by Matt Grant

Water noodles, inflatable plastic limbo gear, bowls of Jell-O, pineapple colored sand…that’s right, you guessed it, Vacation Bible School. For some, VBS harkens memories of flannelgraph Bible stories in the dimly lit sanctuary of a 1970s era suburban church. The same rings nauseatingly true for me, so with Jesus’ direction, me and dozens of dedicated volunteers set out to make MH Shoreline’s first-ever VBS as relevant, interactive, fun, and outdoors as possible for the little squirts in the North End.

MH Shoreline VBS 2008 was held August 11-15^th at Edmonds City Park. Jesus’ gracious, loving, and trustworthy characteristics were in full display and glaringly evident through the time spent teaching and loving children for Jesus at VBS. Below is a list of evidences of the many good graces Christ lavished upon us throughout this entire event. Enjoy, MH Shoreline. Click the links below to see some GREAT pictures and “Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.” Psalm 150:1-2

Evidence #1: Dedicated Volunteers

Over 40 volunteers sacrificed their time, treasure, and talent to serve children and families for hours before and during (7:30am-1pm daily) VBS. They used spray paint and old ironing boards to make surfboards; climbed trees and bloodied their arms to hang VBS banners; drilled holes in 600 tiny wooden cubes for crafts; carved over 100 bananas into boat shaped pieces; gave wagon rides to toddlers for hours on end; received multiple blows from splash bombs and water noodles; wrote out 100 name tags for five days straight; donated water, food, juice, and supplies; used a shot gun sound system to lead worship for the kids; and secured the premises from the stroller-yoga moms brigade and a weird dude dubbed the “muffin man.”

Evidence #2: Donations

Nearly ALL the snacks and many of the supplies for over 100 kids daily and 500 over the week were donated by volunteers and VBS parents. We were on a very limited budget; so without the donation of items like 120 bananas, 120 cupcakes, 10 bags of ice, an air compressor, a truck, music CDs for every child, and hundreds of cups, the kids would not have had an adequate supply of crafts, snacks, or teaching aids for the week. We had 3 large banners and child and volunteer shirts donated for the entire event as well! This was a huge blessing, as it helped to identify the volunteers, kids, and location of VBS.

Evidence #3: Sunny Skies at Edmonds City Park

Going 5 days without rain in Seattle is like watching the Mariners win: rare. Amazingly, it was sunny and warm all 5 days of VBS. The skies were clear each day and the children bathed themselves in sun-tan lotion as opposed to rain water. This made the well manicured and spacious Edmonds City Park useful, exciting, and fun for the volunteers and kids.

Evidence #4: Safety and Security

Every child left VBS with the same body limbs and layer of skin they arrived with. All children were accounted for; and everybody from a mom reading her Bible to a senior citizen lifting weights was closely monitored by the security team. Even President Bush would have been safe at Edmonds City Park during VBS.

Evidence #5: Children Learning About and Interested in Jesus

The greatest gift of all was that children were able to learn about Jesus in a fun, relaxed, friendly, and safe environment. The gospel was clearly presented to the children and seeds were planted in the children’s hearts that can be nurtured via Jesus, parents, friends, and the church. I’ve solicited and received much feedback from parents describing the evidences of grace displayed in their children and families through VBS. Below are a few excerpts.

• “My daughter was very excited every day by what she was learning. She tried to explain to me the Bible lessons everyday and play acted out Jesus being born and performing miracles, and tried to sing the songs. On Tuesday night she was telling me the verse she had learned and that was about as cool as you can get.”

• “My daughter (9) has been more willing to pray, which is something she has shied away from in the past.”

• “My kids have been talking about Jesus more and are more eager to pray and ask questions. Last week at church, my son was asked what he was thankful for, and he replied, ‘Jesus.’”

• “I have noticed that my son has had more interest in talking about Jesus lately. He has made some references to things that his teacher talked about at VBS, which never happens. It was helpful as a parent to have a lot of reinforced talk about Jesus and the Bible. It has opened more opportunities for me to talk with him.”

• “My daughter started saying, ‘I want to do Bible study’ and her prayers at dinnertime have gotten more elaborate. She was hesitant to pray at dinner and it had gotten a bit discouraging, but after VBS she started to like it more.”

The weeks of laborious planning and preparation paid off-all for the glory of God! Praise Jesus for the work He’s doing in these families through VBS. I look forward to another exciting VBS in 2009 and hope to see you there!

Enjoy some videos below.

Reagan Gets Pummeled:

Kid’s Running: