunteers will be coming in each evening to clean up after our evening meals…we are making huge strides towards having a “GREEN” event. That takes more work, but it is better for our environment and much easier on our budget…which is good stewardship of creation and our blessings. Folks will be preparing dishes to bring to our kick-off potluck dinner on Sunday, July 16th. We hope all who worked to put this event together will join us for this kick-off meal and will celebrate with us the great effort that we are putting forth.
Prayers are lifted up daily for VBS, for the children we encounter, and all the people who work hard to make it come together. All this happens because so many church members are working towards our common goals. All members, no matter what their physical abilities, have an opportunity to participate in both big and small ways. If you would like to be a part of all this wonderful work, let us know how you would like to contribute and help make this year’s Vacation Bible School really great!
Blessings,
Tracy