When my husband planted a church we were blessed with new abilities. God turned our absolutely ‘no finance’ situation into challenges to grow believers for the Kingdom.
We survived the first winter with a handful of new contacts and averaged 20 people in Sunday services. But the question kept coming up, “How do we grow a church when we both work and our new believers have no clue how to evangelize?”
“VBS in our backyard.” That sounds great, but we didn’t have teachers or curriculum. “What about Martha?” Our creative and musically gifted friend from our previous church lived a hundred miles away. Martha loved the idea and brought her two children and all her talent to our house TWICE each summer for the following five years.
One year, a few months before VBS, someone gave our church boxes of macramé beads. I had no clue what to do with them until after my husband drove me to the coast. We walked through forty or fifty touristy shops, but the one that specialized in Christmas stirred my creative juices.
“Hon, don’t know how we can do it, but take me to Martha. We’ll celebrate with a VBS titled 'Christmas in July'.” The three of us brainstromed and then I wrote the curriculum and Martha donated hours making little manager people from the beads.
We survived the first winter with a handful of new contacts and averaged 20 people in Sunday services. But the question kept coming up, “How do we grow a church when we both work and our new believers have no clue how to evangelize?”
“VBS in our backyard.” That sounds great, but we didn’t have teachers or curriculum. “What about Martha?” Our creative and musically gifted friend from our previous church lived a hundred miles away. Martha loved the idea and brought her two children and all her talent to our house TWICE each summer for the following five years.
One year, a few months before VBS, someone gave our church boxes of macramé beads. I had no clue what to do with them until after my husband drove me to the coast. We walked through forty or fifty touristy shops, but the one that specialized in Christmas stirred my creative juices.
“Hon, don’t know how we can do it, but take me to Martha. We’ll celebrate with a VBS titled 'Christmas in July'.” The three of us brainstromed and then I wrote the curriculum and Martha donated hours making little manager people from the beads.
While she designed the figures I combed the nearby woods for twigs to help build the barn. We askd our Landlor for shingles for the manger roof and the wood base.
The photo doesn’t do our manager scene justice, but fifteen, 4th thru 6th graders stood around a table to make their manager and glue on their ‘cute macramé bead’ people. Many of those kids were survivors of drug addicted parents and didn't have the Christmas manager in their homes before.
I enjoyed writing “Christmas in July” VBS materials—but I celebrated even more when some of those kids made commitments to Jesus in our backyard VBS—it didn’t take money, it took time.
Thank you, Martha, Rachel and Evan for making it happen. I look forward to seeing those VBS kids in heaven.
The photo doesn’t do our manager scene justice, but fifteen, 4th thru 6th graders stood around a table to make their manager and glue on their ‘cute macramé bead’ people. Many of those kids were survivors of drug addicted parents and didn't have the Christmas manager in their homes before.
I enjoyed writing “Christmas in July” VBS materials—but I celebrated even more when some of those kids made commitments to Jesus in our backyard VBS—it didn’t take money, it took time.
Thank you, Martha, Rachel and Evan for making it happen. I look forward to seeing those VBS kids in heaven.
No longer do I have the conjured up manger scene of long ago, but now is the time to write a Christmas story for publication. Many magazines layout their stories a year in advance, now's the time to share. And "Wow." The manager reminds me it's only 60 days until Christmas 2008.
Posts
1 comment:
Kat:
I have your blog accessible on my homepage. I enjoyed this entry. Having helped with VBS for I-can't-remember-how-long I identify with the thought of having to start from the ground with a VBS.
Cecelia,(twv2)
Post a Comment