If you’ve been in church over the past month you would have heard the acronym “V.B.C.” spoken or seen it in the bulletin. We use the term so freely that we often forget that there may be some who don’t know what V.B.C. stands for. So let me tell you.

V.B.C. stands for “Vacation Bible Camp”. At Amberlea will also call it “Summer Day Camp”.

So what’s it all about?

V.B.C. is a program that has been around for decades in the church world. It’s designed for young children to come to the church for a week in the summer and learn about God’s abundant love for them in fun, exciting, active and creative ways.

There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into this one week. In fact, Nancy, our amazing Family Ministry Director, and her team have been working on the details for months! I wouldn’t be surprised if she started working on this year’s program, when last year’s ended!

In order for this week to go well every detail needs to be thought through and expertly executed. For example, advertising, registration of children, crafts, snacks, drama, games, Biblical content, recruiting volunteers, coordinating volunteers, considering the safety of all children and volunteers… and there is so much more!

There is no doubt that running a V.B.C. is a lot of work, not to mention the expense associated with running such a program. Unfortunately, I am hearing of more and more churches that have had to stop offering V.B.C., which I think is a terrible shame. I love our Amberlea Summer Camp and here are my top five reasons why:

1. Kids love it! You have to see it to believe it but this place is the most joyful and exciting during this one week of summer camp. Children laughing, playing, creating and learning about Jesus and having a great time doing it!

2. It’s a wonderful outreach and opportunity. My experience is that if something is fun, children will want to invite their friends. Last year I recall a young girl from our congregation who invited three of her friends to come with her to Amberlea’s Summer day camp. It is not only an outreach it is a wonderful opportunity for these young children to hear about God’s love for them, perhaps for the first time! Perhaps what gives me the greatest joy is when the children run up to me to recite their Bible verse of the day. What a delight and gift it is for me to hear their sweet voices quoting scripture.

3. An opportunity for the adults in the congregation to serve and build relationships. Yes, it is exhausting to work with children but it is also exhilarating, exciting and incredibly rewarding. As you serve, I promise, you will get back more than you give. As you work together with other volunteers you will meet people from the congregation you may not have met otherwise. While bringing joy to a child, you are also building lasting friendships. It is awesome!

4. Parents get a chance to hear about God’s love. One of the things I love is the Family BBQ that we have on the Thursday night. I love meeting the parents of the children and sharing with them what we have learned over the week. It is my prayer that not only the children, but their parents hear about the amazing love of God and how that love and grace can be theirs.

5. It’s so much fun!! It is a fun-filled week for children and adults alike and I wouldn’t miss it for the world :)

As we get closer to July 10 - 14 (our Summer Camp dates) you will hear Nancy or me encouraging you to come alongside. Would you prayerfully consider your involvement in this important ministry?

Here are some things you can do:

- PRAY for the children that will be coming

- PRAY for the parents

- Volunteer your time during this week to be a group leader

- Volunteer to help in preparing for the week

- Donate funds, snacks, craft materials, or whatever Nancy requests ;)

- Did I mention PRAYER?

This Sunday Nancy Varga, our Family Ministry Director will be delivering the message. Nancy has been in Family Ministry for a very long time. She is an incredible wealth of information and more importantly she is a faithful, gracious and wise woman of God. You will be blessed as she brings God’s Word.

Please join us on Sunday and as always… BRING A FRIEND.