Friends,
I hope you had a good Memorial Day weekend. We give thanks for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
This last Sunday we also launched sign-ups for people to host Vacation Bible School (VBS). Instead of having one big week of VBS with hundreds of kids and volunteers on campus (with no social distancing!), we’ll be offering lots of opportunities for VBS to happen in smaller settings. We’re calling it Block Party VBS. You’ll want to be a part of this.
If I haven’t said this already (and I have, by the way), I LOVE this approach to VBS. Really this is a great approach to ministry in general: go to where people are at! Imagine what could happen when a few dozen families decide to host a VBS in their neighborhood. Imagine the new kids and families we could reach together with this new way of doing ministry.
This is amazing!
What I love about this is that sometimes we think about church as that thing that happens at a certain time in a certain place. But the reality, Jesus calls us to be the church all the time, in all places. And he calls us to bring the good news to the people around us and those who are far away. He told us very clearly to “go and make disciples of all nations…”
I love it when we can take ministry that happens in the church building and take it into our community… which we do all the time! Our church excels at finding ways to connect with folks on the outside, whether that’s through VBS, or serving at-risk people, or visiting folks in hospitals or nursing homes. I learned that this is simply who Schweitzer is. I love it!
My wife, Abby, and I have signed up and will be bringing a VBS Block Party to our neighborhood, and I hope you’ll join us in bringing VBS to your neighborhood. You can sign up here: sumc.co/vbs. If you decide to host, we’ll resource you with all the material and training, and help you bring the good news to your neighborhood.
This coming Sunday is a big Sunday. We will be wrapping up our series The Goodness of God. We’ll also celebrate Confirmation. And we will have an announcement about reopening. You won’t want to miss worship on Sunday. Join us online at 9:02AM.
God is faithful.
Spencer