Author Archive

VBS Missionary Updates

 

parrishsmallerIt’s past the middle of May, and that means final preparations for VBS is at full throttle in most churches. The VBS team is praying for churches in their final stages of planning and enlisting workers, praying for directors and church leaders who are working hard to be sure all the details are in place, and praying for kids who will come to VBS and their families. We are also praying for the missionary families that kids will learn about in VBS this summer and expecting God to do big things in the lives of these missionaries and their families.

Each year, we publish an update on the featured missionary families on the VBS website so that churches can have an updated look at what is happening in the lives of the missionaries since the videos were shot and the VBS Missions Rotation Leader Guide was published. This update includes additional photos of the missionary families, any updates on what the kids learn about their ministries in the videos, and their current prayer requests. You can find the updates for the Flooks and Pillays featured in VBS 2013 here. Click on Follow-ups and Helps on the left tabs and then look for Missions Stories Updates. You can download the “Flooks Update from Bolivia” and the “Pillay Update” to get the latest information from these missionary families. Kids will enjoy hearing the updates directly from the missionaries.

Another missionary update we wanted to give is related to Andrew Mann, who was featured in LifeWay’s VBS 2011 Big Apple Adventure along with Proof, a K-9 Assistance Animal trained as a professional therapy dog. Andrew and Proof serve at Graffiti 2 Community Ministries and Graffiti 2 Church in South Bronx. In a blog last November, you can check out here, we asked VBS leaders to join us in prayer as we discovered that Andrew had been diagnosed with cancer and was facing surgeries and treatments. In true missionary fashion, Andrew found ways to minister throughout his treatment and recovery process. To find out more about Andrew’s personal journey and the ministries of Graffiti 2, check out this video produced by Brianne Barry, a City University of New York Journalism student for the Mott Haven Herald here. The video includes Andrew’s story, along with photos, detailing Andrew’s surgeries and cancer treatments.

For more information about Graffiti 2 Community Ministries in the Bronx, visit their website at www.graffiti2ministries.org. Follow Andrew on his blog at cancerousjoy.wordpress.com.

One last exciting update to report on Graffiti 2 is that they will receive a portion of CentriKid Camp offerings from this summer’s camp weeks to support their ministries.

 

 

 

 

 

The Christ Connection

parrishsmallerIf you look at the Bible story titles for children in LifeWay’s VBS 2013 Colossal Coaster World, you will see “Paul Obeyed,” “Paul Spoke Boldly,” “Paul Proclaimed Salvation,” “Paul Responded Wisely,” and “Paul Trusted God.” So after reading these titles, I bet you’re thinking that we must be studying the life of Paul for VBS 2013. And, we are. However, we wanted to be sure it was very obvious to everyone that Paul wouldn’t have done any of the things he did in his life without that divine encounter on the road to Damascus and the personal relationship he had with Jesus. For this reason, you will find a “Christ Connection” each day in the children’s Bible Study Leader Guides to point out how each day’s lesson really points to Jesus. For example, in Day 1′s story “Paul Obeyed,” the “Christ Connection” is: “Before Paul’s conversion, he was a person who captured believers in Jesus and took them to jail. After his conversion, he began to preach the gospel wherever he went. God had a plan for Paul’s life to carry His Son’s name to people who had not heard about Jesus and the sacrifice He made for their lives.”

The daily “Christ Connection” can help you reinforce with your VBS kids that the entire Bible shows us that God had a plan for His Son to be our Redeemer from the beginning. Jesus took the punishment for our sins and Paul was used by God to reach people all over the world to proclaim that Jesus is God’s plan for salvation.

Paul’s transformation and his willingness to spend his life spreading the gospel is testimony that everything we do really does “all comes back to Jesus.” That statement may have been the official tagline for VBS 2009, but it is true in what we do in VBS every year. Be sure you make note of “The Christ Connection” in VBS and in your personal relationship with Him each day.

Fun at Work Day

parrishsmallerDepending on which websites you trust the most, it could be that today, January 28th, is Fun at Work Day. Some websites list the official title as National Fun at Work Day. Other sources also list April 5 as the date for 2013 International Fun at Work Day. A few websites change the date of International Fun at Work Day to April 1, and that gives you good reason to play some harmless April Fool pranks with coworkers along with adding some fun events to the day. I think we should get away with as much fun as possible and celebrate all of the designated days, and even some days not dedicated as Fun at Work Days. Before you judge me, I will admit that it is necessary to be serious at times about our work. However, people who have fun at work have been described as productive, happy employees. I want to be one of them!

Our VBS team does work hard, but we like to mix in some fun with the work just to take the edge off of busy days and  constant deadlines. The very nature of our jobs is to create a fun, nonthreatening way for unchurched kids to learn about Jesus. So sometimes we think we should have a little fun and bring out the child in all of us to make sure we are doing it right. We’re only doing it for the kids, you know!

Here are some ways we added a little fun to preparing for and packing up for VBS previews. Keith is always available to make us laugh with funny faces.

 

Keith Being Silly at RidgecrestAt another spare moment, we all took a little breather and shared some laughs after traveling and hanging out before the VBS Preview Faculty Meeting at Ridgecrest.

 

VBS Team Hanging Out

With some prompting, we challenged Gordon and Lance to see who could shrink wrap his pallet first. So the race was on!

Lance & Gordon Racing

Then, Lance became distracted and Gordon began to yawn and move in slow motion due to the lack of competition!

Gordon Yawning with Lack of Competition

Mark Jones led conferences for VBS Previews and stayed until the bitter end in Ft. Worth. Here he proudly displays the pallet that he shrunk wrapped! He knew that we would use this photo against him! It’s not every day, you can strike a shrink wrapping pose…

Mark Poses After Shrink Wrapping

 So do something fun at work today! Take a minute and tell us about what you did to add a little fun to your workplace! You just might want to make sure there are no photographers around to capture it and post it in a blog for the world to see! But have fun today, and try to get a little work done also along the way!

 

 

 

 

 

Hurricane Sandy, The Bronx, and Andrew Mann Update

Missionary Andrew Mann and his K-9 Assistance Animal trained as a professional therapy dog named Proof were featured in the 2011 Big Apple Adventure VBS. Andrew and Proof serve at Graffiti 2 Community Ministries and Graffiti 2 Church in South Bronx. Andrew and Proof introduced each day’s VBS missionary feature on the DVD segments and they attended a couple of the VBS previews. The VBS team loved sharing Andrew and Proof’s story through the VBS 2011 Missions Rotation and getting to know him at the VBS previews.

 After seeing several comments and questions on VBS social networking sites asking if anyone had any information on how Andrew and the community center made it through the recent storms, we decided to check the www.graffiti2ministries.org web site for information. We did not see any information about the effects of the storm, but we did discover a link from the web site to a blog from Andrew discussing his diagnosis and treatment for cancer.

We emailed Andrew for information about the storms and to assure him the VBS team is praying for him after we discovered the news about his cancer. Andrew says that Hurricane Sandy hardly affected Graffiti 2 Community Ministries and Graffiti 2 Church in the Bronx at all. He noted that the main evidence of the storm in their immediate area were some trees down and signs blown off buildings. He indicated that their ministry was able to continue, despite the fact that some places within 10 miles of them faced utter devastation. Andrew did point out that Graffiti in Manhattan did have a basement that flooded as much of their neighborhood experienced severe damage. Graffiti is now hard at work connecting with people through their needs that resulted from the storms. The Metropolitan New York Baptist Association is also extremely busy with relief efforts.

As for the personal storm Andrew is facing with cancer, he believes that God is using this experience in his own life and to minister to others as well. You can read more about ways to pray for Andrew through his treatments at http://cancerousjoy.wordpress.com.

Andrew, the VBS team will continue to pray for you and we are sure others who met you in VBS previews or through the 2011 VBS Missions Rotation will join us. We’ll be checking in on you through your blog and praying for your specific needs.

 

It Never Gets Old

This week is an anniversary week for me so I have been doing a little reflecting over the last few days. On November 1, I will celebrate 23 years of working for LifeWay Christian Resources, although the organization had a different name when I began. I have been editing curriculum for children and preschoolers for my full tenure, and specifically working on the VBS team since 2001. I am honored to serve with creative people who work hard to provide resources to help boys and girls know Jesus as Savior.

The VBS team loves to hear stories from churches about what took place in the hearts and lives of children and their families during Vacation Bible School. We count it a privilege to partner with churches as they help boys and girls learn more about trusting God and His Son, Jesus. We are always humbled at how God uses something as fun as VBS to turn hearts to Him. Hearing about changed lives will always be welcome news to our ears. The release of the next year’s curriculum is always an exciting time for us as we are anxious to see how God will work in lives and bring more people to know Him.

We are anxious for VBS 2013 to be delivered to churches and hit the store shelves. But what we are most excited about is another opportunity to hear about how God uses the words, artwork, ideas, and activities for His glory! Telling His story never gets old!

 

Catch a Connecting Flight with Parents of VBS Kids

ImageWhile your Amazing Wonders Aviation flight has probably landed, your bags are unpacked, and you are already dreaming about your VBS 2013 destination, some essential follow-up can still take off for 2012. Candace offered some great follow-up suggestions last Wednesday at http://lifewayvbs.wordpress.com/2012/08/01/vbs-follow-up/.

Here’s another great way to consider connecting specifically with the parents of VBS kids. If your church did not purchase the VBS 2012 Family Flight Log Parent Guide: Logging Time Together to Discover God’s Amazing Power! (005404243), mailing a copy of this small “flight log” that reinforces the Amazing truths kids learned about God’s power can be a great way to connect with parents.

The guide contains five daily devotions for families, fun activities to do as a family, and the ABCs of Becoming a Christian. It’s a great way for parents to reinforce what kids learned during VBS, and it’s an excellent opportunity for churches to let parents know they care about their kids and them as a family. The guide is an inexpensive way, priced at $3.49 for a package of 10, to connect with parents as the summer comes to a close and families begin to get back in normal routines.

Visit your local LifeWay Christian Store soon while VBS supplies are still available and purchase enough packages to send to all your VBS kids. Don’t miss this opportunity to make another connecting flight on AWA airlines!