Foto Friday: Welcome to Fall!

Joyce Frazier

Well, Autumn officially begins tomorrow–September 22. And in Tennessee, that means cooler, shorter days; God’s handiwork manifested in all nature around us; and lots and lots of football. Also, we begin to see the arrival of wonderful homemade delicacies, perfected in the South, that can only be seen at this time of year.  Being in a Fall frame of mind, I decided to poll some of my VBS teammates to determine a few of their favorite things!

—

Lynne Norris

Favorite Fall scene?  A chilly morning in Cades Cove (NOTE: Cades Cove is in the Great Smoky Mountains.)

Favorite Fall sound?  a crackling fire

Favorite Fall scent?  a spiced apple candle 

Favorite Fall treat?  homemade soup

 

—

Debbie Ruth

Favorite Fall scene? watching a University of Tennessee football game (It’s football time in Tennessee!)

Favorite Fall sound? a crackling campfire, kids playing outside

Favorite Fall scent? anything cinnamon

Favorite Fall treat? going to an outdoor craft festival; my mom’s homemade apple butter

—

Rhonda VanCleave

Favorite Fall scene? yellow leaves on a tree against an October blue sky

Favorite Fall sound? the whistle of a football ref to start the game

Favorite Fall scent? cinnamon

Favorite Fall treat? candy corn or anything pumpkin

These are just a few of my favorite things about fall—homemade chili; viewing miles and miles of beautiful leaves; going to the pumpkin patch with my 7-year-old grandson; seeing early-morning or late-afternoon fog lifting from the surrounding hills and mountains; cinnamon, apple, and pumpkin smells all around me; fresh Fall vegetables and fruit; the chill of a cool morning; the sound of kids playing in freshly-raked leaves; the warmth of a roaring fire in the fireplace; and the fact that my mowing days are over until next year!!!!

I don’t know what Fall looks like in your little corner of the world, but I just can’t believe  that it could be any more beautiful than it is here in Tennessee.

Let us hear from you. Feel free to answer our questions about your favorite things and maybe attach a photo or two of you enjoying this time of year.

VBS – Is It Worth It?

When you plan for months and then pour your heart and soul into a week’s worth of VBS, you’ve might sometimes ask yourself, Is it worth the effort?

Well, I attend Lakewood Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and my church’s VBS was held this year from July 16-20. I was assigned to work with 5 year olds, so I started out on Monday morning with 9 well-behaved students. But because there was an abundance of 4 year olds, my class was quickly adjusted. Five of my 5 year olds were “promoted” to the kindergarten room, leaving me 4 of my original students, but then I received 10 more 4 year olds. As the week went on, we picked up two more students. Three of the younger boys were pretty rambunctious, and they required constant attention. With only one other teacher (and an additional one, at times), this did not make for the perfect teaching situation. However, we did have fun, and the kids learned a lot about the Bible and how Jesus takes care of us in all that we do. But there were still times that I asked myself, Why am I here?

The Reason for VBS
VBS is the biggest and best evangelistic outreach event in the life of most churches. LifeWay’s curriculum is designed so that each day’s activities will help girls and boys learn more about God and Jesus. Through Bible stories, VBS encourages children to understand the Bible and apply those Bible truths to their lives, making God’s Word both real and meaningful. But VBS also provides many unexpected benefits.

Unexpected Benefits of VBS
The Church Becomes Unified
During VBS, lots of workers are needed, probably more than any other single event at church. Through this one event, teachers and students get to see the church functioning as the body of Christ that it was meant to be. All participants have a different job; all do their job; and in working together, the lives of children are changed.

Men Volunteer for VBS
At our church, men who are retired or work alternate shifts are eager to volunteer. This has proven to be a positive thing, especially for our school-aged boys, many of whom do not have positive male role models. Whether teaching, leading crafts, or overseeing recreation, men seem to make an impact on the lives of kids at VBS. This year, men even organized and ran our teacher’s lounge (where teachers enjoy “snack” at the same time as their kids, but in a separate location).

New Leaders Are Discovered
Adults and youth who have never held a leadership role will volunteer for VBS because it is a short-term commitment, and it allows them to work with children on a trial basis. Many excellent Sunday School teachers and leaders of other children’s ministries have been discovered through VBS.

New Prospects Are Discovered
VBS provides an outlet for meeting new children and families in your community, whether they be unchurched, looking for a new church home, or already church members elsewhere. Every year, it seems that new families are added to our church at the conclusion of VBS. However, follow-up is essential to keep these “jewels” from slipping through your fingers. People need to know they are needed and feel welcome when they return to your church for other functions.

The Ultimate VBS Benefit
You may not think your job at VBS is very important, but when all is said and done, the research numbers are staggering. We have not yet received statistics from VBS 2012, but here are the results from VBS 2011: 24,941 SBC churches reported that they conducted VBS (a 496 church and mission increase from 2010). Their enrollment of both students and workers was 2,832,379 (a 74,403 person increase from 2010). There were 79,876 professions of faith, with 2,281 decisions to pursue a vocational ministry. There were 231,213 prospects discovered and 39,390 prospects added to Sunday School programs
(a 6,092 person increase from 2010).

So, you see, VBS is not only “worth it,” it is essential to the life of a functioning, growing church and community. I, myself, came to know and serve Jesus Christ as my personal Savior as a 12-year-old at VBS, so it is extremely important to me. My prayer is that as long as there are children and summer vacations, there will be VBS and the freedom to attend. And I thank God for allowing me to do the kind of work I do and partner with Him to change the lives of children now and forever.

“Let the little children come to Me, and don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you: Whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:16, HCSB^®)

 

Indoor Theme Park Fun

My adult son recently visited an indoor amusement park somewhere in the United States.

Some might even say that it is the world’s largest indoor theme park. He said that the entire time he was there, he was wishing he had visited this park as a child, even though I don’t think it was even there then.

I can’t imagine an indoor theme park, but he said it was great! Have any of you ever been to an indoor theme park?

Check out these pictures. (Sorry they’re so tiny!  Maybe that’ll add to the mystery!)

The coaster

The carousel

The Ferris wheel

Can you figure out where he went? See if you can guess.

Good Planning Is the Key!

You might remember that I posted a blog in July of last year about the Pantai Baptist Church in Malaysia. This church held a VBS training event in June 2011 for themselves, First Baptist Church of Subang, and 16 other Malaysian churches with an attendance of 80-100 people throughout Malaysia.

First Baptist Church of Subang
Well, Mr. Poh Gek has informed us that Big Apple Adventure VBS was held at First Baptist Church of Subang in November of 2011, and it was a total success.

photos: http://www.fbc.com.my/101209/ministry/vbs (or www.fbc.com.my and then click on Ministry and select “I ‘heart’ VBS” to get to the Web page)

photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/34672620@N07/6375914981/in/set-72157628079616965/

He said, “This year, the Big Apple Adventure seemed so apt with everything else that is happening at our church. And all our VBS helpers were trained to share their faith and be a witness for Christ before teaching VBS. So we all have been greatly challenged by this VBS theme.

“One man dressed as Lady Liberty, and another church member dressed as Nicodemus.

“For Family Day, we had a Walking Tour of the Big Apple. We not only showed what the kids did during the week, but we also did a showcase of FBC Ministries and what we do at our church. Then we had the Times Square Musical. I think everyone enjoyed it so much, especially the kids.

“You should have seen the kindergarten children perform the Big Apple Adventure theme song! They were so cute…so young. When they sang, ‘Bi-bi-bi-big Apple Adventure,’ they did it so well.

“We had 189 children at our VBS. This was our first attempt without any help from Pantai Baptist Church, so the number of children was smaller, but we had a good response from unchurched families and kids from other churches. Excluding 46 kindergartners and the 50 Sunday School children who reaffirmed Jesus as their Lord and Savior, we had 76 children to say the Sinner’s Prayer for the first time on our ABC Day. Praise the Lord!”

Pantai Baptist Church
“Here is a glimpse of Big Apple Adventure at Pantai Baptist Church. Their décor, as always, is so professionally done.

photos: http://pbcvbs2011.blogspot.com/2011/11/phase-2-main-sanctuary-deco.html

“We had 10 classrooms for Bible study (190 kids total, half of whom represent non-Christian families). We have very staunch Buddhists, Taoist, and Hindu families here in Malaysia. Although we love to encourage these non-Christian kids to come back for Sunday School, as most of them said the Sinner’s Prayer on ABC Day, not many of them will return for Sunday services. Some do return annually, but only for VBS. We just pray that we have sown the gospel seed in these children’s lives so that when they are of age to choose their own religion, they will want Jesus as their Lord and Savior.”

VBS is a great opportunity to reach kids with the gospel. Otherwise, these same kids might never hear of His awesome love, grace, and gift of salvation. Sounds like God is doing a wonderful work in Malaysia, with the help of dedicated followers like Poh Gek.

Thank you, Poh Gek, for sharing your VBS stories with us. We look forward to many more great stories of your VBS work in Malaysia.

“Teach a youth about the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6, HCSB^® Read to Me Bible for Kids).

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8, HCSB^® Read to Me Bible for Kids).

It Is More Blessed to Give . . .

Once the leaves have turned colors and fallen to the ground, and you can feel a slight nip in the air, it’s holiday time in Tennessee.

But here at LifeWay, we’re all about holiday ministries, too. Some employees serve food at our local Nashville Rescue Mission; some help out with Salvation Army events; and others volunteer to help with Nashville’s Second Harvest Food Bank.

Every year, LifeWay helps collect toys and other personal items for the Nashville Baptist Association Toy Store. For 56 years, the association has opened its doors to lower income families to help those parents provide “a little touch of Christmas” for their children.

Our VBS team even chooses a ministry to sponsor each year instead of exchanging gifts.

But another ministry that I think is worth mentioning is the one that our Childhood Ministry Publishing department provides each year for the needy mothers who come to deliver their babies at the Metro Nashville General Hospital at Meharry. This Christmas tradition was started in the late 1980s or early 1990s by one of my coworkers, and when she retired, it came to me. So I have been organizing and overseeing this event now for at least 10 years or more.

Many times, homeless or low-income mothers come to this hospital with nothing more than the clothes on their backs and a “baby on board.” Sometimes they have more than one “baby on board.”

CMP’s part is to collect new everyday baby items like sleepers, diapers, wipes, blankets, booties, baby bottles, pacifiers, and personal grooming items. Then we make up gift bags that contain one of each item per bag. We deliver the bags to the hospital, and its wonderful postnatal staff decides who will get the bags on a greatest-need basis. And they usually go fast because of the increasing need, especially this time of year.

As far as I know, our department is the only group in Nashville that provides this service for these mothers, and we only do it in December. Being a government hospital with limited funds, I doubt that the hospital can afford to send lots of things home with these needy mothers. I would hate for us to ever skip a year because I’m sure the gift bags would be greatly missed.

So in your hustle and bustle this year, stop, take a deep breath, and think about the reason we celebrate this season. Look for ways to “give back to your community.” Be sure to thank God for all the blessings He’s given you, and feel the joy of being able to give to others out of your abundance. And, above all, remember the words Jesus spoke in Matthew 25:40: “I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me” (Read to Me Bible for Kids, HCSB^®).

May each of you have a wonderful Christmas season, wrapped in the warmth of God’s love and grace. See you back on this same station in 2012 . . . and may it be a great year for us all!