Vacation Bible School is one of the largest outreach events we do each year at Gateway and is always an exciting (if not exhausting!) week in the life of our church. VBS 2018 was twice as much fun since this was our first year as a multi-campus church. We recently asked our Kidway directors to share some reflections from their weeks...
When I asked Sarah Sickmiller to be my co-director for VBS at North Main, we decided to pray big. We wanted Jesus to show up in ways that we couldn’t imagine. Woah, did He show up! We were praying for the hearts of not only the children walking through the door, but for any heart to be changed. Many adults had their faith strengthened through VBS (myself included), and one volunteer was so stirred with the presentation of the Gospel, she asked to meet with another volunteer to talk through what it really means to have a saving faith in Jesus.
Something else that may seem like a small thing, actually turned out to be a win. At North Main, we do not typically have an officer on site, but decided to have one for the week of VBS. The officers that came did an amazing job interacting with the kids. One of them was outside playing volleyball with the kids, and one of the kids said that this must be one of the only nice cops. It was great for the kids to see law enforcement in a positive light!
We do not always know what a child’s backstory may be, and they are all very different. Whether they grow up in church or not, they all need to be reminded they are loved. One particular child who came has some severe speech issues. When his crew was invited on stage to help lead the songs, he led motions with a contagious joy that brought tears to many eyes. I received this message from a volunteer: “Thank you for making church a welcoming place for the kids - a place just to be a kid, and to hear about our God that rescues them from all the chaos in their lives.”
VBS...those 3 simple letters bring to mind many different thoughts and emotions. Kids, fun, excitement, high energy, more kids, Bible stories, crafts, games, songs, snacks, Bible buddies, engaged small group leaders, and by the end of the week….exhaustion. The list could go on. At our CR9 VBS at the end of June, all those things were experienced, but what I kept thinking about all week was how VBS is such a beautiful picture of the body of Christ at work. 1 Corinthians 12:12 - 27 talks about how we have one body but it is made up of many parts. In order to function properly, each part of the body is needed. Verse 27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” What a great privilege it is to be part of the body of Christ!
Throughout the week, I was in awe at how beautiful the body of Christ is when it is working together. We were all there for one purpose - to share Jesus’ love with the kids who came each evening - but our jobs were different. We had small group leaders, Bible story teachers, station leaders in charge of crafts, games and KidVid Cinema, song leaders, a tech team, a whole snack crew, a decorating team, a registration team, nursery volunteers, a clean-up crew, a security team, a medical team, a leadership team...the jobs were many and varied. Each and every one was needed and important. I am so grateful for the opportunity to rub shoulders with so many amazing volunteers and humbled to think that God can work through each and every one of us. Thank you, Gateway Church, for being the body of Christ and sharing Jesus’ love with our kids during VBS!
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