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“VBS is the best week of the year!” If you’ve ever had a conversation with me, you have more than likely heard me use this phrase. I’ve seen First Methodist Waco transformed into various themes, including oceans, deserts, mountain ranges, shipwrecks & beaches, outer space, and forests, to name a few. While the fun of VBS is obvious, there is much more that God is doing in that week.
As a church, VBS is a week solely dedicated to serving children and their families. Our children look forward to this week, and we dedicate months to planning an over-the-top event with the intent to saturate the environment with God’s love and grace. Based on average attendance, it is essentially a 15-hour intensive, equivalent to 6 or 7 months of typical small-group interaction on Sunday mornings. Every game, craft, song, and dance bears witness to the grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ, inviting all to experience his redeeming love and be transformed by it.
VBS is not only a transformational week for children but also an opportunity for those who serve. In the mid-90’s, I nervously volunteered for the first time ever in a church during VBS. We were relatively new to First Methodist Waco, just beginning to learn names but not yet feeling fully engaged. After spending a week with fellow church members, we made important connections within our Sunday school class, forming friendships that still hold strong today. That week became the beginning of a journey of serving our children and youth, through which God graciously revealed the calling He had placed on my life.
As we prepare for another unforgettable week of VBS, I invite you to pray, volunteer, and celebrate what God will do in the lives of our children and families. Whether you're welcoming guests, leading a small group, preparing snacks, decorating, or simply praying behind the scenes, every act of service becomes part of God's work of sharing the love of Christ. VBS truly is the best week of the year—not because of the decorations or the excitement, but because, together, we create space for children to encounter God's grace, grow in faith, and know they are deeply loved. I hope you'll join us as we welcome our community and trust God to do more than we could ask or imagine.
Speaking of transformation, we invite you to help us transform our church into a rainforest! Join us July 13–16, anytime between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., as we decorate and prepare for VBS. With projects happening throughout the church, you can come and go as your schedule allows. Whether you can stay for an hour or the whole day, your help will make a difference! Contact Bridget for more details: bheins202@gmail.com.
Bridget Heins
VBS Co-Chair
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