We just completed another amazing week of Vacation Bible School at one of the churches I serve. It is a great time, where we partner with other churches and serve the entire community in a big way. 98 children attended the VBS this year. 44 adults helped. It was one of those times when you see a little slice of heaven on earth, with great images of cooperation, helping, loving, and sheer joy.
What a wonderful beginning to what we expect to be a great summer! What an amazing week it was with the dear children and grandchildren who came to be with us! Water Works Park, the theme we used, was a great place to be in 2007! Our directors, three supremely gifted women, gave remarkable leadership. Our volunteers were loving and kind and caring. But it all was possible because the Lord has been with us, His Holy Spirit guiding and empowering us, and we are so very thankful for everything that happened in this place over the last four days.
It all starts for us with dedicated leaders and faithful volunteers. Our directors -– Mary, Dawn and Marcia -- are phenomenal – God has called them to this special ministry, and He helps them do a remarkable job each year. This is our county's largest Vacation Bible School because we join together as churches united for Christ, and we have dedicated people, called by God, who volunteer to help, to be part of our VBS family year after wonderful year.
And then we have Evelyn, who helps Mary lead the great VBS songs by playing the piano with great energy and precision. This year she was helped in the music by the wonderful “Splash Sisters” -- Renee and Ruth. And then there were all the teachers and guides and helpers – we are eternally grateful for each and every one of them. We had teachers coming in way early and staying hours later to plan and pray for the children. Their dedication brought tears to my eyes.
But we could not have this great time for the Lord without the help of the parents and guardians. They trusted us with their precious children and youth. We thank you for lending us these wonderful kids so that our staff could love them and teach them for the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a sacred thing to represent Jesus, and our staff tried to do a good job of that this week. Thanks to the parents so very much for helping the children to be part of VBS.
Now they go back to their families for additional loving and nurturing, as parents and grandparents do. Know that we will be praying for these children, and for the families, that they may grow strong and true in the Lord. We pray they will take take the children to church and Sunday School, and we pray the parents might also go themselves, and that the families might be blessed.
We had two overarching lessons that we taught in VBS this year -- "Jesus Saves!" and "Prayer is Important!" These are key messages of the Christian faith.
Jesus is the way of salvation. That is the reason why Jesus in all his teaching called his hearers to faith and repentance and urged them to embrace him as their Saviour. Jesus Christ is the only one who saves us from our sins. The call goes out: You need Christ as your Saviour. We hope that children and parents will respond to the call from Christ Jesus to believe in Him and so be saved.
Belief in Jesus opens the door to a rich and wonderful life in prayer. Prayer is so important for families. The family that prays together stays together. Children that learn to pray are made stronger each time they do it. Let us help the children to learn to pray and to pray on a regular basis.
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