What’s Our Why?
they are weak, but he is strong.”
We’re t-minus twelve days from VBS. Our campus is about to be turned in to Outback Rock, and overrun by a couple hundred kids, not to mention adult and youth leaders, who will be teaching the simple fact that even when you’re left out, different, don’t understand, do wrong or afraid – Jesus loves you!
At Canonsburg UP, we’ve got a history of doing an incredible job with VBS. Jane & Dick Hultman are front and center of that, and have been for years. Their work is incredible, but they’re joined by more than a hundred others throughout the year who plan and prepare and put on the program. And really, it’s more than just about those who are leading it now, it is a longstanding value of our church that we believe will live on as long as people are gathering to worship at 112 Pike Street. And that’s what I wanted to encourage us with today. The “Why” behind why we do VBS.
On the one hand, there are tons of churches who’ve decided not to go to the trouble of putting on a summer VBS program. Or some have gone and put it in the evening, or made a weekend of it. And I get it. It’s a lot of work. And it takes a lot of people to pull it off and especially to pull it off well. And sometimes, you get tired. And sometimes, you don’t see the fruit of your labors. And you say, “well, maybe we shouldn’t bother.” So, on one hand, it’s easy for us, who’ve been running a successful VBS program to just say “of course we’ll do it” – but it’s harder when it’s not as successful.
But part of what I want to explain, is that there’s a… secret behind our success. Yes, it’s Jesus. And yes, it’s our amazing leaders. But it’s also a commitment and an expectation that we will do this, and we will do it well.
It’s not just about having always done it. It’s a fun joke that we will always do it the week following July 4th (even if Jesus comes back), but that’s really just a joke. Planting that flag in our calendars helps us prepare. We run this program because we believe that Jesus… well, really does love these children and so we need to love them too! Not just with words, but with actions.
We are committed to providing a loving, caring, safe, fun environment for kids to experience for a week – trusting that having experienced God in this way, it will plant or water or cultivate the growth of a relationship with Jesus in them.
We are so committed to this, that we will bend over backwards to make it happen. We turn over the sanctuary in preparation. We’ll preach from a music stand, with a crazy backdrop for a week or two, just to make sure that the set is amazing for these kids. We’ll grow facial hair, or shave it off, work on weird accents and buy crazy costumes, we’ll take pies in the face and take time off work – all to show the love of God to a kid for a week at VBS.
And we believe, and have always believed, that it’s more than worth it. When we do this, we grow, and we help these kids to grow too.
We believe that God is at work in the lives of children, youth and adults alike, in preparation, during, and after our VBS program. We believe God loves these kids and we’re going to show it in every way we possibly can. We’re willing to be silly, for the sake of some kid to see the love of Jesus.
This is a value we demonstrate every year at VBS… but it’s also a value we demonstrate every week in worship and beyond. It’s core to who we are and I’m so grateful to be a part of a church community who doesn’t just say this, but lives this!
Welcoming You to Grow in Jesus,
Pastor Don