We met in the Social Hall because brunch was served in the middle of the service.Every Pre-K through 6th grader participated in the story from last Monday, Jesus is the Good Shepherd. We had lots of lambs (and a little chaos) for this performance.Everything went well. Even the mistakes and sparks of silliness were appreciated by the audience. This is the entire adult crew (except for the picture-taker) that made this year’s Vacation Bible School a huge success.

Jesus Appears to Mary in the Garden. Mary discovered the rock no longer covered the entrance to the tomb.Mary went to tell John the Apostle and Simon Peter. John arrived at the tomb first,looked in and saw the cloths that wrapped Jesus’ body but didn’t go inside.Simon Peter arrived,went inside the tomb and found the folded cloth that covered Jesus’ face.When Mary went inside the tomb, she saw two angels who spoke to her.Mary spoke to a man she thought was the gardener until he spoke her name, then she knew He is risen!This week was so busy and a lot of work, but turned out quite well. I heard later that one of the youngest children who participated acted out this story with her Barbie’s at home in the evening. Cool!

Yesterday’s story was Jesus Tells about a Sower. We sowed seeds in a path where people walked but birds ate the seed, rocky ground (rocks laying on a dark brown towel), ground that also grew vines, and finally good soil. Managing all the birds, seeds, vines, and plants must have been overwhelming – I took no pictures.

Today’s story was Jesus Tells about a Lost Son. Note: two boys wanted to be the wayward son, so we had two sons. Here the father is giving his sons money to go out into the world:The sons spent the money foolishly including buying pizza and soda for two party girls:The sons are hungry and desperate and find work on a farm. One son took care of the pigs while the other intently raked the green grass.The father welcomes home his lost son:A few pictures from the other groups I worked with:Thinking about eating the pig food:The older brother was unhappy as the father greeted the son:Isabella and the horse became immediate and fast friends. She named him Hot Cocoa and gave him a hug before she left each day.As a little break from storytelling/acting, we used the props from the party scene to take group photos.Lunch served by the lunch crew. Deena Nickel (at right taking a picture) organized Vacation Bible School this year.

Tu – Day 2: Jesus feeds 5000 people. The miracle produced small cups of goldfish crackers and wheat thins (bread) for snacking. Then everyone took different parts, we did the 15-minute skit again, and we had a little snack. Repeat.
From Psalm 23: He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters.

I said I would help with Vacation Bible School, but missed the first organizational meeting. As it turned out, I was in charge of the Bible part (Uh-oh). The storytelling part – that I might be able to pull off. Barnyard Roundup was the theme.The Man:The day began with an opening led by Pastor Kirsten.Then there were three 45-minute rotations: crafts, games, and Bible storytelling. Today’s story, The Good Shepherd who takes his sheep to good pastures and fresh water.The sheep won’t go with the robberor the stranger.Then the wolf scared off the farmhand and scattered the sheep. The kids loved this part, running away and hiding in the pews.The Good Shepherd found all the sheep and called them by name. As soon as the story was over, everyone wanted to do it again but take a different part. We probably repeated each story 2-3 times. The closing at the end of the day: