VBS: Heroes Then and Now! started off with a Boom, Zap, Bam, and Pow! Seventy-seven delightful kiddos poured into the sanctuary for three days of learning, fun, and worship.
Day 1: We sang “My God is Number One” and “Every Move I Make”, which were big hits (especially with our younger superhero leagues who took learning the hand motions very seriously). We then learned about the Holy Spirit, God’s presence with us and the fulfillment of Jesus’s promise before He ascended into heaven. We asked good questions as a group like, “Who is the Holy Spirit?” “What does God being three-in-one mean?” and “How does He help us?” Our wonderful drama team graced us with a retelling of Philip and the Ethiopian—Philip was whisked away, almost like he teleported!
Children then worked on their own comic books. They could write and illustrate them based on an event in their own lives or they could recreate the story of the day. Our younger leagues colored in the awesome comic books made by one of our own youths!
Day 2: We kept the worship going with “Holy, Holy, Holy” and “Let Us be Known.” Hearing children worship together was so powerful. We discussed what superheroes do with the power they’re given. Do they hoard it? Do they give it away? Our discussion eventually ended with how Jesus, the most powerful, gave it all away to die on the cross for his people. Next, our drama team retold the story of the Holy Spirit coming upon Peter to raise Tabitha from the dead.
In our rotation, children created beautiful quilting squares. The Holy Spirit comforts us to comfort others. We are “knit” together by the Holy Spirit as a church and global body. The completed quilts will be installed in the church for the summer to bless the people of God.
Day 3: We learned how the Holy Spirit unites believers in prayer. The Holy Spirit helps us know what to pray and also carries our prayers to God. He intercedes for his people and stays close to us. Our drama team told the story of Peter being freed from prison as his friends prayed unceasingly for him. Throughout all three stories, the presence of the Holy Spirit was marked by a red blanket draped over the disciples. This connected so well with the quilts we made. At the end of the day, we gave children their very own red cape to remind them that the Holy Spirit is with them everywhere.
Children memorized Joel 2:28-29 with memory games and a brand-new song. They played fun games and got their wiggles out, even when the rain moved us indoors. Delicious and healthy snacks kept us focused and energized. At the end of our time, we sang “Go now in peace” as a blessing on all of us to go live in the power of the Holy Spirit.
My deepest gratitude to the incredible Children’s Leadership Team and the 41 volunteers who poured their love, energy, and joy into this beautiful work for all three days. We bore witness to so many God-moments and answered prayers and loved working together as a team. Thanks be to God!
