VBC Day 1

Howdy partners! "Farmer" Trista here, your friendly summer seminary intern.

We had a great morning with eighty-one children and several dozen VBC ministers to care for them!  This week we're looking at food through the eyes of faith.  The nave has been transformed into the Great Farmhouse, and we are offering thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest season we are in the midst of.  We are delighted to welcome children in Jesus' name and to share our stories of faith with them.  May we all taste and see that God is good!

Today we have been exploring the wonder of seeds, and our theme for the day has been: when we are growing, God provides.  We learned that God provides food for us to eat and cares for all of our needs.  In chapel we planted pumpkin seeds and remembered that we each have been given seeds of faith in the soil of our hearts.  In story time, several of our youth performed a drama based on the parable of the sower.

One of the ways we say thank you to God for our food is by sharing what we have with others.  So, for our service project today, we made pumpkin muffins for the Salvation Army summer children's camp.  Continuing the theme of love and service, in music today we sang "Call to Love".  We remember that we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves because God loves all.

Mid-morning, we all gathered together for snacks in the Great Hall which has been transformed into The Paradise Cafe.  After Brian and the youth led us all in rhythm-filled doxology, we refueled our bodies with the grapes, sesame crisps and string cheese.  Then we were ready for more exciting activities!

In crafts today we decorated lunch bags for the Salvation Army children's camp in preparation for the sandwiches we will make and give to them tomorrow.  We also made sidewalk chalk to remember that God writes God's words upon our hearts, and when we had a little time, we played "apple, apple, banana" (a form of "duck, duck, goose").  We all sure love to run around!  And in our recreation time, we had seed relays and running races in Medina park.

Our day opened and closed in the nave with worship time.  We sang "This is the Day that the Lord has Made", "His Banner over me is Love" and "This Little Light of Mine" with joyful motions.  The children are also learning a new song, "God is Good" written by me especially for our time together at VBC. 


As we prepare for our upcoming day, we thank you for continuing to lift all of the children and the VBC ministers in your prayers.  And we invite you to reflect on our call and response liturgy which will be a part of each day's opening worship:

When we are hungry, God provides.

When we are thirsty, God provides.

When we are tired, God provides.

When we are lonely, God provides.

When we are growing, God provides.

Whatever our need, God provides.

Taste and see that God is good!