The VBS that almost wasn't

“Children are the living messages we send to a time we will never see.” Neil Postman, author and cultural critic

We are a little under 48 hours away from the commencement of this year's edition of Chetek's Multi-Church Vacation Bible School. This annual tradition which began long before any one of us was a part of it pools the resources – human, physical and financial – of five different fellowships in our community: Advent Christian, Chetek Lutheran, Chetek United Methodist, Northside Christian Fellowship and The Refuge. Every year it moves to a different location and, at least in theory, representatives from each fellowship begin praying and planning for this annual outreach to the children of Chetek. This year Advent Christian is our host and Pastor Norm has opted for a weekend VBS: Friday night, Saturday morning and done. It's a flash in the pan that hopefully will light a spark in the hearts of the children who will come.

2008: Jerusalem Marketplace

For most of the 22 campaigns that I have been a part of in my time in Chetek, we have usually run a traditional week-long morning VBS capped with either a Friday picnic lunch or an evening program that night. What helped us was that summer school didn't begin until the second week of summer so we normally jumped on that first week the kids were out of school. But that has since changed and now we are in competition, at least programming-wise, with the school district. A couple of years ago we tried an evening, family VBS with mixed results. Last year it was a three-day venture which began on Sunday evening but ran all day and concluded Tuesday afternoon. With the exception of Chetek Lutheran, we are mostly small churches but Advent is especially small and that's why Pastor Norm thought a Friday night/Saturday morning event would work best for them.

2009: Boot Camp featured a real, vintage Korean War-era jeep

Usually planning for VBS begins while there's still snow on the ground back in February. This year because of various schedule challenges, however, we got a late start and then a few of the participating fellowships didn't have representation at the initial planning meetings. In fact, attendance was so low and enthusiasm so lacking that three weeks ago Norm sent out an email informing everyone that he was canceling the event altogether for just this reason. Having sat where he has sat before and knowing what it takes to put on even a small VBS, I sympathized with his decision. Why knock yourself out when it is perceived that no one else cares to do the same? I hated making that announcement that Sunday. A 30-year tradition apparently was now over.

Boot Camp

2012: Journey Through Narnia

2014: SonTreasure Island

A brief journey in the Outback

But a few days later while in prayer, God spoke to him to not give up and a subsequent email was sent informing everyone that our next planning meeting would be the following Tuesday as originally planned. Just like that we had people on board from every participating fellowship and this lumbering cargo plane seemed to get airborne. Crafts. Games. Food. Teaching. Design. Music. All. We now have the staff the question is will we get the kids?

Here's what we did back in '11

There's no time to run an extensive ad campaign in the paper. Ditto to running a scrolling announcement on local cable. There will be no big tent in the yard next to Advent so rain or shine the show goes on. Because of their location on the main drag of our town, they are the best place to make known what is going on and over the years we've had some creative props in the yard to draw attention to VBS. This year all we have is a promotional sign attached to their building – a sign, however, that just went up a week ago. When I think of previous schools over the years it definitely feels we are behind the 8-ball.

Working on the backdrop

As much as I enjoy VBS I enjoy the run-up to VBS: the planning and praying, the brainstorming and working through the hiccups, creating the sets, setting up the grounds, just the coming together of Jesus followers from the various fellowships in our town for the sole purpose of advancing the kingdom of God in the hearts of children. We do it together and that's important. We all do things to help our particular fellowship function and that's fitting that we do. But in the end, Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come” not “My kingdom grow” and the way we do it seems one answer to that prayer.

I can't speak for other communities but I think I know Chetek pretty good. We're losing ground with the next generation. We have less and less kids in our fellowships. There are a little over 400 kids at our elementary school. Of that body, a small percentage go to Sunday School or Wednesday night kids' clubs either at a fellowship in Chetek or elsewhere. As for the rest they are at the open gym at the high school, or involved in sports or dance or 4H or more than likely at home gaming, watching TV or sleeping. In and of themselves these things are not bad – my kids have been involved in all of them over the years (all at the same time!) But come Sunday morning, come Wednesday night the rule of thumb around here seems to be go anywhere but a faith-based event. So, for many of our churches they look more and more like a gathering of senior citizens who lament the fact that there are no grandchildren in our nurseries.

Someone could make the observation that VBS has now run its course, that it is so passe, that maybe we need to “get with the program” - whatever that may be - and move on. Perhaps. I personally think, however, that it is symptomatic of growing secularism in our society, even in the Heartland of the good ol' USA. For the most part, we're raising good kids, even good citizens. But we're not bringing them to Jesus while we do those things and that is a sad commentary about us.

We all know the story about people bringing their kids to Rabbi Jesus for him to bless (Mark 10:13-16). The disciples, behaving more like handlers and security personnel, give these people the wave-off. Mark makes a point of Jesus' reaction. He is “indignant”. He's offended that his people would get in the way of children coming to him. So he rebukes them and says, “Let them come to me. Not only do I care about them but they demonstrate the weakness and vulnerability that is required of those who would follow me.” Before long a passel of them are sitting in his lap or at his knees and I'm pretty sure he's smiling and laughing while they crawl all over him.

Kids will come. We've prayed. We've ask God to send us kids. We've put some posters up around town, talked it up in our respective fellowships and run an ad or two in the local newspaper. Kids will be there. It might be a small turn-out – after all some people get out of Dodge on the weekends in the summertime or their kids are playing ball on Saturday – but small gathering or not, Jesus will be there too. And we best do our best for them and him.

Godspeed and may the wind be in your sails: A farewell to VBS 2014

Another Vacation Bible School is now in the books. This past week Chetek's one-and-only “Multi-Church VBS” was held at Chetek United Methodist. “SonTreasure Island” was well-attended (67 kids plus approximately 30 volunteers) and as usual, was lots of fun. Who would have thunk that the Methodists were not only open to the idea of having sand in their fellowship room (on their relatively new carpet) but were the ones who came up with the idea in the first place! There were little waterfalls and palm trees in different rooms of their facility along with all kinds of decorations that gave the illusion that we really were on an island somewhere in the Caribbean. Having a kindly pirate walk around throughout the day as well as the presence of a real live parrot (Duke not Polly) only helped contribute to the atmosphere.

His name is Duke not Polly

"Arggh!"

Of course you find sand at the beach

"You think you've got troubles..."

Paul may get to school yet

In 2 ½ days (SonTreasure's planning group chose to conduct a 5-day VBS in half the time with a Sunday evening, and all-day Monday and Tuesday faith experience) the kids raised $818 and some odd-change for Ekisa Ministries, an orphanage in Jinja, Uganda that cares for approximately two dozen children with various types of disabilities. Our goal is to raise $1800 which would enable three kids from Ekisa to go to school. We're nearly half-way there and the five participating fellowships have yet to receive an offering.

When we moved to town in 1991 there were five Vacation Bible Schools that were held during any given summer in Chetek – at Prairie Lake Covenant, Faith Baptist, Christ Lutheran, Chetek Lutheran and the Multi-Church VBS (Advent, Alliance, UMC and Refuge). What that meant is that if you were a parent of an elementary-age child you could pretty much sew up planning half of their summer mornings by just enrolling them in one school after another (and some did just that thing!) But the dynamics of the various faith communities have changed over the last twenty years. Prairie Lake, Faith and Christ Lutheran have all ceased to provide this kind of faith experience at their respective fellowship and this year for the very first time Chetek Lutheran joined “the Four.” We were only too happy to have them on board.

The White Witch points the way ('12)

Since the mid-1980s our “Multi-Church VBS” has been presented annually to the kids of our community. In my time here we have been to SonCreek Junction (2001) and SonHarvest County Fair (2003). We've turned different facilities into an army base (Boot Camp, 2009), an ancient market (Jerusalem Marketplace, 2008) and even a castle (SonCastle Faire, 1999). We've been to Narnia (A Journey to Narnia, 2012), held a sports camp (Mega Sports Camp, 2010) and dug for gold (Gold Rush, 2011). We've been to the savannah of Africa (SonMountain, 1992), the wilds of the Okefenoke Swamp (SonRise Balloon Adventure, 1997) and down a perilous river gorge (SonCanyon River Adventure, 2002). Some of the kids who have grown up attending VBS have gone on to serve at it (at this year's VBS there were kids helping in rec who not too long ago were playing in those games as participants and our youngest daughter, Emma [18], was one of our teachers.)  

Classroom at SonRise Balloon Adventure ('97)

The rec crew from Jerusalem Marketplace ('08)

SonZone Discovery Center ('00)

But to me the most remarkable thing about this VBS is that over nearly thirty years the players have changed (none of “the founders” remain in our community and I am the only one left who has participated in some way or fashion in the past 22 campaigns) and from time to time the format as well (we've tried an evening school, a family school, an off-site school and this year's half-week version) but the message remains the same: Jesus loves children and calls them to himself. Granted there are many ways to go about affecting the growth of the kingdom of God in our kids; VBS is but one way to do it. And while tradition can become a dead-thing this annual coming-together persists in our town and has proven over time to be life-giving to those who attend as well as to those who serve.

They throw a good party

There is one other subtle and yet tangible benefit to this annual tradition: it sparks and promotes unity within the Body of Christ in our community. For several months leading up to VBS, folks from the participating fellowships meet regularly to strategize, brainstorm, dream about and pray together for our upcoming school. A working harmony naturally develops which in turn fosters camaraderie and, if you will, Esprit de corps. Frankly, it's just a whole lot of fun. This year, Refuge shut down on the Sunday VBS began and joined Chetek UMC for a combined worship gathering. Pastor Carrie asked me the next day, "So when do we do that again?" 

The last time we were on Main Street

When the party is over and the last decoration is taken down and put away for me its rather a melancholy thing, like closing night at the Red Barn when the set is deconstructed and we all say good-bye. The good news is that if the status quo remains by March of next year we'll all start coming together again planning the 2015 school at Advent Christian. I always like it when it's there because we're on the main drag and that gives us high visibility. Some of our best sets have been there (SonCastle Faire, 1999, and Gold Rush, 2011). But what I like best of all is being with some of my friends from the other fellowships in town working together to see the Kingdom come in greater fullness to our city. I can't wait.