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If you were in church on Sunday, June 6th, you might have noticed a few changes in the décor of the sanctuary. Giant leaves adorned the communion rail and the entrance to the sanctuary. Palm trees scattered about on either side of the altar. And to the right of the room, where the praise band or handbell choir usually play, was a massive 10-foot-tall waterfall spilling out into the sanctuary. The sounds of the rainforest filled the air: birds, monkeys, thunder and rain.
Over the next 5 days, Vacation Bible School would bring 50 kids (and over 30 adult and youth volunteers) to Faith Lutheran Church to come and explore this rainforest terrain. Our theme for the week was “Jesus Leads the Way”, and every day we heard stories from different characters from the Bible, who reminded us that Jesus is our treasure. We also had the joy of each day hearing from members of different organizations that serve our community in various ways. The Caring Place, Habitat for Humanity, R.O.C.K., and The Boys and Girls Club all sent representatives to speak to the kids of VBS about what they do in the community to serve individuals and families in need. Kids got to make crafts, play games, learn new songs and dances, and hear a different Bible story each day. The majority of the kids who came to our VBS were not members here at Faith Lutheran. Some came from other congregations, some didn’t have a church home at all. But no matter their background or their age, they all came together with one voice to sing and dance in the joy of the Lord! On Wednesday we all got to sing “The Gospel Song” together and proclaim that Good News loud and clear:
“God loves you, and you, and you.
No matter what we’ve done, God makes us new.
No matter what we’re going through,
God loves you.”
In Matthew 21:16 Jesus reminds us,
“Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies
you have prepared praise”
And how wonderful it was to see and hear the voices of children coming together to sing praises to our God. After a year of singing in silence, isolated in our own homes, with our gatherings limited, distanced, and small, how good and pleasant it was to see and hear a group of God’s children together again. I pray that this was not a one-time event that came and went, but instead was the start of something that lasts. The beginning of a renewed hunger for God’s Word, for supportive Christian fellowship together, of building each other “up up up and encouraging one another in love”, as we sang together on Thursday. We couldn’t have done it without the support of the congregation and the hard work of the volunteers. Thank you to everyone who gave their time decorating, leading stations and groups, and bringing the Good News of Jesus to this group of children this summer. If you would like an inside look at what went on at VBS each day, you can click here to check out our YouTube channel and watch our daily Vlog (video blog) series.
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