Vacation bible school: extreme home makeover edition
As we wrap up another summer here in Memphis, it’s clear that 2020, chock-full of novelty as it was, can’t claim a total monopoly on all things new and unexpected. Even the year that prompted the mass use of the word “unprecedented” must concede several noteworthy “firsts” to 2021. And surely 2PC’s at-home, pop-up Vacation Bible Schools (yes, schools, plural) ranks high on the list of things we can now cross off the list of “never-been-done-before.”
For starters, “home” and “vacation” aren’t two words that typically get much airtime together, except, of course, for in sentences like, “I can’t wait to get away from home for a week and just relax on vacation,” or the slightly less exciting, “I just got home from vacation.” And though VBS isn’t exactly a vacation in the typical beach-y sense of the word (though you moms may beg to differ!), it is characterized by being out of the house and away from home.
But not this year.
Free to meet in person again but still conscious of our responsibility to our congregation and our neighbors in light of COVID, our Children’s Ministry team innovated an entirely new model for Vacation Bible School: the “pop-up” model. Neither virtual like last year nor a traditional large group gathering held on campus like in years past, the pop-up model gave 2PC families and volunteers the chance to live out the call to love thy neighbor in a uniquely “local” way.
Across the city, over 200 children showed up to VBS ready to play games, make friends, and learn about the love of God in Christ, all while remaining in their own neighborhoods. Even more remarkable—from their own neighborhoods they made a lasting global impact on our neighbors abroad. Families raised a total of $1,150 to fund the building of a Sunday School room at the church where our World Missions partners, Faith Blanchard Ludanga and her husband Seme, serve at the Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement in Uganda.
On Your Marks, Get Set... Go?
To host 800+ kids on campus for VBS, or not to host 800+ kids on campus for VBS… that (back in February) was the question. And the answer was: not to host hundreds of kids on campus for VBS. At least, not this year. The safety of both our congregation and our city was then, and remains now, a top priority of Second’s, so the children’s ministry team (comprised of Kirsten Scheel, Lucy Stevens, and Dylan Franklin) began brainstorming alternatives.
A backyard VBS rose to the top of the idea-pile, and soon it was off to the races. Kirsten grouped every child based on location and formed 11 separate VBS pop-ups in accordance with the number of volunteer host families. Then, hosts and the volunteers assigned to their houses began planning, organizing, and finally executing once the big day arrived.
A Peek Inside a Pop-Up
Hosts, volunteers, and teen helpers worked hard to create an atmosphere that was welcoming, fun, and full of the love of Christ for each child. Mornings kicked off with high-energy games and stretches (it was Olympics-themed, after all!). Children then marched to the “Bible Tent” to sing worship songs and learn from God’s Word. Joshua 1:9 provided the lyrics to one song that stuck in the minds of the little singers: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Allie Eick, one of the 11 VBS hosts, shared that several parents heard their kids singing the song at home, too. “What sweetness it is,” she said, “to know that truth was being planted in their little hearts through music.” Such a report calls to mind the words of Christ in Matthew 18:16: “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” What a beautiful picture of our 2021 World Missions Conference theme, “Planting Gospel Seeds Together,” proving true of our congregation year-round! And even more encouraging than that is the reality that though neighbors may plant, and parents may water, it is our Father in heaven who gives the growth.
New Friendship & Faithful Follow-Up
VBS hosts are rejoicing that God not only gave tangible glimpses of growth in the hearts of kids during the week of VBS itself, but that God is continuing to give growth in the lives of entire families well beyond it. Sam and Lacey Moody reported that through one of the kids in their neighborhood coming to VBS, a couple neighborhood family hangouts have already taken place. “I feel like it helped break the ice and enable an opportunity for a deeper relationship to build,” Lacey said, “and hopefully continue to talk about faith.”
Grace Knight was most encouraged by seeing her neighbors’ kids praising the Lord. After VBS ended, she reached out to one of the families who participated but doesn’t yet have a church home: “I sent her a text and said that we’d love to have them at 2PC and in our children’s ministry. She said they would be visiting Sundays.”
Allie told us that a neighbor she “never expected” to come to VBS showed up, and that she and her family have followed up with them a few times since then. “I feel like if we hadn’t had the VBS that this door would have never been opened.”
What sweetness it is... to know that truth was being planted in their little hearts through music.
God not only used VBS to draw families in to 2PC and plant gospel seeds in the hearts of those who may not yet know Christ, He also used VBS to cultivate new ties of fellowship within the existing body at Second. Chris and Jen Devine “built a much stronger connection with one of the families from 2PC that [they’d] barely met,” and the two 2PC families are now becoming friends. In the future, they intend to keep connecting with their neighbors by planning “some ‘play day’ Saturdays that hopefully bring the neighbor kids and their parents back!”
Next Summer and Beyond
Being such a hit, one can’t help but wonder if outdoor, pop-up VBS will emerge as the new normal at Second. If so, perhaps a new name is in order. Backyard Bible School? Staycation Bible School? Children’s Tent Revival?
Okay, on second thought, maybe “Vacation Bible School” is just fine… Don’t fix what’s not broken, right?
This year we saw God do something far greater than that. Only He can take something good (not broken, just ill-suited for the season in which He has placed us) and transform it into something tailor-made for the times in which we’re living and the people we’re seeking to love. God used the faithfulness of the children’s ministry team to “reimagine” VBS this summer so that we as a church could effectively “retell” the story of the Gospel to our kids, our neighbors, and ourselves. We invite you to join us in praying that through this summer’s VBS, the city of Memphis and many families who dwell here might experience that glorious “repair” that occurs when Jesus Christ comes close.
As far as Summer 2022 goes, one thing is certain: it is in the LORD’s hands, just as summer 2020 and summer 2021 were. Indeed, all our times are in His hands (Psalm 31:15). And when we are tempted to believe that there is any better place for them to be, we need only look with Thomas upon the scars that our Savior still stretches forth for us to see, reminding us anew that even when nothing feels familiar and everything feels new, our God is the Rock eternal, the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). While He never changes, He promises to change us from one degree of glory to the next. And, more than that, He promises to use us to change our neighborhoods, our nation, and the nations beyond.
As we head into CityServe weekend, let us rejoice in the Lord for all He is doing in our neighborhoods, ask Him to use us to advance His kingdom here in Memphis, and worship Him alongside the little ones in our midst, who learned this summer to sing:
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Photos: Catherine Burns