Vacation Bible School-2011
Day 5, Thursday, July 14th
Day 5 again began with registration of any new children followed by the opening prayer by Pastor Paul and instructions for the day from Becky. The Word of the Day was "FAITHFULNESS".
This last day the children responded amazingly by bringing in more food than any of the other days. When it was all counted, the canned good donations far exceeded Becky's challenge of 250 items. The total food items for the week was 350!!! What a blessing for Church Community Services. And, the stuffed animals and other creatures far exceeded expectations. There were a total of 165 stuffed toys. How gracious are these kids towards the Ute children in Towaoc!! Very Awesome kids!!
Attendance for Day 5 was 41 children which made the average for the week 41. Everyone was glad to see such a great response today of children who wanted to learn about God's Faithfulness. And, for the week, to have so many children seeking the Gratitude, Compassion, Forgiveness, Grace and Faithfulness of God was just amazing.
All aboard the bus to Main Street, U.S.A.—Day 5.
The children continued to practice their songs "I'll Adjust My Attitude" and "Jesus Makes a Difference Every Day" and "G-R-A-C-E" in preparation for the closing program where parents, grandparents, family and friends would be attending.
For the final time, the classes went to the various activities of crafts, games, Parable Productions and classrooms, where the children acted out the Daily Word (Faithfulness) and talked about what they learned during story telling.
Lana told the children about "The Parable of the Master's Money" (Luke 19:12-26). As Jesus' ministry was drawing to a close, He used this parable to help His followers understand the importance of being faithful until His second coming.
A property owner was going away to be made a king. He gave ten servants some money and told them to put it to work. When the new king returned, he called for his servants to give an account of how they used the money.
The first servant told him that the money he was given earned ten times its original amount. This pleased the new king so he entrusted this servant with ten cities. The second servant told the king that the money he was given had grown to five times as much. This also pleased the king and the servant was entrusted with five cities. The third servant handed the money back to the king and reported that he had kept it safe and secure, so nothing would happen to it. This angered the king, who took the money away from the third servant.
The parable only tells us how three servants used their money, but it is enough to shed light on the principle in verse 26. The ones who do well with what they have will be given more. But for those who refuse to use what they have, everything will be taken away.
The children again went to their classrooms where they discussed the parable and performed a skit that helped them learn the meaning of faithfulness by acting it out.
Faithfulness isn't always easy. Sometimes we'd rather just do what we want to do. As a matter of fact, the servant in the Bible story was more concerned with doing what he wanted to do rather than following his master's instructions. But God has given us our special gifts and talents for a reason and He expects us to use them. That's Faithfulness!
The final craft for the day was a door hanger. The kids were very creative.
The final day's Game Time was fun for the kids. They played tag with a squirt bottle. Whoever had the water bottle had to squirt another person to "tag" them. Then that person had to do the same to someone else. No one got really soaked but they had a great time.
The end was getting near. This last day the children were given bows to remind them to faithfully use their gifts or talents. As they held their bows in their hands, they were then asked to think of one way that they will use a special gift or talent they have to serve Jesus. They then placed the bows on the cross.
And then, the Final Cross was displayed with all the notes, bows and rocks that the children had placed there during the week.
Parents, families and friends finally arrived to see first-hand what the children had learned during the week.
The children sang their songs for the final time.
For the final event of the evening and week, we had three "volunteers" to take a whipped-cream pie in the face. The first target was Jacob. Jacob was a big help throughout the week and he chose Jackson to throw the pie.
Next up was Augie, who last year was pelted with water balloons. But as always, Augie is a good sport when it comes to helping out with these things. Augie chose Alyssa to throw his pie.
The final "volunteer" has been a repeat victim of these pies and water balloons—Pastor Paul. Maybe he just likes whipped-cream! Pastor Paul chose Kendra to throw his pie.
Only after it was all over did Pastor Paul tell the others the secret of keeping the whipped-cream out of the nose. Pretty sneaky!!
Today's Word on the Street was Faithfulness and Jamestown United Methodist Church would love to have these kids and their families come back to serve God faithfully together!
God, we thank you for your faithfulness to us and ask that you give us the strength and grace to remain faithful to you throughout our lives. Amen.
Thank You!
A big THANK YOU to all the kids who attended the 2011 Jamestown UMC Vacation Bible School. Also, a big THANK YOU to all the parents who allowed us to teach your children about God's word, and have fun in the process.
Thanks to our VBS Director, Becky Buss for a great job in organizing the 2011 VBS.
VBS was also a great success because of the outstanding staff of volunteers that helped with all the children and worked in the various activities.
| Tammy Sue Moore | Jane Rapp | Deb Beehler |
| Celeste Weesner | Brittany Kamp | Sandra Metcalf |
| Geneva Cook | Caitlyn Wenger | Angela Cook |
| Maggie Farwig | Ray Hochstetler | Jonathon Starr |
| Marta Clark | Mariah Rogers | Gail Greenlee |
| Augie Farwig | Pastor Paul | Sarah Miller |
| Micah Rogers | Mark Cook | Gary Buss |
| Elizabeth Starr | Teresa Rogers | Joy Moore |
| Sharon Hirstein | Jacob Biller | Jill Biller |
| Paige Miller | Carlee Miller | Erin Skibbe |
| Lisa Sylvester | Roberta Mann | Tyler Wenger |
| John Moore | Connie Starkey | LuAnn Pontius |
| Lana Berg | Kendra Metcalf | Paul Hoffman |
Thanks also to those individuals that gave donations that were used as props, class materials and overall program needs.
| Bruce Cogswell | Bruce Clark | Marcia Clark |
| Glen & Joyce Cook | Pam Hochstetler | Marta Clark |
| Helen & Jim Wernicke | Gary Buss | Jane Rapp |
| UM Men's Group | UM Women's Group | Iva Knight |
| Tammy Sue Moore | Jo Stealy | Ruth Trotter |
| Celeste Weesner | Mark & Angela Cook |
Please accept our apologies for any names not mentioned in the lists of Volunteers & Donors.