Jesus: Coming soon to a neighborhood near you.
Meeting Jesus in your neighbor’s back yard. Cool, no?
This June, All Saint’s Church and five partner churches will be continuing their program of taking Vacation Bible School out into the Prince William County community – and all elementary-age children are invited.
“In the past, Vacation Bible School within the walls of our church had been fun, but a majority of the participants were from church families who heard the message of Jesus’ love in Sunday school every week,” said Lindsey Feldman, director of Children’s Ministries at All Saints’.
Shortly after assuming that position, Mrs. Feldman was inspired to move out of the “church box” and open VBS up in various neighborhoods, using members’ homes as host sites.
That first year there were 10 sites; the next, 15; the following year, 20. By 2012, Spirit and Life United Methodist Church and St. Margaret’s Anglican Church had joined the program, and there were 29 sites, including two homeless shelters. Of the 400 children attending the various sites that summer, more than 80 percent were not affiliated with any of the participating churches.
The idea of taking Jesus into the world also went international in 2012. One All Saints’ family, with roots in Sudan, took Vacation Bible School along with them on a visit to relatives back home. More than 500 children heard the Gospel in a country where Christians are systematically persecuted.
This year, Grace Baptist Church, Reconciliation Community Church and Christ Our Lord have joined in the effort, with homes from Woodbridge to Dumfries, Montclair to Manassas opening their yards and decks to children in their neighborhoods June 24-28. Some sessions will be in the morning, some in the afternoon and others in the early evening. There’s a time to fit anyone’s schedule.
The Sudanese family hopes to be able to make a return visit, and a family from Christ Our Lord will be taking VBS to a children’s home in Jamaica.
All this requires logistical magic. The program calls for Bible study, worship time, crafts, games and refreshments – too much for any one home to provide. Bible study leaders are recruited to stay at each home, but teams are put together to rotate through the sites teaching games, or songs, or crafts. And all the materials, from ice pops to markers and glue dots for the crafts, are assembled and delivered to the host homes ahead of time. Somehow it all works.
This year’s theme is Colossal Coaster World, created by Lifeway. The motto is “Facing Fear! Trusting God!,” based on II Timothy 1:7.
The overseas missions are not directly supported by any of the partner churches, but are being funded by donations. Anyone wishing to sponsor a child in the Sudan or Jamaica is encouraged to go online at communityvbs.org and click on “donations.” A S10 contribution will cover the cost of a child’s VBS T-shirt, breakfast/lunch (Sudan) or snacks (Jamaica) for the week, and daily craft materials.
For more information about VBS in the community or to find a host home where your child might participate, go to communityvbs.org, e-mail Lindsey Feldman at [email protected].
-Submitted news
