From Monday through Friday this week, Willowdale is hosting our Vacation Bible School. The theme of VBS this year is Mountain of Miracles: God’s Love Is Rock Solid. At this VBS, our children are exploring the Mountain of Miracles, a place where God’s love is rock solid! This program was designed by the North American Division Children’s Ministry Department and aims to help children learn more about Jesus through the Bible stories of Elijah and see that God is always with them through Christ-centered activities. The key verse of this year’s VBS is Isaiah 41:10, where God say, “I am with you, so do not be afraid. I am your God, so do not be upset. I will make you strong and I will help you. My powerful right hand will keep you safe” (Easy English Bible).
We have a big VBS this year, bigger than last year. There are 87 children registered: 10 preschoolers, 57 VBS students (4 to 10 years old), and 20 VBX students (11 to 13 years old). We also have 50 volunteers whose ages range from high school years to the 80s. Every day at church, from 08:30 a.m. to 01:00 p.m., between the opening and closing programs, the VBS kids have been hiking the Mountain of Miracles and learning about God’s love as they rotate through Prayer Station, Bible Story Station, Snack Station, Craft Station, and Game Station, divided into seven different groups. The preschool kids, accompanied by their parents, and the VBX children have their own programs. It’s amazing to see about 180 people, including kids, volunteers, and their parents, come to church every day during the week!
The Willowdale Children’s Ministry Department has been preparing for this VBS since the beginning of the year, and the Children’s Ministry leaders and volunteers have put in a great deal of effort to make it happen, even before VBS began. I appreciate the children’s ministry leadership and all the volunteers who have been leading the groups of children, as well as those who have been running each station. I also want to express my special thanks to the kitchen crew, which includes all the Willowdale senior members. The youngest person among them is 63 years old, and there is also the oldest VBS volunteer on this team. Every day, they prepared food for the children and volunteers, washed dishes, and cleaned the kitchen. I really enjoyed the food they made.
We, Seventh-day Adventists, have an essential mission to proclaim the Everlasting Gospel and make disciples of all nations. In harmony with this great mission, Willowdale has its own mission statement: “Know Jesus and Make Jesus Known.” Myself, the Willowdale Children’s Ministry leaders, and all the VBS volunteers have dedicated ourselves to this same mission throughout this week. I am particularly happy when I see our youth volunteer to serve as the crew leaders, station leaders, and A/V staff. They still have room to grow, but they have shown that they do not have to wait until they become adults to serve the Lord and His children. Through our VBS this week, we are learning more about Jesus and trying to make Him known to our children. This has been my prayer for VBS, and I believe God has answered it. As a pastor responsible for this invaluable ministry, I am grateful to work with these exceptional ministry leaders, volunteers, and children. And I will keep my memory of VBS this week for the rest of my pastoral ministry. I’m already missing our team before I even leave the church.
I have so many things I want to share with you about VBS, but it’s impossible to tell them all here. If you are interested in learning more about our VBS, I encourage you to attend this Sabbath worship service, which our VBS children and volunteers will lead, and I will share the message with you through the story of Elijah. Would you like to learn more about the God of love and miracles, as well as our VBS? Then, please join us for our worship service this Sabbath. I can’t wait to praise and worship such an awesome God! His love for us is truly rock solid!
Pastor Dae-Eun Kim