VBS!
This past week, children, youth volunteers, and adults joined together to gain a deeper understanding of God’s love through participating in Roswell Presbyterian Church’s annual Vacation Bible School. Vacation Bible School provides a unique opportunity for children to learn about God in a hands-on environment through activities such as crafts, Bible classes, recreation, and musical worship. This year, we were excited to have 253 children join us for Vacation Bible School. Along with this exceptional number of participants, we were also thankful to have 185 youth volunteers helping out. Thanks to these incredible volunteers, Vacation Bible School 2025 was a successful week, full of service and learning about God.
The theme of this year’s Vacation Bible School was “True North,” and through this theme, we learned that when life feels confusing, scary, or uncertain, we can rely on Jesus as our compass, and he will guide the way. Each day of the week focused on a different arctic character who taught their own lesson about how to turn to Jesus in times of need. Throughout the week, children participated in penny wars - the proceeds of which went to supporting R.O.C.K. Bridge Ministries in Kenya. The primary goal of our partnership with this organization is to provide clean water to communities in need. The children were so excited to have the opportunity to bring in donations every day to support this wonderful cause, and they did an amazing job of fundraising. By the end of the week, we raised $1,550 from penny wars alone. The kids put their donations into the designated bucket for each staff member, and in order to make the competition more entertaining, the pastors and church staff volunteered to be pied in the face and covered with silly string as a reward for the money raised. The RPC community went all in to fundraise for R.O.C.K bridge ministries, and it was moving to see how God worked through each child over the week.
My favorite moment from this week was participating in Bible class with my group of fourth graders. The children were eager to listen to each lesson, and they participated every day by applying the lessons to their own lives and experiences. Their answers to questions were insightful, and I really enjoyed watching them work through the lessons and questions posed to them. They related the lessons to real issues that they had experienced, such as illness, grief, and friendship conflicts, and then discussed how they can take these issues to God through prayer. This week made an impact on children and leaders alike, and Catherine Trosclair shared about her first grade bible class, "Seeing Morgan Burge dressed as a Roman soldier was the highlight of my week. Talk about making the Bible come alive to a bunch of first graders! I can still hear them shouting, “When we wonder, when we feel alone, when we feel powerless, and when we need help…TRUST JESUS!”
As for the kids - their favorite moments from the week were playing Gaga ball in rec, and watching Pastor Jeff get pied in the face. One child shared, "My favorite part of VBS was recreation. It was fun to be able to play Gaga Ball and water day was great!" Another shared, "VBS was the best! I really loved doing crafts. Making the lantern was my favorite." One of the reasons why Vacation Bible School is such a special week is because children get to have fun with these activities, while also learning what the Bible tells us about God's character.