True North VBS
After wrapping up another incredible year of Vacation Bible School at Community Church, I couldn’t help but reflect on the journey we had. It started a little underwhelming, meaning that I was expecting close to 100 children on the first night, only 70 kids showed up. I was pretty discouraged. I wondered what had gone wrong. During the Opening, we told the children that inviting their friends could earn them points toward prizes. Well, the next night, 32 new children walked through our doors. Of those, 29 came because our kids had personally invited them. And even better—they stayed with us for the rest of the week. It was such a joyful reminder that God shows up, even when our expectations fall short. We had so many kids we had to form a new elementary group on day two.
One of the most meaningful parts of the week was when two children—one preschooler and one elementary student—accepted Christ. While that number may seem small compared to previous years, we recognized that many of our attendees were very young. We had over 40 preschoolers, the highest we’ve ever had. Preschoolers made up nearly half of our nightly attendance, which is amazing and has already led to new families joining us on Sundays.
We’re looking ahead, too. Based on feedback from parents, we’re considering changes, like possibly offering a morning session next year for our youngest attendees. Also, we’re rethinking how we handle crafts—maybe turning that time into something that better reinforces our message.
This year confirmed for me what a privilege it is to connect our community to the heart of the church. I also want to thank the 50ish volunteers who helped the children have a successful VBS.
Todd Hixenbaugh
Children’s Director
