FPC has hosted a Vacation Bible School every summer for decades, until the pandemic changed our ability to gather (at least for a few seasons) in the ways we have in the past. So creativity and necessity are behind our 2021 program for kids—Summer Blast. Instead of one full week of activities, we have invited children to join us every Wednesday evening in July
for crafts, games, and Bible stories, and rather than be inside, we have planned all our activities for outside.
It’s not easy! Each week, the team has to set up (and later take down) each area for the different activities. The weather is a huge factor. We will move inside if there’s rain, but our plans are to be outside. In the July heat, that is a serious decision!
Why not just go inside and turn on the AC? It’s about visibility. Neighborhood children play in our parking lot during the week. Since we added a basketball hoop in the back, we’re seeing kids out there having some fun behind the church every day. FPC is in a great location for a highly visible ministry to the neighborhood.
Children (and their parents) who would be very hesitant to come inside our building have no such fears about letting their kids join us on the parking lot, out in the open. So moving outside—with the extra work and despite the weather —pays off in bringing kids to Summer Blast, to have some fun and to hear about Jesus. We reflect God’s love for the entire neighborhood to see.
Our visibility in this should remind all of us who follow Jesus: we are constantly on view and what people see in us can be an attraction—or not—to the Savior. We are “out in the open” all the time! Christians are the visible church to people who have never opened a Bible or listened to a sermon. We can ask the Holy Spirit to fill us and use us every day— and make us a reflection of the love of Jesus. We are in many people’s line of sight!