"This is the confidence we have in approaching God;
if we ask anything according to His will He hears us."
if we ask anything according to His will He hears us."
~1 John 5:14
It was so exciting to welcome back such an incredible group of kids this morning at our Tuesday opening! They certainly brought their listening ears, and it's good they did. Pastor Rod brought a couple of his favorite four-legged pals to VBS this morning to remind everyone that GOD HEARS US. And today, Pastor John helped Pastor Rod by doing a few human tricks to show how very important it is to listen. Aren't we thankful that God always listens to us better than we sometimes listen to Him and to one another? 
The pastors' fun message set the theme for the day as small groups focused on Scripture featuring Jonah's story in Chapters 1-3. During class time, each class discussed how Jonah's message in the Bible reminds us how God is always with us, always hearing us.
The Music team could be heard throughout the church singing praise songs with the classes during music time today. They even had time to take a few requests, which seemed to be a highlight of the time shared. So many requests were made, it is hard to tell if there is one that is more popular than another--this group definitely appreciates the Cabin Fever band!
Everyone went fishing in snack this morning, but don't worry about your kiddos who might not be fans of seafood. The seafood our snack team was serving today was in the form of Swedish fish and the children got to reel them in on their pretzel rod poles--YUM!
There were no reports of whales caught during snack time, but we hope everyone was able to successfully fit your craft into your vehicles on the way home today. Our apologies if you were transporting more than one VBS participant and had to also figure out how to fit multiple whales in your car, too! But, Miss Viv just cannot pass up a cute craft and we really can't blame her a bit, can you?
And...there were strange reports of Justin Bieber music coming from the storytelling area today!? No idea what that is all about, but you'll probably want to ask your children what in the world that had to do with Jonah and a whale! Oh my! Because there's certainly no question God heard that, too--Pastor Rod and Pastor John told us He hears us, right?
Thank you all the generous cleaning supply donations for Hillcrest Transitional Housing--there was so much soap we wondered if maybe our whale might start to blow some bubbles for us, but no such luck...oh well! I'm sure the recipients will put it to better use anyway. Tomorrow, he's back to a strict food item diet after that cleanse--Spaghetti-O's, canned fruit, kid-friendly boxed cereal and boxed dinners such as Hamburger Helper. Let's see how full we can fill his big tummy.
WOW! Our offering for Our Redeemer Lutheran Church
in Kansas City got very serious today. The girls were apparently not happy with yesterday's near drowning by the boys! They propelled slightly ahead of the boys with today's total of $130.79 and boys' total was close behind with $129.82. However, the grand totals still put the boy at the top:
Boys: $147.94
Girls: $132.89
In the midst of all this fun, it is so important to us to give thanks for the many, many volunteers who have made this week possible. Each morning when you drop off your children for a morning of faith and fun, you will see about 100 volunteers gathered to manage the events of each day. We are so grateful for their efforts. But did you also know that for every volunteer you see this week there is at least one who has labored behind the scenes preparing? Did you know there is also at least one who generously donated the thousands of items that support the program we are able to put together? We are so richly blessed by our congregation and our community to be able to offer such a bright, bold and engaging faith experience for one week each year and we get to do that with the prayer, effort and financial support of many people. Please join us in saying an extra prayer for those who have been a part of that support--and God bless each of you who have been a part of that effort!
- CROSSWALK - Our Wednesday night program from 6:30-7:45 which begins this fall on August 31. The event will include free food and an activity for kids while the parents get an overview of the program--please join us. Registration for the program is open now on our church website.
- FAITH ROOTS - Our Sunday morning program at our south campus.
- THE ROCK - Our Sunday morning program at our north campus.
It was great to see everyone again today and we look forward to seeing you tomorrow! We hope everyone has a blessed evening. Be sure to get some sleep and eat a good breakfast tomorrow--we're going to need to use our muscles for God's message.
God bless your family time tonight!
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ReplyDeleteIt was a great day with all my friends. Stripes and Blackey had a great time singing to the kids. Can'the wait to dive even deeper tomorrow.
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