What about VBS?

    Summer is just around the corner. Kids are tired of being at home. Parents are...
    May 8, 2020

    Summer is just around the corner. Kids are tired of being at home. Parents are tired of having to manage everything around the center of the home. Everyone wants things to be back to normal. So, where does that leave us with our Rocky Creek Vacation Bible School?

    I am not dependent on VBS to be the primary tool to share the Gospel with children.

    The answer to the VBS question is that we still don’t know how best to handle VBS. As a children’s ministry advocate and as a mom of three, I want to make sure we are wise in moving toward next steps with VBS. What we do know is that we will not have our leadership training for VBS at Rocky Creek on May 17 which means that things will not be business as usual on June 14-18 for our regular in-house VBS.

    Vacation Bible School is an evangelistic tool that we have used in churches to engage children in the summer and to clearly present the Gospel to those children. I want to continue to have VBS because I believe in the mission of VBS to make the Gospel known to children and their families. On the other hand, I am not dependent on VBS to be the primary tool to share the Gospel with children. Even in the middle of the COVID crisis, I have prayed for the salvation of our Rocky Creek kids, and guess what! Moms and dads have shared the Gospel at home. Children have been saved. So, while we are not dependent on VBS, it’s still a key tool I desire to use to impact children and their families with the Gospel.

    Why do I wait to make a decision?

    1. I am waiting to see how our state does with movement back into the mainstream. As our state moves back toward a more normal routine, I want to wait to see how increased exposure in our state impacts the number of active COVID cases. I don’t want to move too quickly with a Plan B and then have to move on to a Plan C and Plan D, and etc. Children will struggle with maintaining social distance, so we have to make decisions based on their health and potential risk based on how active the virus is in our area.
    2. I want to investigate potential options to traditional VBS. I am considering different ways to manage a VBS back on our campus later in the summer with limited movement in the building. I am considering taking VBS to individual homes where we give families the opportunity to have a family VBS at home. I am looking at moving VBS into your backyards so you can invite your neighbors to a more open environment to keep people further apart. (With our student mission trip to Boston being cancelled, this affords us the opportunity to use those students to help with missions at home.) What I don’t want to miss is the opportunity to have a week of focused Bible study and evangelism left off the calendar simply because we can’t do it “like we did before.”
    3. I wait because I am praying for solutions. I am waiting to hear from the Lord. I am praying for people to reach out to say, “whatever we need to do to make VBS happen, let me know.” Waiting is never a bad thing when we are seeking the Lord. Waiting is a bad thing if the Lord has released your heart and affirmed movement and you simply refuse to move. I am ready to move, I just need His affirmation and direction to be clear about our next move. In the meantime, I will wisely watch what happens in our community and church as we begin to gather back together in smaller groups and as our community reengages. I will provide future VBS updates as soon as I have a clear direction.