This summer, Grandview Cabinetry sponsored ten children for Vacation Bible School at Parsons Nazarene Church. A student sponsorship covered the cost of snacks, craft supplies, materials, and gifts so children in the community could receive ministry free of cost. After months of planning, Parsons Nazarene Church opened its doors to children of all ages, from preschoolers to high schoolers, who helped with teaching.
All children were welcome, and church members joined in prayer in the hopes of making attendance grow. Amazingly, Vacation Bible School nearly doubled its attendance from last year. Over 150 children attended the first night, and by the second night, over 200 walked through the church doors. In total, 257 children attended Vacation Bible School this year.
From 6-8:30 pm on Monday through Friday, children met at the church for Vacation Bible School activities. The theme chosen by the youth pastor was 365 Days of the Movies: Lights, Camera, Action! Upon entry, children received special movie-ticket name tags and took fun photos in front of a red carpet poster display.
Each evening began with an opening ceremony during which everyone joined in fellowship as one large group. Then, the children broke out into rotating stations for story time, snack time, physical activity, quiet time, and reflection. Every night ended when the group came together again for a closing ceremony and object lesson. As a symbol of lessons learned, children were sent home with a gift, like a glow-in-the-dark bracelet.
On Sunday, children attended the grand finale, a special morning service with their families and friends. After the service, everyone gathered for fellowship, hot dogs, chips, and dessert.
For some, though, Vacation Bible School hadn’t arrived yet. Parsons Nazarene Church decided to spread their fellowship beyond the community. Forty-nine older children and 11 adults helped run a contest to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities. They raised enough money to cover over 35 nights for families staying at Ronald McDonald Houses. They also held a food and candy drive. Thanks to donations from church members, high schoolers and adult volunteers were able to take Vacation Bible School on the road to Tulsa, Oklahoma. There, they delivered their teachings and messages of hope to lower-income neighborhoods in six different locations over the course of six nights.
At Grandview Cabinetry, we’re thankful for our community connections, including Parsons Nazarene Church. We look forward to continuing to sponsor the growth and development of our young parishioners.
