Wanted: God's Hands and Feet

We may barely be into the May, but Vacation Bible School (VBS) will be here before we know it! Last year we hosted over 120 kids the week of VBS, but we still had a waitlist of families hoping to attend. Earlier this year we began praying, discerning and dreaming about how we could accommodate more children while still being realistic with the group sizes and the space that our building offers. Our solution was to offer TWO sessions during the same week--a morning session and an afternoon session. Now, over two months away from the start of VBS, we have over 155 children registered for the two sessions. Luckily, we still have room for more children to participate.

What this means is that we now need to double the number of volunteers involved in our VBS ministry. Yes, I know…many in our church frequently hear the need for volunteers and may tire of it. The reality, though, is that we need you, and the church wouldn’t be where it is today without you! The reason that so many families continue to come back to Abiding Presence’s VBS and tell their friends about it is because of their positive experiences. They hear God’s message, feel the love, and experience the community that is Abiding Presence. That wouldn’t happen without the core of our volunteers being members of this church. We cannot support a VBS ministry without our church members being our key volunteers. Together we, in our various ways, create a meaningful experience not only for our own church families, but also one in which families in our community feel safe and welcome.

Everyone is needed. Truly. Whether you have kids in the VBS program, adult aged kids or have no clue what Vacation Bible School even is, we need you. We need the heart and soul of Abiding Presence to literally be God’s hands and feet that week during VBS. There are so many ways to serve, some more involved than others, but we have a place for everyone! If you are out of town or unable to physically help, we are in need of your prayers for all of our children, youth, and adults serving and attending VBS.

This year, VBS is the week of July 8-12 with sessions from 9 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., and 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. We need folks willing to help with decorating, setup, being a crew leader (no prep!) to lead a group of elementary or preschool aged children from station to station, being a station leader (prep for each day is required, but a curriculum is provided), and lots of assistants everywhere! We are also always in need of rising 7th grade and older youth who would like to help. If you work both the morning and afternoon sessions, we promise to feed you an amazing lunch in-between the sessions. If you are willing to help with VBS or want to learn more about it, please either let me or our new VBS Director, Kimberly Symolon, know.