Their Surprising Journeys
As summer approached, Pastor Tinney Parrish wanted Central Baptist Church in Norfolk, VA, to host a Vacation Bible School (VBS). Too many summers had passed since their last VBS and Pastor Tinney was determined to have one again. Central Baptist’s VBS Director set a date along with a kick-off meeting to recruit some volunteers. But this was only the beginning of what God had in store.
Pastor Tinney’s VBS Director and Assistant Director contacted a few local churches, asking if they had extra supplies they could borrow. He knew many churches had closets full of VBS supplies from past years and thought someone might donate them to get VBS going again.
A few weeks later, a Central Baptist Church member met with a Great Bridge Baptist Church volunteer and was given an entire stage set that this generous volunteer had constructed. It was an amazing gift and “felt like a miracle!”
Megan Perry, director of the children’s ministry at Great Bridge Baptist Church in Chesapeake, VA, pointed out that God had placed some volunteers at the church who worked diligently to create set designs that were beautiful and functional. She explained, “I have to give full credit to one of our church members, Colin Castelow. Colin worked in theater as a professional set designer and builder and now builds our sets ‘for fun’ each year. One of the things he is very cognizant of is how the set pieces can be put up and taken down for transporting, which greatly helps. He works for months to create beautiful pieces for us, and it is hard (and sad!) to get rid of everything after a week of use. We were all so excited when Central Baptist contacted us about passing some things along. It felt like the true spirit of what Vacation Bible School should be!”
Last summer, Central Baptist Church hosted Vacation Bible School and had 20 children attend. The joy and fulfillment that this event brought to the children and families were immeasurable. Additionally, they incorporated the children into the following Sunday service and saw multiple families attend.
You might think that the story ends there, but God was only beginning to use that Vacation Bible School stage set. When Pastor Tinney’s VBS team was contacting churches for help, several shared that they could also benefit from the supplies. So Central Baptist asked Great Bridge Church if they could pass on the set to other churches. Not only did they support the idea, but Great Bridge was also thrilled to hear that several other churches would benefit from their efforts. This was a true testament to the spirit of community and collaboration among the SBCV churches. In total, six churches utilized that stage setup. Six Vacation Bible Schools and six groups of children all benefited from this interaction between the two SBCV churches.
Megan Perry reflects, “Sets and decoration pieces aren’t the main event of VBS—sharing the Gospel is THE focus for all of us—but creating a fun atmosphere helps kids and volunteers feel excited each year. Decorating and transforming our Worship Center helps our kids understand how special VBS is and how much our church family values this important outreach event. I’m thankful we could pass on that joy to others!”
Take Away — As your church prepares for VBS this summer, how might God use your church to help another local church (or local churches) and multiply the impact?
