Teach Me Your Ways
By Sebastian Conner
I didn’t grow up in the church. When I started consistently attending during my freshman year in high school, I was introduced to a lot of things that did not make sense. One of those things was “VBS.” Seeing it for the first time from the outside in really confused me. In almost an instant, the church was transformed into something a little more colorful on the inside. Gone were the bland, cream walls, and within a few minutes, parchment paper covered everything in sight as part of the decorations. Things were craftly thrown together to create a whole new world. Nothing was left undecorated within that short time span. I’m pretty sure there was a kid who was accidently included as part of the decorations.
When things started, what seemed like millions of kids flooded the building, and where chaos should have ensued, joy and excitement replaced it. My job at that time was to help with snacks and taking food to the classrooms. When I wasn’t busy sneaking a bite, I got to witness many other things. There was loud singing that I had no clue about and no interest in, yet I could never seem to get the melody out of my head. There was a rec time that included random things being tossed, and kids running around while giggling. I witnessed masterpieces of glue, glitter and wooden dowel concoctions within the craft room. The missions room introduced me to the thought that not everyone in the world knew about Christ or even had a Bible. Then everything ended in a glorious song and dance that included all age groups. Everyone left, and then it happened again the next day.
It was contagious in a good way. The joy, the excitement, the energy. Thank goodness it was for a week because one day was not enough. The more I helped each year, the older I became and the more I saw the impact on a Kingdom level. I began to see VBS more than what I witnessed that first week. I began to see the impact it makes on the community and the lives of kids. VBS was the biggest opportunity to reach the community because in the middle of the controlled chaos and fun, the Gospel Message was intertwined in every aspect to be delivered to kids who normally wouldn’t hear because they never attended church. Kids recognized Jesus as their Lord. Souls were saved. Lives were changed. Families were impacted. VBS is the best way to reach both kids and their families. That was true for me as a freshman munching during snack duty, and it still is today, many years later as the Interim Children’s Minister here at CRBC. We welcome the opportunity to reach our backyard and our community through VBS, with open arms and softened hearts. This year’s theme is Twists & Turns, and the message is “Following Jesus Changes Everything.” Our verse is Psalm 25:4, “Make your ways known to me, Lord; teach me your paths” (CSB).
The prayer is that kids will discover that Jesus guides us through all the twists and turns of our lives, and we see this through Peter’s encounters with Jesus. As we look forward to this outreach week, we ask for prayers in the following areas:
-Pray that the kids’ hearts are opened to hearing the Gospel, and their minds are focused on God.
-Pray for our volunteers and teachers as they prepare and teach. The guides as they foster relationships with the kids. The rest of the helpers (both morning and afternoon) as they create opportunities for the kids to learn more about God.
-Pray for Dondra and Sebastian (that’s me). That the stress of the minor details is replaced with the overwhelming joy of getting to create an environment for kids to hear the Gospel.
-Pray for the families. That conversations are started regarding God, and that the family atmosphere in this community is changed to a focus on God.
Something special that we do here at CRBC KIDS is to add an afternoon session open to all kids. They may choose from soccer, basketball, cheer, art, music – choir and Lego design. We have amazing teachers in each of these areas who are excellent leaders. During these afternoon tracks, we also have a specific time for a devotional to be taught. This is a fantastic opportunity for kids in the summer to learn/discover something new, while also getting to learn more about God.
Our goal this VBS week is to create an environment that excites and encourages kids about God so much that it captures the dinner conversations each night. We pray that both kids and their families grow closer together with God.
If you would like to help, contact Sebastian at conner@councilroad.org. We can never have too much help for both the morning VBS and the afternoon tracks.
Author Bio
Sebastian is currently the Interim Children’s Minister at CRBC. He has served on staff in the local churches within children’s, youth, college and young adult ministries. He has spoken at different youth events and taught several breakout classes. Prior to getting radically saved at the age of 30, Sebastian lived in the corporate world as a supply chain manager specializing in process improvements, served on national boards regarding electronic integrations and spoke at conferences on various subjects. Sebastian is currently finishing up his last class to complete his Master’s in Apologetics at Oklahoma Baptist University. He is married to Kara, and they have four lovely daughters.