We Sang, “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter”
Ok, so it wasn’t a song of faith that I remember most from my Vacation Bible School days, but I do remember the days when the church bus picked us up in front of our house to take us to Vacation Bible School at my church, which is pictured above. The kids on the bus, like my brother and I, were all excited about this one very special week of our summertime … yes, kids do get excited about Vacation Bible School when their parents make VBS fun, and volunteers make it intriguing and memorable.
Every year since I have been the pastor of St. Paul’s I have been thrilled with our Vacation Bible School numbers. I have loved to see the kids energetically charging outside for ‘recreation,’ but I also have enjoyed watching them study God’s Word and discovering that going to church can be fun!! The kids don’t know it yet, but going to VBS creates memories they will never forget.
I still remember Miss Heckel and Mr. Lewis, who were two of my VBS teachers. I remember Pastor Will’s smile and laughter as he demonstrated to my friends and me that he also enjoyed being in church and had an amazing faith. We played games, we did crafts and we learned about God. Who knows, perhaps the seeds that were planted in my very soul during VBS led me to become a pastor one day.
So here’s the truth. We need YOU! We need each and every person who is reading this newsletter to make St. Paul’s 2024 VBS a priority! There are only days until we open our doors, and we need adult teachers and leaders. So is that you?
Barbara Hoffman, that beautiful special woman, was still volunteering last year, not worried about her age or the impact of age on her because of the kids!! Barb won’t be at VBS this year … her health won’t allow it. Olivia Ferrara has used her teenage years to volunteer every year at VBS … a teenager who values younger kids getting the basics of faith and a teenager who could be doing almost anything else, yet there she is. So are you able to give up a few nights to help? Perhaps you and your spouse could come together and help. It would be so awesome to have some men volunteering, but then again it seems that men just don’t want to volunteer at VBS. Perhaps they are too busy watching the Phillies on TV.
Finally, we need kids … St. Paul’s is always a kid friendly church. Since Pentecost we have baptized three babies and confirmed 11 teenagers. But the foundation comes from Vacation Bible School and Sunday School. Sadly, our Sunday School numbers just like most churches have gone down … I wonder who is inviting kids to church these days. For the sake of your children, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, and neighborhood kids … will you do some asking and inviting this month? Tell them to go to the website (https://stpaulsalive.org) or perhaps you can sign them up yourself.
I know we don’t have a church bus so the kids won’t be riding the bus to church singing the latest popular song. (I can still sing that Hermans Hermits song all the way through.) But let’s create some special memories by making this our best VBS in years!!!
Blessings,
Pastor Dave