AVAILABLE FOR VBS?
I cannot think of another event in the life of our church that draws more children and families to our campus than Vacation Bible School (VBS), and this year will be no exception. We currently have more than 350 children registered, and that number continues to grow. In just the past week, we’ve added 5 new crews for preschool and 10 new crews for kindergarten through fifth grade—bringing us to 65 total crews, each with 5-7 children. Not surprisingly, this growth has impacted the enrollment in our Upward basketball and cheerleading camp, too.
With the blessing of more children excited to participate in VBS and Upward comes the expanded opportunity for more of us to serve and connect with these children and their families. I believe God gives us everything we need to do everything He asks, and if He’s bringing all of these children our way, then He has already placed within our fellowship everyone we will need to serve next week. All that remains is for more of us to sign up! Whether you can help with VBS in the mornings or Upward in the afternoons, whether you can help every day or just one day, we need you.
As she approaches her first VBS as our children’s minister, Suzette shared these words with me: “I continue to have a sense of the importance of being ‘available to God.’ The Lord continues to impress this upon my heart. God doesn’t care that we have VBS all tightly organized and designed so we can look good. This is a challenging lesson for an organizer that believes the ‘details and planning’ are so important. Yes, we will be planned and prepared. But more than anything, I want us to be available and open to the Lord. It is what God is working into my heart and life right now. I am excited to see what God has planned as we plan, pray, and make ourselves ‘available’ to Him through VBS…a great opportunity for ministry to children.”
I was immediately reminded of Coach Bowden’s perspective on making yourself available to the Lord. He often says something to the effect of “God doesn’t want your ability as much as He wants your availability.” God could send a hundred angels to carry our VBS and Upward next week, if He wanted. Instead, He has chosen us to be His messengers of the gospel to these children and their families.
If you are willing and able to help with VBS, please contact Suzette immediately, and if you can help with Upward, please contact Rhonda. Regardless of whether you are able to physically serve next week, let us all commit to pray for the children, families, volunteers, and staff who will be involved in this amazing week of ministry. May the God we serve be glorified and may His grace be made known in everything we do.
~Josh