VBS with a twist W
By Julie B. Sevig
hen Amy Baker redesigned vacation Bible school at Glo- ria Dei Lutheran Church,
Rochester, Minn., about six years ago, she drew inspiration from Oprah. But “Big Give” isn’t fashioned aſt er
the talk show host’s favorite things episodes, during which she gave noteworthy products to the studio audience. Baker instead remembered Harpo Studio’s short-lived real- ity show Big Give, in which Oprah (and corporations) gave contestants money to give away to others. She wondered whether Bible
school, held the third week in June, could use a “big give” sort of twist Participants receive Big Give
details on the fi rst day of Bible school. T ey learn about (and receive a wish list from) their specifi c char- ity. T ey’re urged to contribute to the list by being creative and thinking of ways to make this their Big Give. “We tell them this shouldn’t be
your mom’s or dad’s money, but it can be birthday money, or money from chores, garage sales, lemon- ade stands, and your parents can match it if they want. T ey’re challenged to give big the best way they
know how,” Baker said, adding that a joy of the program is hearing how kids raised money to give away. On the last day of Bible school
(T ursday), the children deliver to the six nonprofi ts all they’ve gathered or purchased. T en they volunteer their time at/for the organization. Last year, 230 preschoolers
through fi ſt h-graders attended Bible school, both members and many from the community. T e preschool- ers fi lled 23 wagons with items for the humane society. Fiſt h-graders, on the other hand, gathered items for, and worked at, the local food bank. T e fi rst year when Baker called
charities to ask whether Gloria Dei’s children could volunteer, she was met with a good amount of push back, especially when she explained that some of the kids are in pre- school. But she chose age-appropri- ate charities for each age bracket (see box), and now when she calls they say, “We were hoping you’d be calling.”
Age groups, charities
• Preschool and kindergarten: In addition to their donations, the kids toured Paws and Claws, the local humane society. • First grade: In 2013 kids sup- plied 96 snack packs and nine gro- cery bags to the Friends Backpack Ministry, Gloria Dei’s partnership with two elementary schools that provides backpacks for families in need. • Second grade: Last summer second-graders delivered 184 grocery bags of food to the Ronald McDonald House, a temporary home for families seeking medical care for their children. • Third grade: In 2013 they fi lled a car with gift bags for Make-A-Wish, a foundation that fulfi lls wishes for children battling life-threatening illnesses. • Fourth grade: Last summer they fi lled a Humvee with 58 care packages for Operation Home Town Gratitude, a local school program that supports troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. • Fifth grade: Kids provided 320 pounds of food for Channel One Food Shelf, the regional food bank.
For more information, contact Amy Baker at children@gloria-dei. com.
More than 230 children and 120 vol- unteers participated in Bible school at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Rochester, Minn., last year. For the “Big Give,” kids gather supplies for local non- profi ts, where they also volunteer.
Author bio: Sevig is a sec- tion editor of The Lutheran.
32
www.thelutheran.org
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52