The church is alive and buzzing with activity this week as over 50 children from the community have been gathering each morning to participate in our Vacation Bible Camp. This year’s theme is Kingdom Rock : Where Kids Stay Strong for God!

I'm sure it will be some time before I will be able to get the theme song out of my head. It is a very catchy tune...

"And we we will stand together, stand forever, we will stand STRONG! Standing up for God each day, we will stand STRONG!!

Watching the children do the actions and sing along at the top of their lungs has been something to behold. There is no doubt that adults, teens and children, alike have been praising God. And I believe the children have been teaching us that it is okay to look silly while we sing praise songs, to laugh out loud, to scream out bible verses and just enjoy learning about God. There is a inexplicable joy and excitement in the place.

Each morning I have the wonderful opportunity of meeting with parents as they drop off and pick up their little ones. One particular encounter caused me to pause and reflect on our role as the church. I was chatting with a lovely woman who has lived in the area for over 16 years. Her 8 year old son was attending VBC for the very first time. As we chatted she shared with me her desire to train up her son with spiritual and moral values but found it hard to go it alone, given that she did not belong to a church and had no faith of her own. What I found interesting was that she found her way to us.

What will our response be?

I believe that families are our greatest untapped mission field. Today, families are struggling in very real ways as the competition for their time and energy becomes more invasive. By family I am not just referring to the “traditional” notion of family: mom, dad and 2.5 kids (what exactly does the .5 refer to anyway???). No, family means YOU … and whatever form your family may look like. The role of the church should be to support families in their effort to be faithful and to equip parents in raising children into faith. My conversation with the young mom earlier this week reminded me of the important responsibility we have, as the church.

This Friday night, the volunteers, children and their families will gather at the church at 5:30 p.m. for the VBC barbecue. We encourage you to join us in welcoming the children and families of this community to the greater Amberlea Church family – there will be yummy hot dogs and wonderful entertainment.

Then join us on Sunday morning at 11 am as we begin a two part sermon series on parenting. I'm sure there will be a surprise or two, so come. We look forward to worshipping with you!