VBS 2019 was incredible!  As part of the church staff, VBS is one of my favorite weeks of the year.  It’s amazing to watch what is typically a pretty quiet building through the week, turn into a place filled with the sounds of kids singing, laughing, and receiving the message of the Gospel!  One thing in particular that got me this year was watching some of our adult congregational members sing and do all of the motions during worship time in the Sanctuary.  There is just something so infectious about the excitement of children.  I can see that the adult volunteers get just as much out of VBS as the kids do!  This year, we welcomed an average of 235 kids daily and gifted Teen Study Bibles to 34 6th graders who completed their final year. We really hope to see them back as volunteers next year!  Another exciting thing was that the kids were able to raise money through their daily offerings to donate to the Jack & Angie Hamstra Family for their upcoming move to be missionaries in Indonesia and to World Vision through Operation Kid-to-Kid!

 What was new this year?  Caretaker Camp!  ARC hosted a camp at DeMotte Elementary School for parents, guardians, and caretakers of VBS kids.  They spent the week enjoying  massages, crafts, yoga, refreshments and more while their kids were at VBS.  This was such a neat way to get to know some of these women and pamper them!  I must say, when I heard they were getting massages over there, I was pretty jealous.  

 I also want to take a moment to say ...WOW!... to our volunteers.  I see first hand how many hours are put into planning, decorating, ordering supplies, organizing crews and volunteers, and the list goes on and on.  MANY days and nights are given to making sure things are just right. Our VBS staff is A-MAZ-ING!  We thank them as well as everyone who prayed for this ministry and donated financially.

 I have seen, year after year, how GOD SHOWS UP at Vacation Bible School!  He is in every detail and deserves all of the glory and honor and praise!

Written by Stacy Hoffman, ARC Office Secretary