No. church is not on my to-do list. In August 2009 I stopped going to church after doing so since age 10. Indeed.
I had arrived at the annual family reunion meet-and-greet on Friday evening expecting to have an entire meal of salad. I discovered that the hostess who in previous years had decided such fare to be sufficient for vegetarian Adventists had prepared a well-rounded meal with tasty vegetable protein. I rejoiced and chewed with gusto.
Then on Saturday morning while passing through the lobby I was called to explain to new-to-me relatives that I wasn’t going to the family picnic wearing a suit and heels. Taking a deep breath, I prepared to tell those family saints that I am a Seventh-day Adventist going to Sabbath School and church, etc., etc., etc.
But although the mouth was surely mine, the words were clearly His: “I’m going to worship God.” Period. That explanation received affirmations wafting on an air of respect. So I added, “I look forward to chatting with you when I get back and change my clothes.” And I did.
So I don’t go to church any more in favor of going to worship the God whose love for me is apparent in His constant and creative handling of my challenges.
Early on Saturday mornings I still pass people engaged in their passions apparent by the crowded parking lots in the strip mall, the beauty shop, the bowling alley, and the yards of yard-sale merchandise. But now sail by them all on my way to worship God—at church for sure, but there is an entirely different ring to the experience and the explanation.
Paul talks about the difference between babes in Christ and the spiritually mature. I’ve finally gotten his message. So the change is more than vocabulary, embracing my attitude and my wardrobe. The spirit wrapped in “worship” overpowers any negatives I encounter within the building called church or any of the people therein who may rain on my parade. So church is not on my to-do list. I go to worship God with the spiritual grownups.
LEAD gets to local churches up to six months ahead of local Sabbath School programming, so we are giving local leaders a few file cards of information that can be used for VBS for two reasons:
First, as the old proverb confesses, “The best laid plans of mice and men have often gone astray.” Unforseen difficulties arise. Plans change. Leaders get stressed.
Some churches have not had VBS for a number of years. These programs offer hope and direction for starting again, starting where you are, and starting now.
1. The central theme for Vacation Bible School at the Cloverdale church in Boise, Idaho, led children to investigate “My Community.”
The information and activities revolved around how children can serve and witness for Jesus within their home, school, church, country—and their community. The children enjoyed (A) singing songs, (B) reciting memory verses, (C) hearing interesting Bible lessons and stories, (D) assembling unique crafts, (E) indulging in tasty treats, and (F) unveiling amazing discoveries in nature.
The attendance was consistent throughout the week: 35 children.
Watching a child’s eyes and face light up because they learned something new about Jesus is a heartwarming feeling that cannot be described.
And that was the purpose of this year’s Vacation Bible School at Cloverdale.
Story by Gerry Eslink, a Vacation Bible School volunteer for Cloverdale church.
2. In the long, hot, lazy days of summer, Vacation Bible School provides children with a fun, faith-based environment to learn about Jesus and build friendships.
Wilma Bing, Washington Conference family ministries director, says that local church volunteers have two purposes to fulfill with “Vacation Bible School programs:
1. To reach out to children and their parents.
2. To brings the entire church together for a common evangelistic goal.”
Through the years, Vacation Bible School has emerged as an effective way to bring Adventist and community children together for child-friendly evangelism.
“When I first got involved with VBS about 12 years ago, the majority of the kids were Adventist with only a handful of kids from the neighborhood,” says Linda Burman, VBS director fot the church in Auburn City, Washington. “Initially we found the process of integrating the neighborhood kids into our programs very difficult, as they were basically outnumbered. However, in the last couple years, the majority of kids attending VBS are from the surrounding neighborhood.”
Children in Kirkland (Wash.), Bellevue (Wash.), and Auburn City explored facing fears at Crocodile Dock, while children at Shelton Valley’s (Wash.) summer daycare camp discovered Bible royalty in Castles and Crowns. Graham (Wash.) children explored creation, while children at Auburn Academy Church visited “Rome” and the underground church in the church’s “Journey to Bethlehem” facility.
The Crocodile Dock theme, about not being afraid, was particularly relevant for a young boy with leukemia who attended the Bellevue VBS. The staff and children prayed for him to not be afraid of his treatment. When he came back, he said because of God, he hadn’t been afraid.
“VBS benefits our church,” says Dixie Robinson, Bellevue VBS leader, “because such a large percentage of people work together as a team to put on this evangelistic effort, which has a great impact on our community.”
Story by Heidi Martell, Washington Conference associate communication director
In-a-minute Resources
• Your local Sabbath School and Children’s Ministries directors.
• Candy DeVore, Children’s Ministries director, Review and Herald Publishing Association
Cindy Chamberlin, Gleaner managing editor, shared Vacation Bible School reports for 2009.
With the same patience God has to save his children, a French search and rescue team endured and rescued a Haitian girl from the rubble fifteen days after the deadly earthquake.“French rescuers pulled a teenage girl — very dehydrated, with a broken left leg and moments from death — from the rubble of a home near the destroyed St. Gerard University on Wednesday, a stunning recovery 15 days after an earthquake devastated the city.French Ambassador Didier le Bret praised the persistence of the French rescue team, which has kept looking for survivors for days after the Haitian government officially called off the search.”(Bull, Gregory and Fox, Ben. “Stunning Recovery: Haitian Girl Pulled from Debris.” www.news.yahoo.com. January 27, 2010.Accessed January 28, 2010.)
Just as the Christian walk often requires patience before we are able to see the fruit of our labor, campaigners waited years before they received their dream.“After a 17-year battle these tireless campaigners have proved persistence pays off.In 1992, after continually struggling to get across Longridge Road, in Ribbleton, Preston, community campaigners decided they needed a pelican crossing.After nearly two decades they have finally got their way.Rose Caine, 65, who led the campaign as part of the Longridge Road Tenants’ Association, said: “We want to say to people never give up on something. It has made a tremendous difference being able to cross.”(Robinson, Ben. “Tireless Campaign Wins Group Pelican Crossing.” www.lep.co.uk January 27, 2010.Accessed January 28, 2010.)
Jesus promises to give his people peace in a way that the world could never give even as world leaders must admit that their desires for peace were too ambitious.“President Barack Obama says his administration overestimated its ability to persuade the Israelis and Palestinians to resume meaningful peace talks.Obama says both parties have been unwilling to make the bold gestures needed to move the process forward. If the U.S. had anticipated that earlier, Obama says he might not have raised his expectations so high.Obama says the U.S. will continue to work toward a two-state solution in which Israel is secure and the Palestinians have sovereignty. His remarks came in an interview with Time Magazine published Thursday.”(Associated Press. “Obama: Expectations for Middle East Peace too High.” http://news.yahoo.com. January 21, 2010.Accessed January 21, 2010.)
Even in times of calamity, Haitian people of faith are able to find peace as they place their hope in God. “Carmella Delerme of Miami, Florida, said her mother clung to her Bible for days, reading psalms over and over again, as they waited for word on the whereabouts and condition of Delerme’s sister and other relatives.When her sister, who was in Haiti on a missionary trip with their Seventh-day Adventist Church, called late Thursday, Delerme said, ‘I went straight to church and prayed and prayed and prayed. We continue to pray for those who are lost and still in need.’On the streets of Port-au-Prince, with many of their churches crumbled, people have gathered to worship and sing Catholic and Protestant hymns.”(Ravitz, Jessica. “Haitians Everywhere United by Faith.” www.cnn.com. January 18, 2010.Accessed January 21, 2010.
The heart of God rejoices over the deliverance of his lost children, that he has gone through great lengths to save, in the same way one British couple rejoices over their twin sons that they spent tens of thousands to have.“Twins Ben and Walker are the pride and joy of a couple who spent £100,000 on fertility treatments in 25 years of trying for a child.Mum Monique Ward said yesterday of her two-week-old baby boys: ‘When I held them for the first time my eyes filled with tears.We’ve wanted this for so long it seemed unreal everything had finally come true. They’re our little miracles - both are perfectly healthy and neither of us can believe they are really here.’” (Chaytor, Rod.“Twins joy for couple who spent £100k in 25-year bid for a baby.”www.mirror.co.uk. January 14, 2010.Accessed January 14, 2010.)
Jesus warned believers that there would be tribulation in the world, and the devastation in Haiti is proof of that; yet, there is also comfort and joy in stories of hope.“Orphanages filled with scores of Haiti’s most vulnerable citizens — its parentless children —survived without losing a single child. A missionary lying trapped for 10 hours in the collapsed rubble that was once her mission was reunited with her husband, who drove hours to dig her out and take her to safety. A college student managed to send her worried parents a two-word text message that meant everything: ‘I’m OK.’” (Celizic, Mike.“Amid Haiti Horror, Stories of Survival and Hope.” www.msnbc.com. January 14, 2010. Accessed January 14, 2010.
There are some interesting episodes in the Bible where rejoicing takes place in the most difficult of circumstances. I think of Paul and Silas in prison yet they were singing hymns to God (Acts 16:25) and notably James who said we should consider it pure joy whenever we face trials of many kinds (James 1:2). Paul even said that we should rejoice in the Lord always - and this was said whilst a prisoner! (Philippians 4:4). How is this possible? I remember when I became a Christian about 30 years ago. My mother and father thought I’d gone mad and my sister wouldn’t even speak to me - I felt like an outcast in my own family! This indeed filled me with sorrow - yet at the same time I experienced joy. I wasn’t laughing uncontrollably or going around with a huge grin on my face but deep down inside I felt this joy. It was joy in the thought that there was a solid foundation in my life, that I knew Jesus as a friend and that one day He was going to make everything right. There was something to live for, a meaning to life which I hadn’t experienced before. This has always remained with me so that when trials come along I can see them in their proper perspective - they are simply temporary but Jesus is eternal! I believe that in order to maintain this joy we always have to focus on the larger perspective, the wider issue - that God is real and He’s coming back to take us home soon! By the way my sister speaks to me now and my mother doesn’t think I’m so strange after all!
Love is not something that we just say to others, but it sacrifices for others.“The traditional wedding vow line “in sickness and in health” has never been as true as it was for a New Iberia man who showed there are no boundaries when it comes to love.Brodie Dressel, 27, donated one of his kidneys in November to his wife, Cindy, who was dying of end stage renal failure.‘I pretty much made the decision to donate once I heard the diagnosis,’ Brodie Dressel said. ‘It pretty much had to be done.’” (Kirkpatrick, Ron. “Local Man Donates Life-Saving Token of Love.” www.katc.com. January 6, 2010.Accessed January 7, 2010.)
Love is a word defined by our actions towards those we know and those we don’t.“On a plane bound for O’Hare International Airport, Elsie Clark felt weak, scared and utterly alone – until she spotted a pair of shiny leather shoes across the aisle.What happened to the 79-year-old Canadian over the next 12 hours – she was embraced by a good Samaritan, escorted through O’Hare in a wheelchair and welcomed to a swanky high-rise for a dinner overlooking Lake Michigan – saved her from a traumatic stranding in Chicago.It also proved that, even in tough times, people can surprise each other with acts of kindness.”(Dizikes, Cynthia. “Good Samaritan Flies to Passenger’s Rescue. www.chicagobreakingnews.com. January 5, 2010. Accessed January 7, 2010.)
Just as God proves each of his people with test and trials, coaches aren’t just looking for skills on the court, but they want character.“Alexander Hamilton (Wis.) junior forward Darnell Harris, who scored 18 and 13 points in the team’s first two games against Socastee and Cedar Hill (Texas), respectively, played just eight first-half minutes Wednesday.Wildcats coach Tom Diener, however, said the benching was about attitude.‘He’s a heck of a player. He’s been good all year. He’s a valuable part of this team,” Diener said. “But he wasn’t playing the way he normally does last night and today. He’s a young kid, and part of our job as high school coaches is to build character.’”(Ripke, Ian G. “Beach Ball Classic Notebook:Coach Wants Character on the Court.” www.thesunnews.com. December 31, 2009.Assessed December 31, 2009.)
A person’s position in the church does not guarantee their spirituality, it is the fruit of a person’s life that will ultimately be judged.A former Catholic archbishop in Argentina has been sentenced to eight years in prison for sexual abuse of a seminary student in 1992, a court report said Wednesday.Former Archbishop Edgardo Gabriel Storni “acted with total impunity” and there was enough proof to convict him, Judge Maria Amalia Mascheroni said in the sentencing.“Being a rector of the faith, his injurious and immoral attitude contributed to the lack of credibility in the religious institution,” the judge is quoted as saying in a report by the Judicial Information Center, the nation’s official court news service.(“Argentine Ex-archbishop gets 8 Years in Sex Abuse Case, Court Reports.”www.cnn.com.December 30, 2009.Assessed December 31, 2009.)
Consequences of immorality affect the entire community. One person’s indiscretions can have damaging effects that extend far beyond the individual to the community of that person. “The private conduct - or misconduct - of Tiger Woods has brought with it potentially devastating public consequences to the sport of golf he has come to dominate, consequences that could add up to hundreds of millions of dollars.” (Jeff Greenfield, “Tiger Scandal Could Cost PGA Millions.” www.cbsnews.com. December 7, 2009. Accessed December 10, 2009.)
Tempters also pay for their role in immorality. Just as God punishes those who entice his people into sin, seven states still allow jilted spouses to file “alienation of affection” suits against the paramour. “Juries in North Carolina have handed out awards in excess of $1 million on multiple occasions.” In Mississippi, Chip Pickering, who served as a congressman for 12 years, decided not to run for re-election after allegations of an affair. Then, his wife, Leisha Pickering filed an alienation of affection suit against her husband’s mistress Elizabeth Creekmore-Byrd. “As a direct and proximate result of the negligent, wrongful and reckless misconduct and behavior of Creekmore-Byrd with Pickering,” the suit says, “plaintiff has suffered damage to the affection and consortium with her husband.” (Wayne Drash, “Beware cheaters: Your Lover’s Spouse Can Sue You.” www.cnn.com. December 8, 2009. Accessed December 10, 2009.)
