A Joyful Noise

To all who were in the church building during the week of June 27 – 30, you heard a lot of joyful noise.  During VBS this year, we celebrated friends, faith, and fun – and we made a whole lot of noise!  We learned a different parable each day, and then we went through activity stations where we sang songs, acted/videoed the stories, made crafts, and had activities that  reinforced the parable of the day.

So many rewarding things happened that week, but one of the most rewarding was hearing the children able to retell these parables at the end of the week.  I had parents tell me that after dinner on VBS nights, their children directed family reenactments of the parables, complete with “What Was the Message” interviews afterwards.  Having the children truly connect with the stories and learn the lessons was simply fantastic.

We had 40 children attend, including children from seven visiting families.  Some of these families are potential new members, and many simply needed a positive place for their children.  My brother’s family was here (three little girls).  They are in the military and move constantly, and deal with deployments of one or both parents more often than not.  They have never been in one place long enough to truly develop a church home.  All three girls were baptized here in our church, they participate in the Christmas Eve service, and have been coming to VBS each summer since they were three—this year they came all the way from Florida.  My brother called me after he returned to Florida, with a shaky, emotional voice, to thank me and our church for providing a stable tradition and church home for his children.  This is a family that is not a member of our church in our eyes, but to those children, we are their church - their traditions, their constancy of faith.

We need to always remember what we offer here at this wonderful church.  Not only do we provide a faith community for our member families, but to those in our community around us.  I can’t tell you how many visitors thanked me for the VBS experience their children had here.

Thank you to ALL of the fantastic volunteers who made VBS truly terrific.  Thank you to the parents who brought their children each day and helped make it a success.  Thank you to the children who brought their enthusiasm, excitement, and energy each day.  And thank you to everyone at our church home that makes this place such a warm and loving church home.   

Sara Gillam