VBS recap video

In case you missed it at the end of VBS last week (or if you just want to see it again), here is the excellent video that was produced to show the highlights of the week.  Enjoy!

Communion at the Older Adult Center

I had the blessing to serve communion to the Participants and volunteers at the Older Adult Day Respite program.  I arrived a little early, and joined them as they finished their music time.  They were singing Blue Suede Shoes, Baby Face, and some other familiar favorites.  Their song leader had them sharing about their Father’s and what advice they had received from their Dads.  It was touching to hear them share their sweet memories between songs.

After music was over we shared the service of Holy Communion together.  I asked them how many had attended VBS as children, and all of them had.  They all had fond memories of their VBS experiences.  I told them that at VBS this week we were showing and telling about Jesus, and the great love God has for us.  It reminded me of “show and tell” back in grade school.  I shared with them how Jesus is the ultimate show and tell.  In John 1: 14 it says, “The Word became flesh, and made His dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth“(NIV)  John tells us Jesus is the Word.  The Word (Jesus) tells us of the Father and his great love for us.  A love so great that he sent his only Son to come and live among us to show us how to live and love the way God had designed for us.  We sang a verse of  “I love to tell the story” and ended in prayer.  The precious folks were so glad to have been able to share communion, and some fond memories.  They showed me that we’re never to old for a little show and tell.

Pastor Kim

What a week at VBS!

Looks like we are having our biggest VBS or close to it.   Last July we passed the 700 kids mark, and today, we show 706 kids registered for VBS.   We have 174+teen helpers and 100+ Adult Helpers.    We are close to 1000 people present and involved.

A HUGE thank you to our kitchen staff who graciously handled our overwhelming numbers for lunch and snacks.   Again we are reaching out to the community with many kids from other churches or no church home.  We registered over 43 walk in registrations this afternoon, many saying they have heard what a wonderful VBS we have.

THANKS to an outstanding Facilities staff and many other staff members who have pitched in and helped with greeting, directions, check in, and much more.   It’s a group effort and we can truly be proud of how the Mt. Bethel Family works together.

We’ve posted 139 pictures from the week — check them out here!

Summer volunteer opportunities

Here are some areas around the church that need you to come volunteer.

Sunday School

Did you know that Children’s Ministry will need over 85 volunteers every Sunday from June 1 - August 10 to minister to the children who will arrive to hear the Word of God at Mt. Bethel? To volunteer, contact Janis Caverlee (preschool) or Sherri Juliani (elementary) to join the team this summer.

VBS Volunteers Needed

Youth and adult volunteers are vital to the success of Vacation Bible School. Contact Dianne Hylton if you would like to volunteer your time. A free lunch is provided.

Parking Shuttle

Our parking lot shuttle, “Toby” the golf cart, runs on Sunday mornings from 9:15 to 12:30. There are 2 shifts from 9:15 to 10:45 and 10:45 to 12:30. This is a once a month or every other month commitment. Toby is very helpful to members who park far away with small children and senior members, too. We also need parking ushers to help direct members and visitors to available spots.  Contact Kibbie Jones for more information.

Greeters on Sundays

Welcome church members and visitors for a 30-minute shift for a month and rotate with two other teams every 3rd month. We rely on greeters from 9:00am to 9:30am and 10:30am to 11:00am. Substitutes are available. This is an easy way to get to know other church members.  Contact Kibbie Jones for more information.

Older Adult Center - Youth or Adult Volunteers Needed

Share Your Special Talent: Come sing, come perform, share your hobby, or share your pictures from a favorite trip or special collection. Whatever you choose, we make for a great audience.  Contact Dawn Reed for more information.

Compassion into Action kids-style is SPLATitude

Children’s Ministry has adopted a mission that’s easy to remember, fun for kids, and directed to help us be good Disciples. SPLAT stands for Serve, Pray, Love and Teach. We want to be like Jesus.

We have a growing number of opportunities to learn about SPLAT such as SPLAT University on Wednesday nights (during the school year) and Camp SPLAT (summer group learning for elementary kids on Sundays at 11). We teach about SPLAT in Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. And during our recent CHARGE retreat, we initiated SPLATitude. We want to inspire our kids, parents, volunteers, and all of Mt. Bethel to have an attitude to Serve, Pray, Love and Teach. At CHARGE, we gave out SPLATitude buttons to kids who displayed SPLATitude. It’s catching on. We’re spreading the word, we’re noticing acts of SPLATitude, and we are learning to make it part of our daily life.

How do you show SPLATitude? Have you seen SPLATitude in others? Tell us about it in a comment below.