I just love Vacation Bible School. It’s a time to simply sing, listen, play, and learn. This year our theme was “Barnyard Roundup” and so it incorporated cows, sheep, chickens,
donkeys, and pigs. We talked about God’s abundance, God’s love, and God’s forgiveness. The energy in the Imagine Center each evening was incredible – loud singing, children’s laughter, and
occasional animal noises filled the room.
I had the privilege of taking our older youth out into the community each evening to visit various farms. We went to a dairy farm, a sheep farm, a place that had donkeys, a pig farm, and
finally to a farm pond where we fished. It was a great week of learning about the symbolism of these animals in the Bible and relating this to our faith.
Again, it was a fun-filled week. But what really struck me is how community-minded it turned out to be. We partnered with Pleasant View Lutheran, and together we had leaders and participants from both congregations who made the week a great success. We had people from the community, who are not members of either congregation, come and join us. And by going out each evening to different farms, we extended this exciting week of learning to people outside of our church walls.
I wonder how all of this will matter to those who participated in some way. Was a seed planted? Did some sort of transformation happen? How was the Holy Spirit at work in the hearts and minds of those gathered? The answer is, we may never know. Yet, I have to believe that VBS this year did make a difference, maybe a very significant difference in someone’s life of faith.
So THANK YOU to everyone who helped to make this a worshipful and meaningful event in our community! THANKS to the leaders, teachers, students, cooks, artists, drivers, singers, and helpers in any way! But most of all, THANKS BE TO GOD for giving us the opportunity to be the church together!
Peace, Baa, Moo, and Oink,
Pastor Derek
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