Wilderness Escape VBS at Bethel

KITCHENER, Ont. - This summer a wonderful Vacation Bible School was held weekday evenings from August 16-20 at Bethel Lutheran in Kitchener.

Twenty children participated each night, with six or seven volunteer helpers. A few parents stayed in the church parking lot and socialized the entire time—a muchneeded break for them!

The theme was “Wilderness Escape,” with the kids going back in time to the story of Moses and the Israelites. Each evening started out with the theme song projected on the big screen: “God Will Guide Us.” The children learned several more songs each day corresponding to the Bible lesson. One favourite was “There is Power in the Blood” and the ending song, “Shalom,” which means “peace.”

Each day the children visited different stations set up in our auditorium including the craft tables, games, snack table, and Moses’ tent, where they listened to the day’s featured Bible story. Moses and Malachi (the “wilderness whiner”) relayed the story in a fun skit form.

The five stories through the week were the Crossing of the Rea Sea, the Manna and Quail, the Amalakites, the Passover, and the Ten Commandments. Many visual elements were used to bring the stories to life. The kids especially enjoyed eating the manna (frosted flakes) and quail (marshmallow chicks), and painting the cardboard doorframe with red paint to represent the blood of lambs used during the Passover. The teaching reinforced that Jesus was the final sacrifice, the Lamb of God, who died for the sins of all.

Everyone left the week knowing that God is still with us and will never leave or forsake us.

Bettina Cook, Bethel Sunday School Superintendent