Easter-Tide

Well, the special Easter dinners with family and friends are over, the plastic eggs and Easter baskets have been put away along with our fancy Easter clothes. Easter Sunday has passed BUT, Jesus lives on through His resurrection and in our hearts and minds. We know what He sacrificed for us and now we are to spread His message of love and forgiveness to all we meet!

There are many wonderful church events coming up that will allow us to do just that; both within the walls of our church building and beyond these walls to help needy people locally and around the world!

Let me first give a BIG shout out/thank you to ALL the helpers at the annual "Easter Egg Hunt" this past Saturday: The Fishers; Lani, Greg, Caroline, Christopher, Collin, and their friend Clare, The Rosarios; Esta, Miguel, Ricardo, Olivia, and Antonio (and "Cooper", of course!), The Johnstons; Ruthy, Evan, and Zack and their friend Zach Moorehead, Sandy Backstrom, Melissa Trott and Katherine Gray, and of course, my family; David, Kimberly, and Kathryn Jankowski, and lastly, Cole Fraire who was our Easter Bunny! Could not have done it without you! A wonderful time was had by all!

On to Sunday School:

First up - we will close our Lenten Sunday School series, "The Way" with our 7th and final lesson, "Jesus Lives" on April 14th (April 7th is communion Sunday so we will all be in worship together.) Each child will be able to take their "Foot Book" that they have been working on these last 5 weeks, home to share with their family.

At the end of April we will be looking into and learning about the social issue of hunger in our world. We will host a two part series taking a look at hunger with the children. This will lead us into the our huge church-wide event, "Kids Against Hunger", where we will be packing 40,000 meals for the hungry. This will happen on May 11th so MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!There will be two shifts (8:00 a.m. - 11:30 and 12:30 - 3) for those 11 and older on the meal packing line. The kids (10 and under) and I will be packing "5 Day After School Snack Packs" for our food pantry to hand out to families in need right here in Valparaiso. Sure hope to see LOTS of family participation!

In May we will have a lesson on Communion - what it is and why we perform this ritual. We will follow that with a lesson on "The Lord's Prayer". We will take the prayer apart and explain what it all means. Hopefully, by the end of two classes, we will have it all memorized!!!

Calendar:

There are some important dates I need you to know about:

April 12th, Friday - FUMC's Got Talent Show - come check out the talent (hidden or otherwise) in this church! Hey - do you or your child have a talent you'd like to share??? Contact Esta ASAP!

April 20th, Saturday - "Spruce Up God's House" - a church-wide family event to - well, spruce up our church building. There will be something for everyone to do. Sign up after church or on the website.

April 27th, Saturday night - Dinner and a Show! Family oriented and FREE!!!! Catered dinner and a Christian Illusionist. This is going to be GREAT!!!

April 28th, Sunday 9:15 service - Acolyte Appreciation. Any child that has acolyted in the last year is welcome to be a part of this. The children will be called to the front and given a special, commemorative pin. PLEASE let me know your child will be here for this! Email - children@valpofumc.org.

June 9th, Sunday, Sunday School Teacher/Children's Volunteer Appreciation Day. All our devoted teachers and volunteers will be appreciated at the 9:15 service.

July 8th - 12th - Vacation Bible School; " Everywhere Fun Fair, Where God's World Comes Together"

Volunteer Opportunities:

Summer Sunday School Teachers! I need a team of 2-3 teachers for June 16, 23, & 30, another team for July 21 & 28, and a final team for August 18 & 25. The lessons will be done for you - you just give them a once (or twice) over and GO! Total time involved - 2 hours prep and teaching per week. Now who can't give that time to our children????

Vacation Bible School - Ahhh yes - VBS!!! It's going to be fun and colorful this year with a 'World's Fair' theme and I will need LOTS of leaders, helpers, food folks, etc...

PLEASE email me with any and all volunteer opps you can handle.

I sure appreciate you!!!

Last Two weeks of Lent.....

As we head into the last two weeks of Lent, there are a few things I want to be sure you all know about:

The kids and I will be meeting this Wednesday night (March 20th, 5:45 - 6:30p.m.) for "KidzAlive" to stuff plastic eggs for our annual Easter Egg Hunt. This is NOT the church wide stuffing - that has been cancelled as we have very few eggs to fill!! Children's Choir rehearsal will follow as usual.
**There will NOT be KidzAlive nor choir rehearsal next week (3/27) due to Spring Break.**

On Palm Sunday, March 24th - we ask that ALL the children, age 2 and up, gather in Fellowship Hall before the 9:15 service where they will receive palms, and follow the choir into the sanctuary in a "Palm Praise Parade". Parents are invited to guide and parade with their child(ren). The children will then head upstairs for a lesson  about Palm Sunday and a child friendly video (yes, VHS!!!) on Easter week. (Parents are welcome to join their child(ren) for Sunday School as well!) All children are to be picked up from Sunday School in the 1st - 5th grade room.

I encourage families to attend Holy Thursday and Good Friday services (7:00 p.m.) as they will help to center your mind for the last days of the Lenten journey and remind us all of what Jesus Christ sacrificed for each of us those last days of His life. The services are quite beautiful and contemplative. Nursery is available for both services.

The annual Easter Egg Hunt is scheduled for Saturday, 3/30, at Rogers-Lakewood Park (signs will lead the way). There will be separate times for each age group , beginning with our littlest 'hunters', from 10 - 11 a.m. It will be a fun morning! There will be candy, some surprises in the eggs, and the Easter Bunny - be sure to bring your cameras - and a friend or two!! This is open to the community!

Easter Sunday, we will not be having Sunday School. All families are invited to attend worship together on this special, holy, glorious day. It is a day of celebration for all! Please guide your child(ren) through the service. I always have activities for when the children  become antsy, but it is also very important that we parents teach our children about worship; what is going on, where to find hymns or wording in the hymnal and Bible, and how to behave. Our goal is to encourage positive worship experiences so they will choose to attend worship on their own later in life.

As always, nursery will be available for children age Birth - 3 yrs.

FYI - I will be away from Friday, 3/22 - Friday, 3/29 for spring break. See you all at the Easter Egg Hunt!!

I pray a blessed remaining days of Lent for each of you.
Ms. Karyn

IMPORTANT!

Sadly, the field trip to the "Shrine of Christ's Passion' for 3/16, has had to be canceled due to lack of interest at this time.

Maybe it was the colder weather, maybe the 50 minute drive, maybe people were afraid to bring their kids to such a place (don't be!!! It is child friendly!!)

Whatever the case, we will not be going this Saturday BUT, I do plan to reschedule for a warmer time of year and we will look into taking the church vehicles to save on gas, AND we will look to enjoy a picnic lunch on the grounds with our families.

Please let me know of anything you and your family might find interesting as an outing or event. I need YOUR feedback so I know what is of interest to you and yours :) Contact me at children@fumc.org

Ms. Karyn

Tomorrow is MARCH....

....and boy, do we have a full month!

First off, let me say, "Family Fun Night" last night was an absolutely wonderful occasion shared with many friends. We 'built' sundaes, made crafts, played games, and watched "The Incredibles" together in Tower Chapel with our blankets and pillows spread out underneath us. Boy those sundaes were GOOD! Thanks to everyone that helped with set up and clean up.

More events for family fellowship ~

Wednesday Night "KidzAlive" continues and we too are following "The Way", our churchwide study with interesting activities on Wednesday night from 5:45 - 6:30 p.m. Any elementary school aged kids are welcome to join us. And if you like to sing praises to our Lord, you can follow it up with Children's Choir rehearsal with Ms Esta at 6:30!!

Saturday, March 16th - our 'field trip' to the "Shrine of Christ's Passion" in St. John, IN. We will be leaving Asbury Parking Lot at 10 a.m. and drive out to the Shrine together (or you can meet us there if it's more convenient!) I would suggest carpooling between families to save on gas! It will take us about 50 minutes to get to the Shrine. This is an OUTDOOR event - the Shrine is a walking pathway with beautiful sculptures and narrations depicting Christ's 'Passion' - it really a beautiful experience that will take us into Holy Week with a renewed sense of what it was like for Jesus. The tour can take 30 - 45 minutes, it is self directed so you can spend as much time as you wish at each station.
Afterward, we can all join together for lunch (if you wish) at "Northwoods" (just a mile or so north of the Shrine) - a big, fun, rustic restaurant with a buffet for $12.95. You can also order off the menu, if you'd like.
There is no fee for the Shrine (although there is a nice gift shop!!) and each of us can pay individually at the restaurant. Please let me know if you plan to join us (children@valpofumc.org) I will need a number for the restaurant!! So, let's pray for decent weather - and I look forward to being with you the 16th!

Two weeks later (3/30) we will hold our annual Easter Egg Hunt at Rogers Lakewood Park, from 10 - 11 a.m. There will be signs leading you to the hunt inside the park. Each age group, from the youngest to oldest, will go at different times, in separated areas, so everyone will be safe!
Helpers are needed for :
Egg Stuffing - Fellowship Hall, Wednesday 3/20, 5:45 - 7:30 - come when you can!!!!
Set Up, 9:15 - 10,
Welcoming and Signing in 10 - 11, and
Tear Down, 11 - 11:30

** We are also taking donations of individually wrapped candy to fill 1000 eggs!!!! Please leave the candy in the marked box in the Welcome foyer at Franklin St. **

So much fun and fellowship in store, all in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Looking forward to being with you all at these events.

If you are going away for spring break, I pray you will travel safely and return refreshed! Ms. Karyn

Lent

Christians, we begin the Lenten season tomorrow, Wednesday, February 13th. There is no choir nor Wednesday Night Alive this night. Let us join together at the service at 7:00 p.m. to hear a message from Pastor Jacob and receive the ashes.
     
In Sunday School, we will be following Pastor Jacob's sermons and the church wide study of "The Way", where we will be "walking in Jesus' footsteps" to the cross and ultimately to His resurrection. We will be following where Jesus went on His travels and will learn what He did on those travels; being baptized, healing the sick, preaching, welcoming and loving the 'outcasts', and finally, his ride into Jerusalem where he died and rose from the dead. The Sunday School program is interesting and exciting. I just know the children are going to gain much from this study. Be sure to ask them about what they learn each Sunday!

I have several plans for family togetherness and celebration during this season. Please look at what's coming up the next few weeks and mark your calendars!

Wednesday, 2/27
Family Fun Night - from 6 - 8:15 in tower Chapel (Children's Choir will begin at 5:30 this night!) We will offer family games and crafts, we will show the movie, "The Incredibles", and we will be servincg popcorn. Everyone will also be invited to "Build your own Sundae" at the 'Sundae Bar'. This is just a fun, mid week event that will get us out of our homes and pull us together as families on a cold, winter night! Please let me know if you will be attending by Sunday, 2/24 so I know how much popcorn and ice cream to buy!!

Saturday, 3/16
Field Trip to "Shrine of Christ's Passion" - (on Rt. 41, St. John, IN) Convoy leaving Asbury Center parking lot at 10 a.m. (carpooling is encouraged!) The shrine allows visitors to walk through a pathway of beautiful. touchable sculptures with narrations that depict Jesus' last week; from the Last Supper to His death and resurrection. This is a beautiful experience and I feel, a wonderful family event. Understand that it is an OUTDOOR event so we can only hope that the weather cooperates! The shrine costs nothing BUT there is a gift shop that is quite nice! Also, I have arranged for us to go to lunch together at "Northwoods" - a restaurant close to the shrine - for those that wish to do so. They offer a nice buffet lunch (chicken and beef plus a pasta dish, salad bar, light dessert, and a drink) for $12.95 plus tax and tip which can be paid directly at the restaurant. There will also be an opportunity to order off the menu but that can take more time. If we have a good number of people, the price for children will be less than $12.95. Again, I need to have a count for the restaurant so PLEASE let me know who will be coming by March 9th:)

Saturday, March 30th (Holy Saturday)
Easter Egg Hunt - Rogers-Lakewood, 10 - 11 a.m. Our annual "hunt" will be at the 'hill' at R-L Park (turn left at the first stop in the park). There will be roped off areas for the littlest "just walking" to the big 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. It should be a fun time for all! I sure hope the weather is nice this day too!! By the way, I need egg stuffers for this event so email me if you can give me some time the week before and I thank you!!

I am sure that not everyone will be able to attend every event as we are busy, busy people BUT I do hope that those you can attend, you will attend. It is important for us all to gather as we are able, to share God's love with each other and then, take that love out into the world!

Until next time ~ Ms. Karyn :)

It's a new year!!

HAPPY 2013!!!

Welcome (or welcome back, as the case may be!) to the Kidz4Jesus blog.

This is my first time writing as the new Director of Children's Ministries

and I can barely contain my excitement for all we have to look forward to in 2013.

In January we will be talking about what gifts WE can give to Jesus in Sunday School.

In February we will already be looking at Lent with Ash Wednesday on the 13th! Hard to believe that is only one month away! Pastor Jacob will be leading an all-church series called, "The Way", and we will be following suit in our Sunday School classes. This will be a special time for adults and children alike as we will all be working on the same study. It should provide for some interesting dinner table conversation.

In March we will celebrate the resurrection of our Lord - EASTER - on the 31st and there will be many exciting things leading up to that special day.

Come Springtime, family life gets pretty crazy with sports and end of school year events so we will be laying low with family activities here, and getting geared up for summer - always keeping Jesus at the forefront of our minds!

Speaking of Summer - I would like to put together a family picnic at one of our parks - maybe a beginning of summer celebration! Of course - Vacation Bible School (VBS) will be back! We plan to return to a daytime, full week event as we have done in the past. We are looking at dates in July for that.

Then we swing into Fall with the beginning of a new school year, the promotion of students to new Sunday School classes, and Fall Family Fun Night.

Suddenly, we are celebrating Christmastime again and we have our annual "Breakfast With St. Nicholas" and our Family Service on Christmas Eve.

I have always felt that a faith based upbringing is so important as it enables our children to handle the best and the worst of times this life can bring. Plus, the time with our children goes by SO quickly! I have always been grateful to my church for activities that bring us together as an independent family but also as the family of God. I hope you feel the same and will make these activities a part of your family's life.

Ongoing Activities

Sunday School  - Every Sunday

Toddlers report to class at 9:15 a.m.

Grades Pre K - 5 go to worship at 9:15 and are dismissed to Sunday School after the "Children's Moment"

There is also an 11 a.m. Toddlers (ages 3 -5) class.

Wednesday Night Alive Kid's Program (grades 1 - 5) - 5:45 p.m. every Wednesday

Devotions/activities for a mid week "faith boost" and recreational activity for winter nights! :)

(Children's Choir follows at 6:30 p.m.)

Children's Choir - Wednesday nights at 6:30.

Bell Ringing for children grades 3 -5 to follow at 7:10 - 7:30.

Children's Library - Always open for children aged 10 and up. Younger children MUST be accompanied by an adult. And please - NEVER leave your child unattended in the church building!

I Need YOU!!!

** Please think about assisting with Summer Sunday School and VBS.**

These seem far away but will be upon us before you know it!

I will need teachers for PreK/K, 1st and 2nd grade, 3rd and 4th grade, and 5th grade classes.

The classes are small and I provide your lessons to you.

Please give an hour and a half per week to the children and your church!

VBS is a huge undertaking and I will be looking for MANY helpers. This is a good opportunity for our youth to give service to their church.

Please be praying about what you can do for our children!

Contact me, Karyn Custer-Jankowski (or more simply, Ms. Karyn :) at

465-1661 or email: children@valpofumc.org

I look forward to hearing from you!!

Breakfast with St. Nick

We are happy to report that our Breakfast with St. Nicholas raised over $500 for The Caring Place!  We also gave them plenty of hats, scarves and mittens from the "warming tree".

We'd like to thank everyone who came out and supported us-we had a great turnout!

We would especially like to thank those of you who provided donations for the meal and to those who cheerfully worked to make the event happen!

We pray that you all had a Jesus-filled Christmas and we welcome you to worship with us on Sunday, December 30th at 10:00am.  We will only have one service that day and there will be Sunday School for ages 2-5 only.  Of course, the nursery will be available, too!  

Christmas is coming....

As we prepare for the celebration of Christ's birth, we want to remind you of what we have planned for the children in the next 10 days....

This Sunday, December 23rd, we will have Sunday School, as usual.  Of course, the lessons will cover the Christmas story, which we love to hear, no matter what our age!

On Christmas Eve, our Family Service is at 6:00 p.m.  The Children's Choir and Youth Choir will be singing and the Praise Band will be leading worship.  Ms. Erin Utesch will be telling the Christmas story and the children will be invited to sit around her as she does so.  All of the children will have the opportunity to hang an ornament on a Christmas tree during the service.  At the end of the service, during "Silent Night", the children will return to their families and we will "light" candles (battery operated).  It will be a beautiful service and we would love to have you join us!

The nursery will be available during all three Christmas Eve services-a description of each can be found on our website.

Finally, on Sunday, December 30th, we will have one worship service at 10:00am.  There will be no Sunday School that day (except for 2s & 3s), but the nursery will, of course, be available.

We wish you hope, peace, joy and love this Christmas season!

Bible Sunday photos

During our 9:15 service on November 18th, ten 3rd grade children received their Bibles after attending 8 weeks of class.

After the presentation during the worship service, all of the Sunday School children celebrated with them:  we had cake and ice cream and watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.









We appreciate the time and efforts of our teachers and the support of the parents, who brought their children to church each week to attend the class!

Holly Days Caroling

All are welcome to join us on Friday December 7th to carol at Central Park Plaza stage.  Meet at 5:20 at the stage, we will carol at 5:30.  Esta will have booklets for everyone, so don't worry about knowing all the words!

At 7:00, come to the church for hot chocolate and cookies, followed by carol singing in the Sanctuary.  The community is invited to join us, so invite your friends and neighbors!

Bible Sunday

The 3rd graders who participated in the "Learning to Use My Bible" class received their Bibles this past Sunday, November 18th!  We had 10 children receive Bibles during the 9:15 service and all of the Sunday School children participated in a celebration during Sunday School time.  They had cake and ice cream and watched It's Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown.  Look for pictures soon!

We wish all of you a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving.  We hope that you enjoy time with your family, eating yummy food and thanking God for the many blessings in your lives.  We invite you to join us this Sunday, the 25th, to experience the drama "Mary and Joseph."  This will be presented at each service and will be a great way to start off the Christmas season.

On Wednesday, November 28th, join us for Wednesday Night Alive.  Mayor Costas will be our guest speaker and the children will be assembling UMCOR Health Kits, so it will be an exciting evening!  Check out more info on the church website.

Hanging of the Greens will take place on Saturday, December 1st at noon.  We will have a light lunch and proceed to decorate the church.  Everyone is invited and the nursery will be available for children 5 and under.  -Older children will be able to do crafts and watch a Christmas movie.  Please join us to prepare for the first Sunday in Advent on the 2nd!

Breakfast with St. Nicholas will be on December 15th and tickets will go on sale this Sunday, November 25th.  Remember that this event benefits The Caring Place, so please join us, enjoy a great breakfast and time with St. Nicholas!

Fall Festival

We had approximately 140 people come to our annual Fall Festival and Trunk or Treat at Rogers Lakewood Park on October 20th.  Children decorated pumpkins:

Enjoyed a hayride:

And made s'mores:

We also enjoyed some great food and fellowship!

In November, we will celebrate with our 3rd graders as they are presented with their Bibles on Bible Sunday, November 18th during the 9:15 service.  These children have attended class each week to learn more about the history and composition of the Bible. 

On the 28th, the WNA kids will be assembling health kits.  We welcome donations of the needed items-you can link to a list from our Children's Ministry page on the Valpo FUMC website.

We also wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving on November 22nd!

Looking ahead to December, our annual Breakfast with St. Nicholas, a fundraiser for The Caring Place, will be on Saturday, December 15th.  There will be seatings at 8:30 and 10:30 for a buffet breakfast.  There will also be crafts for the kids and a chance to meet with St. Nick individually!  Tickets will go on sale on November 25th:  $5.00/adult; $4.00/children 12-3 (2 and under are free).  

Finally, don't forget Hanging of the Greens on Saturday, December 1st to prepare our church for the Advent/Christmas season! We'll join together for lunch at noon and then decorate the church together!  

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Backpack 'Blessing Pictures

On August 19th, we had our Backpack Blessing & Fall Sunday School Kickoff Party during the 9:15 service.  We thank the great FUMC photography team for capturing the fun that we had that day!

Children were asked to bring school supplies to share with other children.  Here are some boys removing their donations from their backpacks.

As we do each Sunday, the offering plate was passed so that the children can share their gifts with God.

Thanks Miss Elizabeth & Mr. Shaun for your help!

The children enjoyed root beer floats and cookies as a special treat.  Everything was yummy!

We also played some fun games!

And of course, we learned about God....

We had a great day and we can't wait to see YOU at Sunday School this week!

September

We are now into the swing of the school year and Our Littlest Angels preschool joins in this week.  We are back to our "regular" Sunday School schedule now:  2 & 3 year olds report directly to class while the older children begin in worship with their parents.

We have a new sign-in system that we are implementing first with our youngest children:  nursery-Kindergarten.  If you have a child or children in that age range, please sign them in outside the library so that they can get a name tag and you can get a check out receipt, which you will turn in when you pick your child or children up after class.  Eventually all children will sign in at this station, but we wanted to start small.

For any child in 3rd through 5th grade, our Learning to Use My Bible class begins on September 16th.  If you would like your child to attend, please contact Rebecca or Lani for more information and to get registered.

Wednesday Night Alive starts on September 12th, which means Children's Choir is also starting!  If your child in Kindergarten-5th grade would like to share his or her gift of singing, please contact Esta Rosario.  If you plan to attend dinner with your family, please be sure to RSVP either at church on Sunday or on the WNA page on the website.  This will help to ensure that we have plenty of food!

Looking ahead, our annual Fall Festival will be on Saturday, October 20th at Rogers-Lakewood Park from 4:00-7:00 pm.  We will have food, crafts, wagon rides and a "trunk or treat."  Please bring a side dish or dessert to share, as well as candy to distribute at the trunk or treat.

Our prayers are with all of you for a happy and healthy start to the school year!

The Penniless Princess

On August 26th at 9:15, we will be showing a new Veggie Tales movie:  The Penniless Princess. Children ages 3 years through 5th grade are invited to join us in Wesley Hall Room 207 prior to the start of the 9:15 service so that we have time to enjoy the entire movie, complete with popcorn, and some related activities.  It's a great Sunday to bring a friend!

Don't forget our Backpack and Teacher Blessing on August 19th at the 9:15 service.  All teachers of all levels will receive a blessing as they begin the new school year and children are encouraged to bring their backpacks, with a school supply or food pantry item to donate, for a special blessing.  Following the blessing, children will proceed to Wesley Hall (upstairs) for our Fall Sunday School kickoff.  This is a great way to get ready for the new school year!

Finally, this coming Sunday, August 12th, children will remain in worship with their parents for Communion and Baptism Renewal.  We look forward to seeing you for all of these special events!  

School starting soon!

As you register for school, shop for supplies and clothes and begin to plan your fall schedules, don't forget to include church in your plans!  On Sunday, August 19th in the 9:15 service, we will have a Backpack and Teacher Blessing to prepare us for the start of another school year.  Children are welcome to bring their backpacks and any type of teacher (preschool, elementary, middle, high school, college, sunday school) will also receive a blessing.  Just like that brand new, smooth, clean notebook, the upcoming year lies open before us and it is comforting to know that God is with us every step of the way, whether or not you are here for the blessing by Pastor Jacob.

Following the Backpack Blessing we will proceed upstairs to Wesley Hall to celebrate our Sunday School kickoff.  All Sunday School teachers are encouraged to join us so that the kids can familiarize themselves with your faces (and you with theirs!).  If you still have not committed to teaching on a rotating basis, please let Lani or Rebecca know that they can add you to the rotation.

Also consider Children's Choir for your K-5th grader.  Rehearsals begin on Wednesday, September 5th.  K-2nd grade from 5:45-6:30 and 3rd-5th from 6:30-7:30.  The following week, Wednesday Night Alive begins and there will be activities for the children during the time that they are not in choir.

We pray that you have had a safe, relaxing and restful summer of fun and new experiences and we look forward to seeing you all on August 19th, if not before!

Rocky Point Lighthouse VBS

June 18th-21st we experienced Rocky Point Lighthouse VBS where we learned how to SHINE GOD'S LIGHT!!  Our kickoff on Monday was at Forest Park where we enjoyed a meal together and played some fun games (parents vs. kids kickball was a favorite)!  Tuesday and Wednesday we sang songs, heard Bible stories, played games and made our own lighthouses to remind us of our verse:  "The Lord lights up my darkness."  2 Samuel 22: 29.  Our closing on Thursday included a meal, a slideshow wrapping up the week, and practice for singing on Sunday.

We tried family VBS this year, so we had parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and of course, brothers and sisters, all together.  Many kids said one of the best parts of VBS this year was being with their families!

Check out some of the great photos taken by our photography team!