The week of August 7th-10th, St. John’s hosted 16 children ages 1½-11 years old for Vacation Bible School. The theme was Abundance Orchard: where faith grows and hungry people are fed.
The Bible Lessons were from the Old Testament. The first lesson was Genesis 18:1-5, Hospitality: Abraham and Sarah prepare a meal for unexpected guests. Abraham (one of our youth) came and told the children his story. The second lesson was Genesis 25:29-34, Trickery: Esau (another of our youth) told the story of how his brother Jacob tricked him into giving him his birthright for a bowl of stew. The third lesson was Exodus 16, The Miraculous: a Hebrew man (also one of our youth) tells the story of God providing manna and quail in the desert. The fourth lesson was 1 Kings 17:8-16, Hunger: a poor mother (one of our youth) shares her food with Elijah.
The VBS Mission this year was The Society of St. Andrew (SoSA), which began in Virginia in 1979, and works to provide healthy food to those who have little or no access to vegetables and fruits, through food banks, pantries, and organizations that help those in need. To support the mission of SoSA we asked the children to bring in change every day for our collection jar. Through SoSA one serving costs just 2 cents; I am proud to say we collected enough for 3,294 servings! Also, as part of the St. John’s mission and outreach, the children packed bagged lunches, which included a sandwich, chips, cookies and a clementine, for 75 guests at the Wednesday Downtown Hampton Lunch Program.
Each day included Bible Lesson time with Samantha and/or Mark, music, dance, games, arts and crafts, and a time called “discover our church”. A great time was had by all.
Originally published in St. John’s Epistle, September 2017.