YOUR VBS Stories!
A few weeks ago, I asked you to share some of your wonderful VBS stories. Here are Lifeway headquarters, we are constantly encouraged when we hear stories of how God is using His people and the ministry of Vacation Bible School to make the name of Jesus famous all over the world! No doubt, you are encouraged by those kids of stories, as well. Please continue to share them with us as your church wraps up VBS 2012!
Sandy Harkins, FBC Canton, TX:
Our VBS was last week, June 11-15. We had 215 children registered for our “Amazing Wonders Aviation”. The children loved Worship Rally time. We averaged 182 children. Our high attendance was on Wednesday with 195! We had 23 professions of faith! What a wonderful week we experienced. This was the largest attendance for VBS in about 5 years!!
Peggy Banks, Chester, SC:
God showed up and showed out at our VBS in Chester SC at New Life Baptist Church Chester SC. We are a very small church but averaged 30 a night. Awesome God! Amazing power! We have gotten one family that has been to our Sunday service for the past two weeks since VBS. Praise God! If only one it is worth it all. God is so Good and I love Lifeway material. Thanks for being obedient to God’s calling and for listening when He speaks. Praise God form Whom ALL blessings flow!
Jessica Vass:
Our VBS was last week. I helped my mom teach the 10-11′s and I taught Missions. We had an awesome week with an average 107 attendance. On Wednesday night, we had one girl get saved! That same girl brought her friend with her Thursday and Friday. Her friend got saved Friday night! God is so good!! We could tell a big difference in the two boys that got saved last year. God is really working.
Leslie Johnstone, Holly Springs Baptist Church- Garrison TX:
VBS was beyond AMAZING!!! We averaged between 100-115 each night and had tons of workers helping. We did ours at night from 5:30-8:30 and started it with a Family Fun Night on Saturday. This helped with getting kids registered early. We had VBS for the kids who finished Kinder-3rd grade and we did VBX for the kids who finished 4th-6th. THAT WAS AWESOME!!
The VBX kids loved owning their own area, playing different games, and doing different crafts that were more age appropriate for them. In fact, we tied Missions into Crafts for VBX. They painted canvases that were put into a silent auction on the Sunday following VBS. It raised over $1000 for our missionary in Africa!!! I couldn’t believe it! God is so good!
But the best part was night 4- The salvation message where we had over 20 kids either check on their Response Card that they had questions or were ready to ask Jesus into their heart. We put a counseling team together and talked to those kids throughout the last evening and I was able to see 14 kids accept Jesus into their hearts!!!! Awesome!!!!!! God is so good!!!!
Wonderful week and God really blessed our VBS this year, but I was astonished to see the last video that was shown to our children tonight at Parents Night. The kids were shown at the Great Barrier Reef and at some point in the film it showed a plane with the words TORA, TORA, TORA. Do the people who made that film understand what Tora,Tora, Tora meant to the United States of America? It was the code word used when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Have we not educated our younger people of the horrible attack on our country by Japan that brought us into the Pacific war? I can’t believe someone at LifeWay didn’t preview this clip and get that cut out!! We had some WWII guys there tonight. I’m really disappointed about having any reference like that in our LifeWay materials. Need to do better on proofing materials!!!
Our VBS has been this week with Family Night being tonight. We started with a hot dog and ice cream social on Sunday with registration. We did Mon-Thurs 6-9, ages babies to adult. This has been such a great week! God has really been at work. We attend a small church, normally with attendence on Sunday morning being 45-60. We have had around 100 every night. I took on the director title this year and I believe I have gotten one of the greatest blessing from it. It has been a little stressfull but I said if 1 person comes to know Jesus, it will have been worth every second and every penny that we have spent. I have an 8 year myself, and little did I know that he would be the one. Our pastor lead an Alter call on Day 3 but noone came. After we got home, my husband and I were able to finish leading our 8 year to the Lord. We explaine that he should go to the Alter on Day 4 for his public profession. Several kids were asking more questions throughout the night. When our pastor gave the invitation, my son was the first to go. Several others almost ran to the alter. We had 15 children ages 8-15 give their hearts to God last night. We are all so excited in what God has done. Amazing Wonders Aviation was the perfect tool this year. God is Great!