Happy Saturday, VBS Swampers!

For the first Saturday in weeks, our church building sits quiet and (mostly) clean today.  We hope some of you slept in today! We are incredibly impressed and grateful for each of you! Hundreds of willing helpers, each sacrificially doing their part, are what make a week like this possible for a church of our size. Know that your hard work for Jesus this week was not in vain.

Therefore my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain. 1 Cor.15:58

A special thank you to every willing hand that helped last night after the rally. Because of you, we were able to restore our building for future ministry completely last night, ready for Sunday morning! Once again, our Veritas students, especially, have stepped up and served our church with willing hearts. Thank a Veritas student that you saw doing a great job this week. We couldn’t pull this off without their active involvement.

“Camp Swamp” is now at Ashland Church in Madison County for this upcoming week, and then on to Oldham County the following week. May God continue to use those creative efforts for the furtherance of the Gospel.

Day 5 Attendance:

458

Total number of children attending all week:

620

Total Money Given For Missions:

$4,637.86

Boys: $2,510.26

Girls: $2,127.60

Total VBS Team:

306 – AMAZING

Key Points for Sunday Morning:

• We hope and pray for visitors from VBS, so please park in the grass lot if you can.
• Smile and welcome those new faces you recognize and those you don’t! Let them know how thankful you are that they came and how we have been praying for them all week.
• Wear your VBS shirts ONE MORE TIME!
• We’ll show the VBS video during the Worship Service
• Preschoolers will sing with Pastor Nate in the Preschool Area and have their last visit from Albert the Alligator!
• ALL KIDS will receive their squishy gators!

After Sunday morning, it will be an official wrap on Camp Swamp Saga, Ashland VBS 2022. We are more grateful and humbled by what God has done than we can express. Thank you, Lord.

Looking Forward,

Wayne Cole

Julie Stevenson

Valerie Holland

It’s Friiiiiiday, VBS Swampers!   Let’s finish well, by committing to the same level of excellence we brought with us when we first got started this week! 

Thank you for all your patience and help with the picture last night. What a blessing each person represents.  Tonight we’ll go back to our regular schedule, but Closing Rally will start 5 minutes early, so please have your crew in the Worship Center by 8:10.

We loved to hear the reports of kids asking great questions about the gospel truths they’ve been learning this week. Since Huddle time will be shortened tonight, try to make use of the time during snack to continue your conversations with kids. We’re praying for them!

Day 4 Attendance:

487

Total number of children this week so far:

612

Friday Night Snack: Popsicles and Kool-Aid Jammers

Hospitality Room: Mad Mushroom Pizza

Friday Night Gospel Point:  

Pray that each child will leave VBS tonight knowing that Jesus makes all things new! Revelation 22:1-5

EVERYONE

If you have any additional red VBS shirts in size small that you don’t need, please consider donating it to our VBS mission opportunity in Oldham County. You can leave your washed shirts in the office tonight or on Sunday. (don’t worry, we’ll order new shirts next year!)

Final push:

AFTER THE CLOSING RALLY, Ashland Church from Madison County will be arriving with their crew to haul away all our decorations as “Camp Swamp” will live a new life with campers in Madison County next week!

And WE will be working to restore the church so that it’s ready for Sunday. One final push to put back tables, chairs, toys, etc. and make sure we’re good to go for Sunday and that nobody has to come in on Saturday. If you’re able to help, once pick-up is over, please report to the Family Center and a VBS leader will tell you what you can help with.

• If you decorated your Huddle Room, all that decor needs to come down tonight and the room cleaned and set up like the picture by the door. 

Crew Leader Points:

Remember, regular rotation schedule tonight, but please be back for Closing Rally by 8:10.

PLEASE check photo IDs of people you do not recognize! Does the photo ID match an approved pick-up person on your list? We’ve seen people ready to show their IDs because they are new and then they are NOT asked to see them. Parents notice this! Also, please keep all kids under supervision all the way through pick-up. If a child hasn’t been picked up yet, they should not leave the pews where your crew is assigned. We know many of you carry out this process faithfully, and we are so grateful.

Make a point to invite your kids and their families back to Church on Sunday morning. Tell the parents THANK YOU for allowing their kids to come to our VBS!

Looking Forward,

Wayne

Julie

Valerie

Good Thursday morning VBS Crew!

Every night we see you serving and giving selflessly. We KNOW you’re tired. We are praying for sustained energy and perseverance for each one of you. Our strength does not come from our own good intentions. Trust the Lord and prayerfully and humbly watch him move!

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

Day 3 Attendance:

512

Total number of children who have attended this week:

596

Thursday Night Gospel Point:  

Pray that each child will leave VBS tonight knowing that Jesus gives his followers victory over the enemy! Acts 28:1-5

Thursday Night Snack: Oreos and Kool-Aid Jammers

Hospitality Room: Johnny Carino’s

Everyone:

Tonight is group picture night so the schedules have been altered.  Opening rally will end a little early in the Worship Center, the 3s and 4s will join in, and then they will stay for their rally with Pastor Nate.

After that the rotations for 5s and up will run 5 minutes later than they have been. All 4 rotations will still be 15 minutes long, but huddle time will be shortened 5 minutes.

For crew leaders, the revised schedule will be attached to your clipboards tonight. Highlighted sections on your schedule are what has changed.

More Crew Leader Points:

We will continue to get new arrivals all week: Make sure you get allergy and approved pick-up info for any new kids brought to your crew. If any kid who you don’t already have a name tag for arrives at your crew without one, PLEASE send them back to the registration tables at the front doors!

Be mindful of the schedule and the next crews coming in for their Snacks rotation. Workers in Snacks need time to clear off the tables and put new snacks out between rotations. Thank you!

Y’all are doing a great job keeping kids supervised and safe. Keep your eyes and ears open for interactions between the kids and remind them to be respectful and positive with each other.

If you’re arriving for crafts or Bible upstairs before your areas are ready, please try to line up / gather up your crew farther back, so we don’t further congest the hallway where both bible rooms and all the kids in crafts need to exit. Thank you for your extra efforts with your kids during these tricky waiting times – we know it’s tough, but we see you and we love it!

Looking Forward,

Wayne
Julie
Valerie

VBS SWAMPERS! DAY 2 is in the books and when we all say goodbye to each other tonight, we’ll be over halfway!

Can’t tell you all how proud we are of each one of you! It’s a lot to keep up with and a lot to keep in mind. You are doing great!!  We want to encourage each of you to take a moment and really look around and watch your church family loving on kids and serving joyfully. Everywhere you go. We promise that you will be blessed by it!

Take a moment and tell someone how thankful you are for them serving this week. Make a point to look for those roles that maybe would have gone unnoticed.

Day Two Attendance:

490

Wednesday Night Gospel Point:  

Tonight the kids will learn that Jesus died in our place so that we can live!

Wednesday Night Snack: Animal Crackers and Kool-Aid Jammers

Hospitality Room: J. Renders Brisket nachos and buffalo chicken dip

Housekeeping Points:

As much as possible, please try to keep the doors to the Bible rooms upstairs CLOSED once the lesson has started. Leaders and students should only be leaving (or coming in late) if absolutely necessary. Opening the door to the bustling craft area brings in unnecessary noise and distraction from the Bible lesson.

Don’t forget to make our visitors feel welcome. If you see anyone that looks confused please engage them and see if you can help.  We get new kids every night of the week, and new people picking up.

Take a moment to praise the Lord for great weather  – we do not take it for granted! We are not expecting pop-up storms, but anything can happen.

Crew Leader Points:

Thank you for your faithfulness in keeping kids safe, escorting them on bathroom trips, keeping them under supervision and always watching, listening, guiding, and instructing. You are doing great!

Remember we will continue to get new kids added to crews all week long. Be sure to get their information copied onto both of your rosters, including who is approved to pick them up.

When a parent or guardian gives you new names for pick-up information when they drop them off, YOU are the one getting this information onto the rosters. This is the time of the night when you have both of the rosters, so you do not need to send them back to registration to do anything.

We’ll see you all tonight!

Looking Forward!