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Why do we dedicate time and energy to a vacation bible school program every June? I would say that the primary purpose of inviting kids in our community to our church every summer is to share the gospel with them and in most cases disciple them in our faith. We are simply being obedient to Christ’s call to go and tell the world about Him. By doing this we demonstrate that we love our neighbors. And plus, it is such a fun week for everyone involved. It is like a week-long party for kids and volunteers. 

Which brings me to one of the great benefits of being a volunteer at VBS- Christian fellowship. Our Heavenly Father weaves so many good things together when He calls us to a common purpose for the sake of His kingdom. There is certainly a lot of volunteer man hours that are required to run VBS- many of you are well aware of it. The thing is though, that most hours are spent working alongside others and it is a beautiful thing to experience. It is in the praying, the planning, the painting, directing and various other “ings”, that are accomplished alongside your brother and sister in Christ, young and old, that the unifying work of God’s Spirit finds a joyful expression.  It is not an exaggeration to say acquaintances grow to respect one another, coworkers become partners and strangers become friends. It is a beautiful thing that the Lord does in the hearts of all of us who volunteer. But don’t take it from me only, here is a sampling of testimonials from some who participated this year…

“Being a first-time volunteer for VBS, I was not certain what to expect or what I was getting myself into. It was even scary thinking that God would want me to be part of such a special event in the lives of the kids attending. What a responsibility!

The work and building part I was comfortable with, having prior construction experience. But leading them and teaching? And God’s word! Wow. Stepping into unknown territory for me.

But He planned for my participation in this a long time ago. Trusting Him through guidance from the Holy Spirit was the only way I could accomplish this.

I intended for all of the blessings during this week to be for the kiddos. But boy was I surprised. I saw so many workers and parents feeling God's love.

Throughout the week, especially day 1, I came out of my shell and let these beautiful children and young men and women transform my heart.

Their joy to lead them and commitment to bring them the word of God was incredible. And the dedication of the entire team made it all so very special.

I am beyond words in how thankful I am for the Lord to bring me into this wonderful work. I am blessed to have been a part, and look forward to the years ahead.”

Roger Comstock

“My name is Mary Robertson and this year for VBS I was helping Mr. Pete Feldner and Isabela Talamantes with the fifth and sixth graders. I learned a lot and built a stronger relationship with Bela. We had a lot of fun together working with the fifth and sixth graders and being on the drama team. I was really happy because I actually made another friend!

I think I benefited from this year’s VBS in many ways. The main way was there were some points that were made about Christ when he was a child that I really hadn’t thought about before. I was grateful when Mr. Talamantes put Bela and I on the same team this year.”

Mary Robertson

“I volunteered for VBS with the dream of bringing kids to Christ. The whole week of VBS really impacted how I look at kids and the body of Christ. Throughout the week I got teary-eyed quite a few times, seeing kids (especially the kids in my class who were 4-6 years old) praising God with all their little hearts.

I saw a change in their attitudes about Christ. The first day they were very quiet and shy, many of them didn’t sing or dance. The excitement progressed through the week and one of my little girls had one of the songs stuck in her head and was singing it with all her heart. Seeing the pictures of VBS at the end of the week, I saw such joy and excitement in their faces.

The Lord has been bringing me to ministry and after VBS I felt him calling me toward sharing his light with kids in particular. The Lord commands us to be a light in the darkness of the world and through VBS I could see all the volunteers being that light. Seeing the joy and excitement in my kids’ faces praising the Lord, brought me so much joy and happiness. Serving the Lord and sharing Christ to these kids and families is a huge honor and privilege that I would love to continue to do.”

Luke 18:16: But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Olivia Parks