Vacation Bible School Cometh

My ministry at the church has two really busy times - Lent and Vacation Bible School. As you may remember, Easter found me with a cast on my thumb, having torn the ligaments in my hand while clearing the temple on Good Friday. For those keeping track, no surgery is needed yet and the doc and I agreed I would stick to healing the lame and curing the blind. His idea, not mine!
Vacation Bible School is an intense week of music, crafts, games, stories and snacks that is amazing, awesome, chaotic and wonderful. We begin each night at 5:30 p.m. with a nutritious, delicious supper served by our forever-faithful kitchen ladies. Music cranks up at 6:15 p.m. and the kids go to each station to learn the bible story for the evening in different ways. Through games, movies, crafts, songs and even the snacks they eat, they learn about Jesus' love and how to live it in the world. Not a small task when you are talking about three year olds through fifth graders! We finish up at 8:45 p.m. each evening and the church building empties like rats from a sinking ship as moms and dads try to instill some form of bedtime to their overstimulated, sugared children. By 9:00 p.m. I'm standing in the middle of an desolate sanctuary wondering where the evening went. This is one of my favorite weeks of the year!!!
Our church does Vacation Bible School with flare! We meet the Sunday before and transform our church into whatever theme we are doing that year. This year is Crocodile Dock, set in a bayou. This has been a leap in brain power for me. I've never been to a bayou to my knowledge. The closest I have come is watching "Forest Gump" when Forest goes to meet Bubba's mama and buys a "shrimpin' boat". We'll see what we come up with. I believe that we'll have lots of fishing equipment!
During VBS, some of the rules of decorum are suspended as standing on the pews in the sanctuary to sing loudly is an acceptable practice and it's perfectly OK to dance in the middle of worship. I've been directing VBS for more than 10 years and love taking part in the uninhibited worship of preschoolers, watching teenagers try their hands at children's ministry and seeing God's light shine in the eyes of a new believer. I bet that God loves VBS!!
Preparation for VBS starts months before the big week. Recruiting volunteers, collecting supplies, choosing crafts and lots of prayer go into these five days. A majority of my work is done by the time VBS starts. When Monday rolls around, I need to be available to trouble shoot, fill in the holes and put out fires where needed. By Wednesday, I will have someone crying on my shoulder. By Friday, the adults will be planning a post-VBS unwind at the Dairy Queen.
As for me, I have come to accept that nothing happens at my house during the week of VBS. No cooking happens (I stock up on microwave entree's and frozen pizza), no laundry gets done (except VBS wardrobe and accessories) and I wonder if I should put the puppy in foster care. My expectations for cleanliness drops dramatically. I leave the house by 7:30 a.m. and arrive home after 9:00 p.m. every night. I am so tired by the end of the week I think that the Carebears visit during the night while I sleep.
I love my job. Where else are you allowed to play, sing, dance, shout and even cry all in the course of three hours?!? When I get to present the salvation message on Thursday night, my eyes get misty and I choke up with the knowledge of the incredible love these children are given by their Creator. Why do I deserve to be the one who gets to tell them how God has a plan to spend forever with them as their very best friend? Who else gets to do this?
On August 3rd, the music will be cranked up a couple more notches at Mandan UMC and the air will be filled with the sweet sound of praises lifted to the King who allows fearless kids shine God's light. Stop by if your in the neighborhood. Just follow the music...