Overboard Vacation Bible School
June 18-22
Our children will be invited to dive in and discover God’s underwater universe! Kids journey miles below the water’s surface into God’s Word to find what true faith is all about. This VBS will teach them to:
• Depend on God
• Dare to care
• Claim Jesus
• Choose to follow and
• Change the world
The location of our VBS program will be at our downtown location..
First United Methodist – Downtown
1215 Jackson Street
Anderson, IN 46016
765.643.6977
Children’s Ministry Update
Preparing our hearts for Jesus
In some ways I feel like I am still recovering from the Christmas season celebrations and getting back into a normal routine. Yet the liturgical seasons continue to prod us forward, and the beginning of Lent is only a few weeks away. We will have the opportunity again to prepare our hearts for Jesus, this time as our Risen Savior. Do you and your family give things up for Lent? We do in my family – at least we try our best! Sometime in the week before Ash Wednesday, we will begin tossing out ideas for things to give up. My boys decide for themselves what it is they will forgo, although we usually have to discuss that it must be something that is truly a sacrifice but also not ridiculously difficult. (Homework and violin practice can NOT be on the give-up list!) We help hold each other accountable and offer encouragement to stick with it. This has been a way for us to walk especially close with Jesus and is a real and present reminder of the ultimate sacrifice He made. I encourage you to give it a try this season!
Thinking ahead to summer already, I am pleased to announce the dates for our summer activities for children! Beginning in June, we will have
- Vacation Bible School the week of June 18, which is open to kids ages 3 through 6th grade. (More details coming soon.)
- Following in July, our Musical Camp will be the 9th-13th, and is open to students from 2nd grade through 8th grade. This year’s selection is called Old Testament Fast Forward, which recalls major events of the OT in a delightful and humorous way.
- Finally, the popular Art and Music Camp, directed by Mary Falkenberry and Barb Bowman, will be July 30 through August 3. This camp is open to kids from 1st through 8th grade and is a wonderful opportunity to explore playing tone chimes, singing, art, and movement. Share these dates with the kids in your life and get them on the calendar!
Are you interested in being on the VBS team? This is the group of folks who decide on curriculum and how it should be carried out during the VBS week. Our first meeting will be Saturday, Feb. 11 at 10 am in the N/S Parlor. FUMC will be hosting a VBS Open House for our Cokesbury Representative that morning, and he will have a lot of material on display. We will meet about once a month through the spring. Will you consider helping in this important outreach ministry? There are lots of ways to contribute! Please talk with me if you are interested.
Finally, I am excited to announce we will be having a Kids Night Out on Friday, March 2. This evening will be dedicated to doing art projects in preparation for children’s Sunday (on April 22). Art teacher extraordinaire, Margaret Arouh, and her talented granddaughter, Ashley, will be leading the children in projects that will be on display and used in worship on Children’s Sunday. Margaret and Ashley are excellent at getting kids to do their best work; I am excited to see the results of this evening! Look for specific details about this event in the bulletin in the weeks to come.
Peace,
Jennifer