Last week BMPC welcomed 80 children and over 60 volunteers to a week of learning, serving, and fun at our annual Vacation Bible Camp. If you just drove past on Montgomery Avenue you might have noticed the green fencing marking our games area or maybe an exuberant group of children playing on the front lawn. For me the beauty of camp is found in the details:
Camp is measured in nametags repaired and the number of trays lovingly filled with goldfish crackers and orange slices. It’s measured in pool noodles launched through the air and the number of exploding water balloons; in pounds of clay transformed into pinch pots and ornaments; and in the combined feet, yards and miles of beads strung and shared.
Camp is watching as abstract ideas become tangible. Praise explodes in song, dance, and loud shouts of joy. Service smells like cookies baking, a gift made for neighbors who are hungry, and feels like the soft fleece being made into a baby blanket for a new refugee family. Prayer looks like a small group passing a candle and a whispered blessing for the day ahead.
For me VBC is the alarming moment when I realize the slow work of the Spirit has suddenly shifted to warp speed because strangers have become friends; students have been transformed into leaders; the past is made present; and a new generation of disciples are joyfully responding to the call, “Follow me!”
Thank you to our volunteers, families, and church community for making all the pieces come together!
