United at the table: all our joy is joined in song.
United in the faith: all our joy to God belongs.
- Joaquín Madruga; tr. Angel Mattos and Gerhard M. Cartford, “United at the Table” ELW 498
Hello church! As summer rolls in, my thoughts turn to that greatest of summer church traditions, Vacation Bible School. This year we will again be partnering with Fresh Fire and Sunnyside, our neighbor churches on Gull Road, to present a VBS for the neighborhood and beyond, for people of all ages, for lifelong members and first-time visitors. Speaking for the planning team from all three churches, I can say we are very excited about continuing this partnership to bring Jesus to this side of Kalamazoo.
We will gather for VBS from Monday, July 25th to Friday, July 29th at Sunnyside United Methodist Church . Our theme this year is the Shake It Up Café: Where Kids Carry Out God’s Recipe. Kids will be learning of God’s love through food and cooking, of course along with hearty doses of music, Bible study, crafts, and other fun activities.
For our part as Lutheran Church of the Savior, we have much to do in preparation for another successful VBS this year. We will need volunteer teachers and shepherds to lead groups of kids between rotation stations. We will need to provide dinner on Tuesday and Thursday of VBS week. We hope to again receive funds from Thrivent to help cover the costs of VBS, and on Sunday, June 12th we will join Sunnyside and Fresh Fire in a “One Big Give for VBS” Sunday, when designated donations will help us to support this wonderful ministry opportunity. There are also numerous material donations we can offer; see attached list for details.
But most importantly, we need to bring our kids and adults to VBS! Last year we had a number of children and adult participants in VBS as well as volunteers and leaders, and this year we would love to give even more of our kids the opportunity to grow in their faith through Vacation Bible School. Teens may stand to benefit most from VBS this year, either by gaining leadership experience as Shepherds for younger children or by participating in the teen program and helping to prepare the Friday meal for all of VBS.
Another exciting opportunity related to Vacation Bible Schools comes to us through Vanguard Street Ministry of Kalamazoo, who will host a “Jesus Loves Kalamazoo” Prayer & Grill Night at Sunnyside on July 13th from 5:00pm to 8:30pm, just two weeks before VBS. This event will be a wonderful opportunity for evangelism and invitation of neighborhood residents to participate in VBS, and we can participate in this ministry event by helping plan, supplying food, and even by joining neighborhood street evangelism teams.
For more information about Vacation Bible School or any of these related opportunities, please contact Pastor Andrew or Jackie Knapp, who will be coordinating our efforts. I hope you can join us for the unique and powerful ministry experience that is Vacation Bible School.
Pastor Andrew
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