If you’ve come by the church over the past week, you have heard children playing, songs being sung, crafts being crafted, and the word “Hope” shouted with enthusiasm. You would see youth leading and an intergenerational team of volunteers creating an incredible experience for our campers. Each year, I marvel at the way people come together to make VBC a powerful and caring experience for our children and our larger church. This week was no different, as over 90 volunteers helped our campers experience the story of Daniel and the promise that God is with us.
On Sunday, you will have the opportunity to experience just a taste of camp. On the Atrium wall, you will see large flowers blooming. Each petal represents a prayer. Some are easily discernible, others require a careful eye, and a few have a random game of tic-tac-toe preserved in a magic marker, but each individual petal is a prayer offered by one of our campers. Later in the day, youth volunteers combined the petals to make different flowers. One commented, “It’s like they trusted us with their prayers and now we’re holding them.”
It’s humbling to think of the chain of connections. On Sunday, you will see the completed flower; a flower formed and completed by a young volunteer, made of petals decorated by a camper, that were first cut out by a volunteer in early May. A prayer that started as a piece of construction paper and ended in a burst of color. A prayer that all of us can take a little responsibility for. But it is a prayer that doesn’t end. As you are walking towards Congregational Hall, I have one favor to ask. You will notice the names of our campers written on the stars. I ask you to pause for just a few seconds, choose a name, and offer a prayer for that child. A prayer asking that they will continue to experience God’s close presence no matter where they go next, a request that God holds them close, like a petal in our hands.
A special thank you to everyone who helped make camp such a special experience: our families who trusted us with their children for the week; our campers who brought energy and joy throughout our campus and into the community; staff and volunteers who worked behind the scenes; volunteers who planned, prepared, and led our activities; youth who gave their summer to serve others; and a loving God who held it all together.
Just in case you missed out this year: VBC 2027 is only 360 days away! 🙂
