In praise of latex balloons and painting rocks

“As there are no little people in God’s sight, so there are no little places. To be wholly committed to God in the place where God wants him—this is the creature glorified.” Francis Schaeffer

Another Vacation Bible School for Chetek's one and only “multi-church” VBS is now in the books. It was touch and go there for a bit whether or not Outback Rock would happen but the creek didn't rise at Poowan Springs and the Lord came through. We passed Wallaby Wash and got to the outback with all the help we needed and a small passel of 19 kids to minister to. Every participating fellowship was represented in one way or another either through the staff that served or in the ideas behind the various activities that occurred between Friday night and Saturday noon.

G'day mates!

One word that characterizes this edition of VBS is “simple” - hot dogs and lemonade for our Friday night dinner, recorded worship music to jam to, bean bags, latex balloons and uncooked pasta noodles for the games we played, pieces of slate that were painted during crafts, teaching moments on Pastor Norm's deck or in the “grotto” in his basement, and vanilla ice cream cones at the conclusion of our time together late Saturday morning. In a day and age when kids are for good reason referred to as the “plugged in” generation due to their penchant for electronic gaming and all things to do with their phone, how good it is to remember that a game of tag can still bring joy to a child's face.

4 year-old & 3rd grader

Every VBS that I've ever been a part of over nearly 24 years here in Chetek has a different vibe and flavor to it. Boot Camp (2009) transformed the grounds of The Refuge into an army base – complete with guards! SonCastle Faire (1999) turned Advent into a castle right out of the Renaissance and last year we were digging in the sand at Chetek United Methodist at SonTreasure Island (2014). But one of the things I appreciate about this latest segment of VBS is its intimacy. Kids weren't broken into groups based on age; rather, they were a mixed lot so that a fourth grader might be in the same group as a 4-year old. That's where smallness worked for us. The larger number of children you have to herd the greater the possibility that the weakest among you will be literally run over. But at Outback Rock that didn't happen. “Big kids” were looking out for “little” ones and – wonders of wonders – they were all having fun together.

For the second year in a row, Refuge joined the host fellowship for a combined worship service. Last year, we joined Chetek United Methodist the morning before VBS began that evening. This year we joined Advent on the day after Outback concluded. We do this together why shouldn't we celebrate together? Besides, it's good to be reminded that we are part of something way bigger than our own fellowship; that “those people over there” are not them; they're us. Their worship service simply has a different flow to the one we're used to but the same Spirit. As my wife remarked to me over dinner Sunday afternoon, “We only sang a few songs but I felt such a strong presence of the Lord while we did.” Absolutely.

I agree with Francis Schaeffer: in the kingdom there are no little people or places. Right now in our county a certain congregation is “it on a stick.” They have a brand new building complete with coffee bar and their ranks have swelled (among them a few disaffected Chetek people). Signs that promote their fellowship seem to be everywhere. Good for them. May the Lord bless their efforts to expand the kingdom in our county. But what they may do on a large scale, we are doing here in fit-to-order scale. In the kingdom what in the end do words like “big” and “small” really mean? Nazareth was a small town. So was Bethlehem. So was Lystra (Timothy's hometown). So was, by comparison to Jerusalem, Capernaum where many of the early disciples hailed from. Jesus still finds people who will trust and follow him in 'burbs just like that. It reminds me that I'm a part of something significant that is way bigger than me and who knows what fruit will come from the seeds that were sown this past weekend in the hearts of “ankle biters” (an Aussie term for children) – and those who cared for them – in the outback. And if my Australian slang is correct, that's aces. 

To see more images from Outback Rock follow this link: Chetek's Multi-Church Vacation Bible School

Digging our way to Jesus

“After a few days, Jesus returned to Capernaum, and word got around that he was back home. A crowd gathered, jamming the entrance so no one could get in or out. He was teaching the Word. They brought a paraplegic to him, carried by four men. When they weren’t able to get in because of the crowd, they removed part of the roof and lowered the paraplegic on his stretcher. Impressed by their bold belief, Jesus said to the paraplegic, 'Son, I forgive your sins.'” Mark 2:1-5, The Message

This past week our fellowship has been hosting Vacation Bible School. It's not specifically “our” school. Since the mid-1980s, four fellowships in our community – Advent Christian, Chetek Alliance, Chetek United Methodist and Refuge - have cooperatively run a VBS annually and this year it was our year to host it. For me, this is my 21^st campaign. In over two decades of being involved in this annual evangelistic venture I have been in charge of drama, recruitment, publicity, rec, or communications at one time or another. But this year is the first time that I am serving as “director” in probably over a decade.

Grandpa & Granddaughter have team-taught

I didn't plan it that way. In fact, I attempted to recruit a few others to lead it but when those attempts didn't pan out, I agreed to do it for the simple reason that I didn't want this annual cooperative venture to die on my watch. Call that pride or call it stubbornly upholding tradition, either way working together to share the gospel is, I think, a good tradition to maintain.

I don't think I've done the best job of it. We could have done more publicity-wise (I totally forgot to put a spot on the radio and at the community access channel). I should have done more “button-holing” recruitment. Our numbers are especially low – 23 has been the high-water mark thus far (compare that to other years where we have had 50, 60, and 70-plus kids). But, having said that, all our food items were donated either by individuals or by a few of the businesses in our town. All our craft items were donated as well so that this may be the least expensive VBS we've run in years. What's more, our staff (numbering 25) are every bit enthusiastic as we have had in previous years. And of that staff (crafts, rec, worship and a few of the crew leaders) have grown up participating in VBS so that even though our numbers are not what we had hoped I can't help but enjoy what's going on here this week.

It would have been something to see

Four friends wanted to get their mutual friend to Jesus. The house was packed and apparently those inside were not from the Midwest who might have politely stepped out in order that the paralytic might be prayed for. No one budged. But these guys refused to be deterred. If they couldn't get their friend through the front door, then a little more drastic action would have to be taken. Carefully carrying him up the outdoor staircase, a common enough feature in Palestinian homes, to the roof they gently set him down and began to dig. Their actions speak of desperateness – maybe their friend's condition was worsening? Even if they had to wait the rest of the day until Jesus emerged from the place, why couldn't they have done just that? Mark doesn't tell us. Maybe they were afraid that they would be shooed away by the handlers of the religious authorities who were presently in the house. Maybe they just couldn't wait. But dig they do and the rest we know. What comes next is way more than just a healing. That paralyzed man goes home a new man in more ways than one.

My kids are the two on the right

Even a small VBS like we are hosting this week is a lot of work and does not come free. Curriculum, tent rental, a few ads in the local paper and some other odds and ends and you are way past $500 (a very inexpensive VBS as those things usually go). But like those four friends in the gospel story, we of those four fellowships still see it the same way: getting our friends – especially our young ones – to Jesus is worth the time, energy, headache and expense it will cost us. Besides, for this VBS I get to serve with two of my own kids as Ed has enthusiastically led rec and Emma has helped lead worship and been one of the crew leaders of our most rowdy bunch (yes, the older boys). To get to do that offsets whatever “burden” I have sometimes felt I have been carrying because of serving as director these past few months.

 

It's not over yet. We have two more days and that means eight more hours of “digging” in hopes that we'll get all our young friends to Jesus that he may heal them all, that those who are paralyzed in spirit (and we have a few of them) may go home on Friday afternoon changed, different, with the mysterious power of the seed of the word secretly at work within them.