B.O.O.T. Camp VBA 2012
Vacation Bible Adventure (VBA) is, as always, an exciting week for us at the Madison Heights Church of the Nazarene. This year our theme is B.O.O.T Camp. We are encouraging our children to be all that God wants them to be.
During the VBA week, June 25-29, 2012, we will update this post with daily highlights and links to that day's photo gallery. Be sure to check back throughout the week for the lastest updates.
Monday, June 25, 2012: During the opening ceremony, the children learned some military basics to go along with the theme. They were taught how to stand at attention and even march. They recited the Pledge of Allegiance, the Pledge to the Christian Flag, and the Pledge to the Bible. From their Bible Outlook, they learned that sin, our disobedience to God, weighs us down and that we need Jesus to free us from our sins. Our Tactical Outreach time taught us the importance of sharing that message with others. We don't do the saving; Jesus does. See Monday's photo gallery.
Monday's Scripture Verse: "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong" (1 Corinthians 16:13, NIV).
Tuesday, June 26, 2012: Today the children learned about respect when they were taught the proper way to salute. Drill Sgt. Willgo, Private Waire, and Private Meeh worked through this issue with a pizza and a discussion of God's character. God certainly is great. In their Bible Outlook time, they used different objects to describe His character. For example, a first aid kit was used to show that He is a healer, especially of broken hearts. With such a wonderful "Commander-in-Chief," our Tactical Outreach encouraged us to show this by loving others. See Tuesday's photo gallery.
Tuesday's Scripture Verse: "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit" (1 Peter 3:18, NIV).
Wednesday, June 27, 2012: We had some water flying in the sanctuary as Private Meeh and Private Waire were fine-tuning their weapon skills. The only issue was that Sgt. Willgo was an involuntary participant. Our mission today was to learn about the enemy's (the devil's) attacks and how to defend ourselves to avoid them. We also learned how important it is to read God's Word and pray. He will help us protect our minds and hearts from the evils around us. See Wednesday's photo gallery.
Wednesday's Scripture Verse: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7, NIV).
Thursday, June 28, 2012: Anytime you talk about the full armor of God with children, you have a good time. The evil of this world is constantly attacking to distract us from the Lord and His salvation. This day we stressed the importance of protecting our faith and advancing in it by putting on the full armor of God. The armor includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with readiness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit. We also included another piece to the armor that is found in Ephesians 6:18 (tailend of the armor of God section): "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." We especially wanted the kids to see how important prayer is to keeping our armor together. See Thursday's photo gallery.
Thursday's Scripture Verse: "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." (Ephesians 6:11, NIV).
Friday, June 29, 2012: Friday always seems to be an exhausting day for both the volunteers and the kids. We wish it could go on for another week because of the spiritual victories. Yet at the same time, we are tired and just want to sleep. In either case, we still encouraged the kids to tell others about Jesus. Our theme for the day was to "go into all the world, preach the Good News of Christ, and make disciples of all nations." It is so important to let everyone know how much the Lord loves them and why they should seek Him as Savior. You see, Jesus is coming back, and we need to be ready for His return and help other to be ready as well. In fact, you may want to check out our Jesus page to find out more. See Friday's photo gallery.
Friday's Scripture Verse: "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done." (Revelation 22:12, NIV).
Sunday, July 1, 2012: We held our closing ceremony during our Sunday worship service. The kids did a wonderful job of leading in the songs and reciting their memory scripture. Toward the end of the service, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta Companies were brought up in turn. Each child was given their dog tags for completing B.O.O.T. Camp. Prizes were distributed along with some receiving a small camo New Testament for effort above and beyond. After our picnic, Pastor fulfilled his part of the challenge that the kids met. Below is that video with the kids that stayed around:
