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Friday was the last day of Kingdom Rock Vacation Bible Camp (VBC) at FUMC – Where kids stand strong for God! At our opening time, Sing & Play Rock, we sang songs, of course! We’ve got a few favorites that kids were asking for and there was big news…
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Wally became a knight! She did it!
But in typical Wally-fashion she started to worry about it right away! (Standard behavior for a lot of us, right?) Wally was concerned that she’d forget something that she’d learned in the training manual. The mention of a training manual reminded us that we all have our own special training manual: The Bible. And you know what?
The Bible helps us… Stand Strong!
All week long we’ve been learning ways that help us to Stand Strong! Amazingly enough, kids remembered all of the different ways!
- God’s love helps us stand strong,
- Family and Friends help us stand strong,
- Prayer helps us stand strong,
- Trusting God helps us stand strong, and now, today…
- The Bible helps us stand strong!
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In what has now become routine, we met today’s Bible Buddy: Victoria, a Red Fox. In the video that introduced Victoria, we learned that fox are thought of as cunning animals. Victoria told us that the fox weren’t special; they were just using the gifts God gave them. She reminded us that God gave us a gift that helps us, just like a training manual. So whenever you don’t know what to do, check out the Bible!
Today’s special verse from the Bible is:
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
Psalm 119:105
Our sneak peak at today’s Bible Adventure came from the once again, lost/hidden helmet. It was quite funny how the kids tried to help Rachel find the helmet. It turned up behind the cross but she thought they were saying it was, “in a pile of moss.” Ha! Our clue introduced another king. (We’ve talked about lots of kings this week!) This king’s name was Josiah (pronounced Jo-SI-ah). I’ll bet that Josiah will teach us something about the Bible.
The preschoolers went off to the following stations…
- Games – We played “Pin the Tail” and “Scripture Search.” Did you know that in King Josiah’s time, the Bible wasn’t a book like we know it; it was written on scrolls that unrolled to be read. We unrolled the scrolls we found to see what they told us.
- Bible Adventures – This is the station where our Bible story is told. Josiah became the king at the age of 8! Can you imagine being king as an 8 year old? Even though he was a youngster, Josiah wanted to follow God. But he didn’t know how to follow God! Luckily Josiah made an important discovery in the rubble of the Temple in Jerusalem. We looked for treasure in the “rubble” and just like Josiah, we found God’s word!
- Chadder’s Theater – All’s well that ends well. Chadder found the treasure and saved the castle.
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- Crafts – We decorated picture frames for our Kingdom Rock crew photos. What a great memory!
Meanwhile elementary kids visited the following stations…
- Chadder’s Royal Theater & Missions – All’s well that ends well. Chadder found the treasure and saved the castle.
- Tournament Games – We played “Towers and Castles,” “Pool Pass” (yep, it included water), and “Fallen Knight” – a different twist on tag.
- Epic Bible Adventures – This is the station where our Bible story is told. Our story is found in 2 Kings 22:1-23:23. Josiah became the king at the age of 8! Can you imagine being king as an 8 year old? Even though he was a youngster, Josiah wanted to follow God. Luckily he found an important treasure in the rubble of the Temple in Jerusalem. We looked for valuables in the “rubble” and like Josiah had done, we made sure that all of the “false gods” or idols were destroyed. Ask your kids how we demonstrated that!
- Imagination Station – We decorated picture frames for our Kingdom Rock crew photos. What special memory from VBC will you recall when you see your crew picture?
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At the King’s Kitchen we feasted on “Bright Bites” – a reminder that the Bible lights our way. (What cool cupcakes the kitchen folks made for us! Wow, they sure were bright!) We continued to gather God Sightings. God is everywhere when you look for him.
We gathered one last time (alas) for Fanfare Finale, the closing of another great day of learning. Today we learned about the power of the Bible. God gave us this special gift that helps us know what to do when we are sad, afraid, confused, worried and, even when we are happy (hint: say thank you.)
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The Grad Group delivered another load of cereal boxes to the Bryant Community Center in Ann Arbor. Their count was a total of 122 boxes! The amount collected for the Evelyn S. Chapman Memorial United Methodist Elementary School in Monrovia, Liberia was over $400.00. (Sorry, I didn’t get the exact amount.)
Great job Kingdom Rock participants! You’ve done much to spread God’s great Kingdom in the world.
We reviewed the Bible Buddies for the week and everything they’ve taught us and watched an interesting demonstration that used balloons, Bibles and fans.
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And of course we sang a few more songs!
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Thanks for joining us at VBC!
~~Carol, on behalf of the VBC Team
For more info about children’s programming at FUMC, visit here.
Watch the slideshow below of pictures from Thursday. (Pictures from Friday will be up early next week.)
Photo credits: Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email). Bible Buddy image used by permission of Group Publishing. Other photos courtesy of Tom, Dave, Derrick, Wendy, Marcie, and myself.
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