During the first week of school summer break, a group of passionate volunteers from Seventh-day Adventist churches in the Hamilton area of New Zealand, gathered at the Hamilton Central Seventh-day Adventist Church to run a Vacation Bible School program (VBS). The program’s theme was: “Treasured”.
“The group of children [that attended] was a good mixture of churched and unchurched kids from within our community, with some children genuinely hearing about God’s love for the very first time,” explained Volunteer Ruth Varty.
All 15 students in the Hamilton Central Juniors Sabbath School class (aged 9-12 years) were given an opportunity to step up as leaders and help plan the VBS program under the mentorship of Mrs. Varty, .
“They served with great enthusiasm as they learned how to lead other children to Christ; the experience for all who attended, including the volunteers, was empowering,” said Mrs. Varty. “It was intergenerational service at its best, from the youngest team member being nine years old to the oldest in their mid-70s.”
Each day, children were given the opportunity to explore the “jungle” by going through rooms and hallways that were decorated with ancient ruins, trees, plants, and jungle critters. Each day, the activities revolved around one central Bible point and one jungle animal each day so that children could remember and take home a clear message: God knows you, God hears you, God comforts you, God forgives you and God chooses you, respectively. These messages were taken into the homes of families that may have never read the Bible before.
“Each day, as a team, we were privileged to hear incredible testimonies from parents and leaders about the impact the program was having on their kids,” said Mrs. Varty. “Little children grasping how treasured they are to their Creator God.”
“Hamilton Central chose to run a VBS as a way to reach kids in the surrounding community. . . to help them navigate themselves through a broken and uncertain world where so many are left to feel unworthy or hopeless, and learn that they are loved and valued by their Creator God.”
This article was originally published on the website of Adventist Record