Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Summertime is VBS Time.



The past three evenings, our church had Vacation Bible School. Our theme this year was Cave Quest. The picture to the right is the entrance of a cave a trio of men created for us. It is on the dais at the front of the sanctuary.  The kids really seemed to like the decorations and the lessons. 

Our Children's Ministries Director started us thinking about VBS in February. She assembled her craft ladies, her registration ladies, her snack ladies, utilized our youth as part of the crew leaders. The rest of the crew leaders were women, most of whom had done it in years past.

Last Friday, the director's mother had to be taken to the ER and was admitted to the hospital. She had a gallbladder attack. Saturday morning, we were to start decorating the church. The director called me and told me she wouldn't make it to the meeting. We decorated the Christian Education wing hallways. This is one wall we managed to do on Saturday.  A dear friend finished it up with bats, the flying kind, placed every so often.


On Sunday, we learned that the director's mother was going to have surgery at noon. We were to meet at 2:30 to finish decorating the church. Several of us were there for three hours and created more cave walls. The fellowship hall and the hall leading to it were covered like the above picture. Again, final touched of moths, and bats were added.

On Tuesday night, our pastor dressed like a spelunker and gave lessons on Jesus being the light of the world. One of the smaller rooms of the church was made to resemble a dark cave. He gave all the kids glow sticks because Jesus' light will not go out and does show in this dark world.



This was my station. I pre-register and register kids. I had three women who were going to help me. However, one of them has a brother who had heart surgery on Monday.






Our director is ready to loan us out to other churches to teach how to have a successful Vacation Bible School.  On Sunday, there is a closing program during our main service. Following that, there is an all-church picnic. Those children who came to Bible School and their parents and siblings are invited to attend the worship service and picnic.

God was with us during the planning, the decorating and the Bible School.






Monday, July 16, 2018

Memories of a Christian Lady

http://afamileeaffair.blogspot.com/2013/02/memories.html

This past Friday afternoon, I attended a memorial service for a lady named Barbara from our church who passed into her heavenly home back in the winter. After her son had gone to be with Jesus, her daughter who lives in Texas took their mother back to Texas to live near her.

Barb’s son, Greg, was a quadriplegic. He was severely injured in a wreck when he was 17. He attended and graduated from college, married and had a son. At some point he and his wife chose to divorce. At the time of his accident, his younger brother, Brian was looking for someone to take him to the hospital to see Greg. A car hit this 12-year-old boy who was riding his bicycle.

           
When we visited her church one Wednesday evening, Barb approached us after the service, introduced herself, and told us about Greg and Brian. Both my friend and I felt we had found a home.

When I went back to work, my route took me across town and on the street that went near their home. One morning, I was stopped for construction traffic about three blocks from them. The car behind me didn’t stop and then that driver backed that car up and ran off. I was angry and scared. The only one I could think to call was Barb. I told he what happened and asked her to come down and sit with me until Hubby could get there. I asked her to wait until Greg’s home health care people were there. She came but I never asked her if someone was there with Greg.

The women’s circle at the church received the name B and B. We are a merged church. The initials stand for the names of the women in both former churches that strived to keep the circles going. One of the “B”’s stands for Barbara.        


The format was different from any memorial service I have attended. The daughter wanted everyone to sit around tables, enjoy a meal and then share their memories of her mother. I know she is in that cloud of witnesses watching over those she loves. I will never forget this wonderful Christian lady who never complained and never spoke badly about anyone.

God Alone

  Jesus and the children at our church's prayer walk.          I will both lie down in peace and sleep;  For You alone, O LORD make ...