VBX Pics

I finally got copies of VBX pics from the photographers. There's a total 1,150, so I cut through that and picked just a few for you to enjoy.

Here's a shot of our worship team:


And here's some shots of the crowd of kids (we even had the balcony full if you can tell that in the second pic):



Here's a shot of me on my "moon buggy" and one of me in one of our dramas:



Besides large group, the kids also had story time and outdoor games. We even rented a big slide on one day for them to enjoy:





And on the day of Leah's birthday, we did a big celebration for our fearless leader. First, we sang "Happy Birthday" and gave her a singing hat:

Then we brought out a cake and flowers, and if you look close you'll see a man in an orange shirt sneaking around behind her:

Next, our children's pastor sprayed her with silly string. The best part of that is that Leah had this great idea to buy him silly string the day before not knowing that we planted that seed with the intent of it being used on her:

Finally, I came out and posed with her:

And we moved the cake to the volunteer snack room:


Later in the week, I introduced Graham to the crowd. He's only been with us for a few months, so not everyone has been able to meet him. I didn't realize that he wanted to speak, so we didn't have a mike for him; that's why he's talking into my cheek. He wasn't trying to kiss me. It's not that kind of church. :)


And then it was all over. This is me driving back out at the end of the week on my "moon buggy."

VBX - Space Camp

Months after planning and writing began, VBX has finally come and gone again. Last week we had 662 kids packed into our church for VBX (Vacation Bible eXtreme - we don't want the kids to have to go to "school" in the summer). Our theme was Space Camp, and I was the Company Commander for the week as well as the 4th and 5th grade teacher. We had a great week with all the kids, and I do have thousands of pictures from various sources, but I haven't had a chance to go through them all and pick some for my post. I figured that you'd rather hear from me now and see pics later.

Most of the kids did traditional VBX stuff (games, crafts, teach, and small group sessions). We opted to handle 4th and 5th grade a little differently, though. They actually built bookshelves for My Friend's House, a local charity for foster children. It was a really cool project for the kids, and they all loved it.

We only had one injury this year: one of our 5 year olds managed to get his thumb wedged into the seat in the sanctuary during a large group session. We have folding seats (like a movie theater) and he got his thumb down near the hinge and got it stuck. His mom actually had to yank it out and then we took them to the emergency room for 9 stitches. I didn't actually see the injury because I was on stage during all of this, but I can only imagine what it would take to put 9 stitches in a 5 year old thumb.

Other than that, we had a ton of fun. I got to drive three wheeler around the sanctuary (which the kids loved, and I enjoyed, too), and I got to get all the kids wound up before sending them off with their leaders. We heard tons of stories of kids helping each other, telling others about what they are learning, and learning to trust Christ. It's probably my favorite week of the year.

Now it's time to start planning for next year. We're thinking of doing a Texas theme (maybe a rodeo or something). I think the other leaders just want to see if I'll ride an electric bull on the stage. :)