VBS Week 3

This week we went to VBS at a church down the street from us that does multiple community events we enjoy throughout the year; Fort Hill United Methodist Church.  They used the theme Kingdom Rock: Where Kids stand strong for God. This week the kids enjoyed a mid-sized VBS.  This VBS showed the importance of ministering to others in need, whether financially, or in need of our prayers.  I loved that part.  Most VBS programs have craft time of some variety.  You make some super cool picture or trinket or even t-shirt and then loose it, rip it or throw it away a week later or less.  Here, they instead chose to do a ministry project.  I loved that!  Another neat addition was a family meal prior to VBS.  At 5pm they served "snack supper"-- which could just be called supper because it was for my kidlets.  It filled them up.  They also got dessert at 5:30, in addition to a snack during the VBS program.  VBS went from 6pm until about 8:40pm each night.

I think i enjoy all these weeks of VBS as much as my kids and all their countless friends we bring along!!  I think it brings back many fond memories of my own VBS filled summers both as a kid and then as a leader.

Day 1:
We were served sandwiches, chips, cookies and Lemonade

The mission project was  making teddy bears to donate to Gleaming for the World's VBS Teddy bear brigade.  In addition to making Teddies, they also collected stuffed animals.  If you remember, we joined that with our last VBS.  In fact Jayna and Anthony were ecstatic that in the VBS Promo video you can see the big Lion King Nala we donated there.

Before the teddy was stuffed and personalized

Day 2:
We were served fried chicken, mac and cheese, veggies w/ ranch, cookies and lemonade
We grew by 1 tonight.  Alonza joined my two kidlets.

Tonight's mission project was decorating cupcakes.  These cupcakes will be taken to Park View Mission for dinner tomorrow, or rather dessert after dinner. It is similar to a Salvation Army.  They also made 'quilt' place mats with bible verses for them.
In addition, they collected about $350 to be given to the Mission's dinner program.

Day 3:
We were served Pizza, salad, cookies and Lemonade
We grew by yet another one- Diamond joined the other three tonight!

Tonight's mission project was to make a prayer mix (pretzels, raisins, marshmallows, and m&ms) for our Firemen and Police along with an encouraging message each child designed.  

Day 4:
Tonight was amusing.  The staff joked, "You want to know how you know we are a family church?"  The answer was "we serve left overs"!  We had our choice of sandwiches, chick or pizza, chips, fruit, mac and cheese and then cookies and Lemonade.  Sorry I didn't get a picture of the kids today as I was in a rush at drop off with another appointment and then 1/2 my kids raced away at the end.

 Today's mission project was Backpacks for Kids Sake.  The VBS kids filled backpacks with nonperishable foods.  Every Friday elementary kids on free lunch take home the backpack to help feed them and their families through the weekend.  They return the backpack on Mondays and it is refilled Thursday for them to take the following Friday.  The kids stuffed 100 backpacks just in time for Bass Elementary School's first week of school. 

Day 5:
In honor of the close of VBS tonight was "Family Fun Night".  We had a cookout style supper, hotdogs, hamburgers, all the fixings, chips, cookies and Lemonade.  
Will and Tabitha joined our other 4 tonight.

Standing Strong for God

Part of the amazingly decorated church

Anthony's group singing

After we ate, they got to play outside in the inflatable bounce house structures, face painting, the playground, games for about 30 minutes.  Then we had VBS lesson and closing ceremony.

Jayna and Diamond's Group singing

Closing prayer along with part of our Missions offering: stuffed animals and cash donations

Our Mission project tonight was to pack 90 emergency health kits for families who have experienced misplacement by flooding, hurricanes, tornado, house fire etc. Each kit included a hand towel, wash cloth, bar of soap, comb, tooth brush, nail clippers, 6 band aids, toothpaste.

Anthony with his Health Kit he packed

They served ice cream cones afterwards.  Then the kids got to go outside and enjoy the festivities some more plus see two firetrucks and a police car who came to thank the kids for the prayer mix.  Jayna had 101 questions for the police.  Hmmm perhaps a future career;-)

Jayna and her VBS leader