V.B.S. 2012 - Amazing Wonders Aviation!!!

We have been at our church for 15 years so this is the 16th V.B.S. that I have directed. Directing V.B.S. was never one of the jobs that I even wanted….but it was the job I was handed because “I was the preacher’s wife.” Apparently the preacher’s wives in the past had all been the V.B.S. Directors. One of the disadvantages of being in the Bi-Vocational Ministry is that your church is probably so small that you and your husband have to do a lot of the work.

Like I previously said, we just completed our 16th V.B.S. last week and I am happy to say it was once again very successful and rewarding. When I first began as director, I was told that I would have to go to the association and see if there were volunteers to help with V.B.S. because all of the women at the church had already “served their time” and was not available. At first I was scared and even a little angry that the job was just handed to me, but I prayed about it. THEN, I went back to the church and told them I would direct, BUT….I had prayed about it and as long as God saw fit to leave them on this earth, there was a place for them in V.B.S.; whether female or male. And, I also told them that when God could no longer use them, he would take them home. Guess I scared them into helping with V.B.S. because after that the men and women were volunteering.

Over the years, I have never turned anyone down to help in V.B.S. I have even created positions for some of the elderly that are not capable of doing as much. I am proud to say that we always have lots of men and women working in V.B.S.  I think my oldest V.B.S. volunteer was 80+ years old.  What a blessing!!!  He sat in the soft pulpit chair and passed out candy to the kids as they stopped and told him their memory verse.  He called himself the "Candy Man".

Vacation Bible School is one of our biggest outreach tools for the community.  We provide classes for 18 months old to just completed 12th grade. You would be amazed at the “driving teens” that come to our Bible School. The youth class is usually the largest class, so that tells me they are "hungry" for God's Word.

Over the years, Vacation Bible School has been a service that we provide for the community and our children also, however, I think our workers wind up and get as much out of it as the children do.  It is a time where we all pull together and work together regardless of age or gender.

We are just a small country church.  During V.B.S. every year, we collect Mission Money for the local Children's Home on the mountain.  We have a contest....Females against the Males.  This year, the Males won.....but in the end, the girls at the Children's home won.  Our V.B.S. kids brought in over $500 to be sent to them.

Although the week of V.B.S. is very tiring and stressful......the rewards greatly out-weigh it all.  I would LOVE to hear your V.B.S. success stories and ideas.