This month you will find quite a few pictures and stories of
last week’s VBS experience. The theme was “Weird Animals” and we learned about
Jesus’ love through their unique qualities.
We had a great week; we hosted over 60 kids and needed over
50 adults and youth to do it! But my favorite day was not actually a Bible
School day, it was Sunday.
If you didn’t get to join us on Sunday, you missed a real
treat--all the energy and enthusiasm of Bible School infused into our worship
experience. We had about a dozen kids singing high-energy songs, we had parents
and grandparents grinning from ear to ear, we had volunteers and youth wearing
their VBS t-shirts, but mostly we had joy.
There is no question that VBS is one of the highlights of
our summer in the church. It is one of the biggest projects we tackle. But I
sometimes wonder if we ever stop and think about why we do what we do? Do we
just do VBS because we have always done it?
I think it is worth considering how and why VBS fits into
the overall mission strategy of the church. Sure, it’s fun, but is it
necessary, is it important? I believe it is, and here is why I think so.
In Matthew 28:19, Jesus gives the disciples their
instructions for what to do after he is gone. Most often referred to as the
Great Commission, Jesus said, “Go into all the world and make disciples…” There is no more simple and concise
instruction for the church and its ministry and mission. We are to go to all
kinds of people in all kinds of places and make disciples for Jesus Christ.
In its most basic form, that’s what VBS does. We invite
children from families in our own church, from friends and neighbors who do not
have a church home, and even from families who attend church elsewhere. But for
all these children, we tell them about God and his love for them. That is the
essence of what we do, and I believe it is exactly what we are supposed to be
doing.
Many of the kids we have in Bible school have spent some
time in church and Sunday school, so they know a little about God and his love.
Others know almost nothing. Amy told me this week that one of the children who
came said he had never heard of Jesus before. We have plenty of work to do.
But Bible school is as much a blessing as it is a chore,
perhaps more so. Those of you who were here on Sunday experienced a little bit
of that. All those kids and all that enthusiasm infuses us all with a spirit of
joy and exuberance. The excitement is catching!
I hope you will look at all the pictures included in this
month’s newsletter. If you look it up on-line on the church’s web site, the
pictures are all in color and you can blow them up or download them. There are
even more on the church’s facebook page.
I said it Sunday, but I would like to say again how grateful
we are to Amy McAllister for all the work she has done to make this year’s VBS
such a success. And another round of thanks goes to all those who helped make
this all happen. Over 50 people worked in the kitchen, preparing the stage,
decorating, teaching, playing, and herding children. I believe it is all worth
it!
