Joyfully Teaching Vacation Bible School: The Last Day

The Fifth - Sixth Grade Movie

 Wednesday evening I returned home with more pictures for the Fifth-Sixth grade movie. I giggled and smiled as I added captions to Flat Paul pictures. Finally, about 11:00 P.M., I had the movie completed and burned onto a DVD-R disc. Bill opened up the Blu-Ray player, I popped the DVD in, and we settled back to watch the four minute and forty-eight second masterpiece. The movie had a few tiny glitches, but I was satisfied with my amateur production. Five more DVD-R disks were burned, labeled, and packaged; the movie disks were ready for the students.

The Last Lesson

My goal for today was to have the students reflect upon the VBS activities, their personal relationship with Jesus, and to share three to five minutes of personal testimony.

Reflecting on VBS Activities

Using a scale of 1-5 to rate a personal experience is what I use to help a class reflect on the VBS activities, 1 equals "I hated it" and 5 equals "I love it". After I asked them to rate the activities, the middle schoolers thought about the activities and the bolder ones started the discussion. ( I am amazed at how a group always has a leader or two whom others look to for answers.) The class consensus was a 3-4, or liked it to really liked it. My next two questions were about "best liked and least liked activities". The Unseen Force activity was the most popular and least popular was the signing with the songs. (In my opinion, the signing - dancing - singing required the same level of physical exertion as an aerobics workout.)

Reflecting on a Personal Relationship with Jesus

Now that the students were relaxed and engaged, I asked them to rate their relationship with Jesus using  a 1 to 10 scale; I don't have a relationship with Jesus to I have a great relationship with Jesus. Most of the numbers given by the students were in the 7-8 range, but one honest student answered with "honestly, my relationship is about a 5or 6." At this point, I repeated a silent appeal to the Holy Spirit; I asked the Holy Spirit to work through me as "the wise counselor" that Jesus promised the disciples they would receive.

The Holy Spirit responded as I opened my mouth and found myself talking to the group about how to deepen their relationship with Jesus using their smart phones, ipads, and tablets. Installing a free bible application, listening to contemporary Christian music on Pandora, or having an app to download Christian videos were some of the suggestions that I found myself offering to the boys and girls. Oh Jesus, thank you for using me to reach these young ones that you love!

Christian youth can form their own peer group, or clique, for support at school. Walking together in faith, at school, requires the formation of a support system. Unfortunately, many children go to church together, but they fail to be friends outside of church. Outside of church is where they need peers who walk with Jesus to support them(adults need this too.). This is a point that I focus on with young people and adults.  

 

Personal Testimony  - How VBS Brought Me Back to Jesus

My oldest daughter was five when she attended vacation bible school for the first time. At the end of VBS, at High Gate Baptist Church, Cassie came home with some great news. She couldn't wait to tell me about the school she could keep going to. I thought a minute and then said," Cassie do you mean Sunday School?" Cassie's little face lit up and she said," Yes, Momma. That's IT! Can I go? Please, Can I go?" How could I resist that appeal? Cassie, Ashley, and I began going to Sunday School and church. Before Cassie went to vacation bible school, I had been inside a church five or six times over a sixteen year period. Today, I firmly believe the Lord used my child and my desire to be a good parent to help get me back on a path that led toward Him, not away from Him.

 

I shared this testimony with the class to illustrate the point that a child can make a difference by sharing what they learn about the Lord.

 

VBS is over for another year, but I am already looking forward to next time! Thank-you Lord Jesus, for setting me to the task of teaching vacation bible school. Thank-you for equipping me to share the Good News. Amen.