Hogwart's Update - Day 1

Wow! What a fun first day of Vacation Bible Camp. Apart from a few thundershowers, the day went off without a hitch.

Our morning started with worship and prayer, led by Professor Trelawney (Sunni Bannon). After our worship time, we experienced

our very own Sorting Ceremonies – complete with sorting hats! It was quite fun to see the anticipation in the eyes of the campers as they waited to hear their group name (Owl, Dragon, Phoenix, Hippogriff, Sphinx or Thestral). From the sorting ceremony, we began our station rotation: Quidditch Pitch (recreation), Wizarding Wheezes (crafts), Sharing the Magic (service), The Common Room (storytelling), Prof. Flitwick’s Frog Choir (music), and the Department of Mysteries (chapel).

The theme for today was prayer. We learned in The Common Room that in prayer, God gives us the confidence, strength and love we need to find our way through tough times. We don’t always get exactly what we want when we pray, but God gives us more than enough to carry us through any circumstance.

At the Department of Mysteries, we learned that part of prayer is silence and listening. Just like any relationship is built upon both talking and listening, so too is our relationship with God. Professor McGonagall (Mother Karen) showed us prayer beads that she made for each camper that they will be given to take home on Friday. What a gift!

In Professor Flitwicke’s Frog Choir, we began learning the songs the campers will sing in the service on Sunday, the 31^st. They sounded great!

We also began learning about the water crisis faced by the developing world in Sharing the Magic. The campers shared ways that they use water in their lives and began to see that we are truly fortunate to have such easy access to something so necessary for life. Remember to bring your spare change this week to give to Episcopal Relief and Development’s work with water access! Drop your coins in the “Goblet of Fire” as you enter the church.

Some questions that you might ask your campers to help them continue thinking about what they heard today are:

• What sort of things do you talk to God about when you pray? (You might also share with them what you tell God).

• Has there ever been a time when you didn’t know what to do or didn’t think you could make it through a difficult time? Did you pray about it?

• Do you ever like to spend time in a quiet place? What did Mother Karen tell us about how God speaks to us when we are quiet and listen?

• Have you ever thought about how different your life would be if we didn’t have water to use? What if we turned on the faucet and dirty water came out – or worse, nothing came out? There are lots and lots of people all over the world who don’t have to think about this because that is what happens.

That’s all from our first day! Can’t wait to see all of the campers in the morning!