Today I am in Banner Elk for a Presbytery meeting. This is my first time in this part of North Carolina. I feel like I have been saying it so often since I’ve moved here, but what a beautiful state! I am looking forward to gathering with other pastors and elders from the churches of Western North Carolina as we work together to accomplish God’s mission in the western part of our state.
As we make the two hour drive up to Banner Elk I find myself reflecting on how grateful I am for what is happening back at Unity. This week 100 children are gathering at Unity for a week of Vacation Bible School. I walked around yesterday morning during the beginning of VBS and I was thoroughly impressed at how many volunteers from Unity were working together to create a successful week.
As I walked around, I noticed a couple of things that really made me smile:
-I noticed how many youth from our church were helping lead in some capacity. I love seeing them dedicate a week of their summer to serve in this way.
-I noticed many parents of children from our preschool that were now sending their students to VBS. I am grateful for the partnership between our church and our preschool that enables these new families to come to VBS.
I want to say
thank you to all of the team leaders who will shepherd a group of students for the week.
Thank you to all who are helping with games, snacks and stories.
Thank you for those who spent their Saturday putting up all of the decorations (and thank you in advance for those who will take them down!) And a special
thank you to Elaine Easterling and Lynne Gronning who have spent months preparing for this week.
A successful Vacation Bible School requires a large amount of volunteer investment. Many churches do not have enough volunteers to sustain a VBS program. I am so glad that Unity is an exception to this. This church is investing in it’s children; both in our church and in our community. I have no doubt that a student may be learning about God for this first time this week.
The theme of Vacation Bible School is Shipwrecked. The goal is to teach children that God can rescue them in difficult situations. The theme of today is “When you worry…Jesus rescues!” The Bible verse that the children are learning comes from the book of Psalms:
“The righteous person faces many troubles,
but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.”
-Psalm 34:19
Let us be inspired by our children today and remember that we worship a God that rescues. May you feel empowered to seek God during times when you need deliverance.
See you on Sunday!
-Pastor David
