Big Changes Coming to VBS 2012!

Hello folks,

Our first meeting is in the books and we have big changes to announce for this summer. The first big change is that we have decided to go with one big blowout day for VBS instead of the three day format.

Some of the reasons for the change are as follows; fall sports have encroached on the first week of August, difficulty in finding volunteers for three days and many of the kids have activities that keep them from being there every night as well. So we will try a one day event and see how it goes. I have prayed about this since last summer and I am trusting God to show us if this is a good fit for us or not.

The next big change is the VBS date. This year's VBS will be on Sunday July 8th. The reason for this is to attempt to reach more kids, let me explain. July 4th is on a Wednesday and we are planning to have a booth at the Grove to give away free stuff. Families come from all over to the College Corner Old Fashion 4th of July celebration who may not know anything about our Community VBS. We will hopefully get their attention so that they will join us for the first time. We will be doing advanced registration too but our main goal is to publicize the event. Then, with VBS on that following weekend, we hope it will be fresh in their memory and we will have a ton of kids.

The third and final change concerns the Unity Service. God has blessed us with wonderful services over our 10 year history and we want to keep it up. The change this year is that the service will be in the evening instead of the morning. The exact times are in the works but VBS will start around 2 or 3 PM and the Unity Service would be around 5 or 6 pm. To cap off the event we will serve some hot dogs, chips, juice pouches and bottled water to promote some fellowship

That is it for changes, now here is some fun stuff we have planned. Group Publishing has a has a new curriculum aimed at a weekend format that we will be using. Rocky Point Lighthouse is an ocean theme where kids let their light shine. To celebrate our 10th year anniversary and incorporate our VBS theme we will be giving away two $50 gift certificates to Red Lobster for a lucky boy and girl to enjoy with their family.

We also plan to give away ice pops, t-shirts and other fun stuff at the 4th of July. We have a big surprise for the kids that we will not be keeping secret until VBS day!

God has blessed Community VBS and we will look to bless others this year by sharing part of our Unity Service offering with the Ronald McDonald House in Cincinnati. We want to show kindness to kids and families who are staying at Ronald's during a rough time and cannot be apart of fun stuff in the summer of 2012.

Most importantly the message of the VBS Rocky Point is Jesus died and rose again. Sharing that message is the heart and soul of VBS no matter how many days or nights we are at the Grove!

We will be giving more specifics on the times in the near future. Please pray for this summers VBS and please share with us your thoughts on this years format.

Ground Hog Meeting

Hello folks,

As crazy as the weather has been it is a good thing we have a reliable forecaster like the groundhog.That's right, Groundhog Day is fast approaching and we will find out how soon we will leave behind the erratic winter and move into a erratic spring!

As Groundhog Day marks the beginning of the end of winter it also marks the first VBS meeting for the year. Our first VBS meeting will be held at my home on Thursday February second at 6pm.

I would like for us to discuss the VBS curriculum for the summer and the format; 3 day or one day. Let's make this our main prayer focus for this meeting and chat about some publicity ideas to celebrate our ten year anniversary.

I look forward to seeing you on Groundhogs Day and if you cant make it please let me know so I can send you the VBS themes and formats we will be discussing.

10th Anniversary!

Break out the balloons, grab the streamers and let the confetti fly because Community VBS is 10 years old this year!

That’s right, ten years of kids, snacks, songs, heat and humidity. Just think if you knew a kid that was in kindergarten when we started they are probably driving now. If you knew a kid who was in 3rd grade back then they are a senior now or already graduated. If you were thirty when you started volunteering at VBS you are now ready for a midlife crisis.
How should we celebrate? I would love to hear your ideas. Please respond to this email or on the blog page with ideas to celebrate this ministry that God has blessed us with.

Let your creative juices flow in spite of the cold. We could have 10 best things about VBS list; we could have 10 worst things about VBS list; we could have a random drawing of 10 kids and give away something during this summer’s VBS; we could have 10 birthday cakes for snacks; we could have a birthday cake food fight (my personal favorite idea); we could give away $10,000 to some lucky volunteer (I guarantee we would have no trouble rounding up volunteers with this idea).

The ball is in your court now. Or, the birthday party is in your court may be a better way of looking at it. Thanks to all of you for being a part of this ministry and special thanks to God for allowing us all to know His son and to partnering with us for over 10 years!

VBS Offering 411

Hello folks,

I wanted to pass on to you the final numbers from the VBS pennies and Unity Service Offering. We had $90.00 collected in pennies and the donation has been sent a to world vision for mosquito nets for the entire amount. Each mosquito net costs $18 and protects a whole family. That means the VBS kids will help protect 5 families in Africa – well done!

The Unity Services offering totaled $347.35. We tithed $35 to the Junction's Back to School program that will be held on Friday August 12, 6:30-8pm and the Junction Community Center.

The remainder of the Unity offering will go to support VBS for 2012. Let us continue to pray that the kids in the community come to know the love, grace and person of Jesus Christ!

On behalf of the Community VBS commitee I want to say God bless you for your support and prayers and we will do it all again in the summer of 2012 - it will be here before you know it!

God bless,
David

Bare Necessities - Prayer

This is the fianl segment in the series "Bare Necessities" that examines what are the essentials of the Christian faith for kids at VBS.

God blessed us with cloudy skies for our annual Unity Service and temperatures were not too hot. It was a blessing to sing to the Lord with the kids and enjoy the local pastors spin on the kids Bible lessons.

After the snacks, the games, the Bible lessons, the lame jokes by the seal, and the Unity Serivce we are left with a vital bare necessity for VBS - prayer.

Prayer is the breath in the body of Christ's lungs. As involuntary as breathing is to our natural bodies let prayer be so to our spiritual bodies. Let us pray for the kids who attended VBS and live in our community. Let us pray that God would reveal himself to them and that they would give their hearts and lives to him. Let us pray that when they have a need this school year the Holy Spirit will bring to their minds the VBS Bible lessons. Let us pray that when things are going well for them they will remember to praise the Lord with the songs they sang at VBS.

Pray for the direction for Community VBS. The adult volunteer pool has shrank in our area, the last three years we have had a declining number of elementary kids in College Corner, and calendars are getting filled up into the first week of August (school orientations, soccer,etc). Together the result is we may need to think about a different month/week for VBS or a one day outreach on a Saturday. The important thing is to pray that God would show us how to reach kids in our neighborhood.

The kingdom of God is one that expands. kingdom people do not build walls and "hold the fort" but their mantra is "onward Christian soldier!" How we move forward to bring light to children in darkness requires that we pray for his strategy and battle formation for next year and the years ahead.

Finally, while praying for the kids, the people and plans for VBS offer up to God a prayer of thanksgiving for giving us another VBS and Unity Service!

Sun Setting on Sonsurf Beach

Hello folks,

The sun is setting on our 2011 VBS. We have the Unity Service ahead on Sunday as we celebrate VBS with the entire body of Christ. As I was looking back over the last three days I thought things went really well.

The registration team had sign-in and t-shirts down to a science.

Our youth helpers were well trained and did a great job.

I heard good reports of children sharing prayer request at snack time.

The report on games was that kids got wet and they were very happy with that!

The Bible stories were simple but powerful. Just as you would expect from an awesome book like the Bible!

The praise team rocked the Grove and the kids loved their stage time on Wednesday night.

I enjoyed watching a father share with his son how to do the sound ministry at VBS.

I heard a couple of reports from parents about their kids singing the VBS songs like crazy at home and kids on a mission to gather pennies.

I heard a leader say a little girl remembered her from last year's VBS. That is a pretty good memory for a small one who doesn't go to church and VBS is the closest they get all year!

I saw many new faces and lots of adults talking and laughing.

I saw kids dancing before the Lord of all creation as the trees blew in the evening breeze.

God blessed us with good weather and It seemed like each night the weather got nicer. I enjoyed just looking up through the trees to the blues skies.

What about you. What did you see or hear that encouraged you and let you know that God was blessing? I would encourage you to take some time and tell God thanks for all he blessed you with during VBS. Ask him to bless the kids and give us a great Unity Service.

Thanks to all of you for making VBS a blessing to the kids and to our Lord and savior Jesus Christ!

Bare Necessities - Scripture

This is the fourth segment in the series "Bare Necessities" that examines what are the essentials of the Christian faith for kids at VBS.

Howard Hughes was a film maker and an aviator. He made big budget movies and he set world air-speed records. Later he purchased and expanded Trans World Airlines. He became on of the richest men in the world with an estimated worth of over one billion dollars.

A man named Melvin Dummar claimed he crossed paths with Howard in 1967 near Las Vegas. He claimed that he found Howard lying beside the highway and gave him a ride to his hotel in Las Vegas. Howard Hughes passed away in 1976 and shortly afterward Dummar claims that a man left a letter for him that stated it was Howard Hughes will.

The Dummar will parceled out Howard's wealth to various organizations and people with Melvin himself receiving $156 million dollars. In trial that lasted seven months a Nevada state court determined that Dummar's will was a forgery. It took the authority of a state court to show what was true and false in regards to Howard Hughes will.

Over time there have been many who have claimed that God had spoken to them. Many have claimed God had revealed to them a way to heaven, and the date and time of the end of the world. There have been and are many who say that there is no God and that we live in a closed universe controlled by the whims of nature.

How does one go about determining the truth about God, about who we are and what is our ultimate destiny? One of the bare necessities children need for the Christian faith is scripture. Children need the truth about God and Christ. The Bible is the authority that points children to the truth about God.

Now most children do not read their Bible on a regular basis. But I doubt most people in the Melvin Dummar/Howard Hughes case spent a lot of time reading the Nevada law books concerning estates and wills either. But the law books was where they went to find an authoritative voice in the Hughes decision.

One of the most important things we can do at VBS is tell the children the truth about God and point them to the authority of the Bible so they can find His voice and guidance in their life decisions.

Please pray that God would give us his help in pointing kids to the source of truth, the Bible, and the person of truth, Jesus Christ!