What will happen next week during Vacation Bible Camp?
A pile of cardboard boxes will become a village.
Old t-shirts will be woven into new rugs.
Broken pottery will form garden mosaics.
Bible stories will become familiar.
Canned food will be gathered and distributed Philadelphia.
A garden will be harvested and there will be fresh strawberries available at Chester Eastside.
Children will serve sisters and brothers in Philadelphia, Syria, Mexico City, and in our church.
Birdhouses will be built.
Youth will be leaders.
Strangers will become friends.
New songs will be sung.
God will be praised.
For one week, 116 children, 34 youth and more than 40 adults will be working together to seek and to build the kingdom of God. It will be a messy process. There will be glue, scissors, paint, and duct tape involved. There will be silly games and silly songs. There will be bright orange t-shirts, hard hats and traffic cones. Throughout that process, we ask for your prayers.
Below are the invocations we will use during our opening gathering each day. We hope you will join us in prayer.
Tuesday:
Dear God, thank you for this day and our time together. Use my hands to build your kingdom and my heart to search for it. We pray for new friendships. We pray for our mission partner Broad Street Ministries and their work helping your people. Just as you were with Noah, be with us and keep us safe. Amen
Wednesday:
Dear God, help us on our journey. Be in our games, our building, our creating and our learning. Wherever we are, go there before us and stay with us. Be with our mission partners in Syria and in Lebanon. Help keep children safe everywhere. Just as Miriam praised you, help us to praise your name and to help build your house. Amen
Thursday:
Dear God, sometimes things are broken. Sometimes people are hurt. Help us rebuild. Help us be healers and take care of one another. Be with builders who are creating new homes with Habitat for Humanity. Help us be like Nehemiah, good leaders who rebuild. Amen
Friday:
Dear God, thank you for this week: for your church as a place to play and to learn, for the leaders who helped us, for good snacks and exciting adventures. Thank you for new friends. Today and every day, help us search for your kingdom and work so that all people may know your love.
Amen.
