by Chris Elrod
The apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians to express his gratitude for them, making sure they knew that he thanked God for them often (Philippians 1:3-5). I understand Paul’s gratitude as I think of the many ways in which you all have worked alongside me this summer to help strengthen our church family. It has been a busy summer, but God has blessed us in the busyness as we have served Him together. We have had loads of people serve one another and the Lord this summer. Thank you so much for all you have done!
Vacation Bible School is always a huge undertaking, but it has been made easy with so many eagerly willing to help and serve year after year! I have records of our average nightly attendance going back all the way to 2013, but this year we set the record! We averaged 267 people at VBS. How awesome to know that many of those people need to know more about God and His will for their lives, and that our VBS was an opportunity for them to learn about God’s Word. As summer begins to end, I want to encourage us to remember that it doesn’t take something special like VBS to invite our friends and neighbors to. Our Bible classes and worship services are also an opportunity for people to come and begin to learn the Gospel. Let’s continue to invite people to join us so they can come and learn what they must do to be saved!
Vacation Bible School went so well! Not only did we have great attendance and do a great job of inviting folks to join us, but we also had so many people working hard to make a great VBS! From those who smoked the BBQ for our fellowship meal, to those who helped clean up, we are so grateful for your willingness to work so hard! There are too many to name everyone who was involved in making VBS a huge success. So, thank you to all who put in time, energy, and/or money to make VBS a success!
Like VBS, camp takes a lot of effort from a lot of different people! I am so thankful for all the parents who trusted us with their kids for a week. I am thankful for the adults who were willing to go and work to make camp a place where kids could grow closer to the Lord.
Camp and VBS couldn’t be done without you! So, thank you for all your hard work! The church is truly a body with many members (Romans 12:4-5). VBS and camp are reminders of how well the church operates when we all play our role and lean into our strengths.