If you couldn’t tell from the giant sequoia standing in the sanctuary, we had VBS last week and it was amazing! I had the great pleasure of writing and performing the opening skits as Sequoia Sam (shout out to my counterpart Redwood Rachel) and also running the Cooperation Station where we did different science projects – some of which may have included some fire, so if any of the kids say their favorite part of VBS was playing with fire with Pastor Sam, just know it was done in a safe and controlled environment!
I want to start by saying thank you to all the amazing volunteers, without whom none of this would have been possible. An extra special shout-out to Cynthia Heigold for her work in leading the decorating crew, and to our fearless leader and Children’s Ministry director, Jana Hegg, for herding all of us cats and for writing a truly amazing curriculum for us to follow!
This year’s theme was Camp Kindness. We live in a world where kindness is often seen as a weakness or something to be exploited, and in keeping with the often counter-cultural nature of the church, we spent the past week highlighting the importance of being kind. We listened to stories of Bible characters who understood the importance of friendship and being kind. We heard from members of the congregation who volunteer in amazing ways and help people all over San Diego County and beyond. And we practiced being kind to one another. On the last day Jana talked with the kids about how none of us are perfect (so true!) and that we all deserve grace, forgiveness, and love when we make mistakes. That is such an important lesson for these kids to hear – the notion that we love them and that God loves them, no matter what.
Which leads me to one of the coolest things about VBS in my opinion, and that is the fact that it’s not limited just to Bethlehem folks. We had kids and volunteers from many different congregations, as well as those with no religious affiliation. The world has become increasingly secular, and the religious voices that do get highlighted often aren’t the ones who represent us the best. So, what we do for one week, every summer, here at Bethlehem, is so important. For some of these kids, these five days might be their only exposure to what church life is all about. We always say that if the kids leave knowing that we love them, and that God loves them, even if they don’t remember anything else, it was a successful week. And thanks to all of the amazing folks who were involved, I think we had a very successful week indeed!
With Kindness and Gratitude, Sequoia Sam (a.k.a Pastor Sam)