Live from VBS in Essex Fells, NJ

Yesterday we started our 3rd VBS of the summer. I use "we" because our whole family is now involved. This was however not my original intention yesterday morning at drop off at 9:00 a.m. We had planned for our 2 older kids to participate all week in the kindergarten and pre-K department. After drop off, my wife then decided to participate in the group for women (especially mothers of kids at VBS) and drop our youngest in the nursery.

After everyone got settled, I got in the car and started to drive toward the parking lot exit. But I suddenly had the impression that there was a need for prayer back up of the whole VBS. So I turned around, parked the car, and looked for Barbara, the VBS coordinator (and former co-worker with the youth group 23 years ago!).

She said that they had wanted someone to coordinate prayer, but it had fallen in the cracks in the midst of all the busyness of everything else. And so, I volunteered to be the VBS prayer coordinator this week.

One thing that triggered the idea of prayer is our visit to Bobbie, a shut in who has sent letters and prayed for us for a number of years. We saw her on Sunday night and she mentioned that someone had asked her if she was going to help with VBS. She laughed at the request, as she didn't see how she could participate in her current physical state. I had mentioned that she could pray.

There are many seniors at this church. Some are helping at the VBS. But many aren't. But prayer is one way that they can help, whether on site or at home.

Because of the spiritual openness of children, there is a lot at stake this week at VBS. For this reason, I believe it very important to cover this activity in prayer. So we'll see where this adventure leads this week.

One specific way that I am trying to raise up prayer support is by compiling a daily communique of prayer subjects to be sent out via e-mail to the whole church list. I also hope that there will be some people who come to the church building each morning during the VBS hours to specifically pray for everything taking place.