I just need to share the story of our VBS last year.  First, we had been with our a Pastor for a couple of years.  Our Intrem Pastor had just left 2 months before to move to Hawaii.  (little pity for him!)  One month before our VBS was to be, there was major flooding that devestated our community.  20-30 % of the households were flooded out!  The waters came with in feet of the church building.  Our church body spent the next 3 weeks providing hot meals for the community.  We also opened a releif center that we staffed 7 days a week.  We talked about canceling VBS, but God had other plans!  Making a quick shift to VBS in a 1 weeks time we pulled it off!  We topped at 85 kids.  Normally we get 125-150 Kids!  The really neat thing that happened (and biggest blessing) was that a Family attended the VBS that we got to know.  That was August 1.  November 1 They were voted in as Pastor.  What an Awesome God we serve when we get our minds off ourselves and onto what really matters. 

Well, here we are a year later.  Our Church, Little White Church in Conklin, New York has a wonderful Pastor who preaches incredible, and  who wants us to "Do things the Bible way!"  I am the director (don't know if that is a good thing.)  I am so looking forward to what God has in store for us this year.  Biggest lesson from last year: Keep your eyes on the prize, and off ourself, and on God!

Serving a Faithful God!

Bill Edwards

Bill Edwards

I love Group VBS. I've recently moved to a new church and was given the go ahead to come up with budget proposals for both AR and Galilee.

Well for some reason I didn't get the message this church didn't have a budget. In other words $0 to spend on these programs.

Anyway, life took a turn and I had to back out of my role as VBS director. Those of you that know me, know this is breaking my heart. But I prayed and now I have to be obedient and listen.

Well anyway, when I pulled out, the church decided to do something different, so the AR items I bought from OTC now sit here in my dining area. I had used my own money to buy this stuff, so the church really has no commitment to it. I called a couple people that I know are doing AR. Both Churches said they had not placed their OTC order so they were looking for supplies for 60 kids.

Here is the God moment. I had been beating myself up because I was planning to do an outreach in the neighborhood of this church. There are many that at one time were part of this church, but now for one reason or another. So I had placed an order that was much bigger than the final communication of 20-40 kids.

Well as I was counting out my supplies, it occurred to me the answer to why I ordered what I had ordered. You see, with OTC doing things in dozens, for some reason I ordered 10 dozen of a lot of things.

Do the Math. 10 dozen is 120. Each church is planning 60 kids. Now how cool is that. This OTC order is being split in 2 and going to both churches. I don't need to worry about storing left overs or finding a home.

For everything there is a reason. I feel blessed with how this worked out and I can't wait to tell this to VBS directors. There really was a calling, just not what I thought it was. ;-)

Thanks for sharing and helping me to share.

Partnering with parents to "TRAIN" up our children in the way they should go!