Vacation Bible School-2011
Day 1, Sunday, July 10th
All aboard the bus to Main Street, U.S.A.
The evening of Day 1 began with the registration of the children and assigning them to classes according to various age groups.
To begin, Pastor Paul opened with prayer and then VBS Director, Becky Buss gave the children instructions for the evening and the week. She told the children about the 5 words they would be using each day of the week. The word for Day 1 was GRATITUDE.
She also gave them three challenges for the week. First, the children were asked to bring in canned or non-perishable foods that would be given to Church Community Services. The goal was set at 250 items for the week. The results are on Day 5.
Second, she asked the children to bring in new or lightly used stuffed bears that would be taken to the Ute Mountain Indian children during our mission trip to Towaoc, CO later in July. Results will also be on Day 5.
Her third challenge was for the children to bring as many of their friends as possible the rest of the week. The attendance for Day 1 was 28.
The Bible Memory Verse for the week was Psalms 25:4-5. "Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.
Sandra Metcalf then led the children in learning some new songs along with help from the youth and the volunteers. The first songs learned were, "I'll Adjust My Attitude" and the theme song "Jesus Makes a Difference Every Day".
The classes then went to the various activities of crafts, games, Parable Productions (story telling) and classrooms, where the children acted out the Daily Word and what they learned during story telling.
Lana Berg told the children about "The Parable of the Whiny Workers" (Matthew 20:1-16).
This parable is, of course, about Gratitude. In the parable, Jesus told this to His audience to help them understand that God is generous and anyone who accepts God's offer of salvation may have it, no matter when a person accepts it. And it reminds us to not begrudge His blessings to seemingly undeserving others.
Each year at harvest time the owners of the vineyards hired extra help to get the crop gathered quickly before the rains came. Men who wanted to work would gather in the market place. They arrived early in the morning with their tools and waited until someone hired them. We see that the men in today's parable desperately needed work as evidenced by the fact that some men waited most of the day, hoping to find some work.
Imagine the surprise of the workers who were hired last when they received a whole day's wages for working just a short time. Or think of the hope of an unexpected bonus that was quickly destroyed when the workers who were hired first received the same amount. When they grumbled and complained against their boss for his unfairness, he reminded them of the agreement they had when he hired them. He rebuked them for their jealousy and told them he did them no wrong.
The children then went to a classroom where they discussed the parable and performed a skit that helped them learn the meaning of Gratitude by acting it out.
Craft time was a favorite for all the children. On Day 1 they made special straws with a face designed by the children. After craft time, they went for snacks, creating their own "smiley face" cookies.
At the end of the day, the children practiced their songs again then made notes of what they were grateful for and attached them to the cross.
Today's Word on the Street was Gratitude, and that is just one way that Jesus makes a difference every day!
Thank you God for the wonderful blessings you give us every day, especially the gift of Jesus. Amen.