Suburban Church "Explores!" Asia

Sometimes I get a little squirmy when I see VBS (Vacation Bible School) signs outside the front of a church.  And in our area, there are plenty of churches and plenty that offer VBS to their local communities.  I get a little squirmy because I've helped with a few of these in the past, and I've come to feel a little skeptical about them.  My experience with VBS programs is that they tend to be a little cheesy while trying to cram a ton of excitement into kids with the hope that they will see how fun God is and how awful hell is and will be able to make some theological claims that will ensure them life-in-heaven-with-God-forever (or at least will memorize a few Bible verses).  I'm just not convinced that a one-week cram course about Jesus is the best way for kids to make thoughtful decisions about how to relate to their Creator or what to make of the afterlife.  Of course, I am generalizing here and speaking from my own prejudice.  There are surely some rocking, cool VBS programs out there doing some wonderful good.  Let's hope so!


Anyway... enough of my deconstructing of Vacation Bible Schools.  What I really wanted to share about was a VBS (we call it Explore!) which happened last week with my community of faith, Koinos.  This one I really was excited about!  And quite proud to invite friends to. I'm privileged to know some very talented and creative people who put tons of energy into making Explore! an exciting, and hopefully meaningful, experience for kids last week.

So what made this VBS unique?  Well... for starters... we didn't put an emphasis on kids having to make any decisions at the end of the week.  Yes, there were stories about Jesus and God's love for the world, but the stories were told in a way to invite wonder and curiosity and inspiration, not in a let-me-tell-you-how-this-all-works sort of way.

  Moreover, the theme was anything but cheesy.  We explored Asia!  Each night the kids learned about a different country's culture... from Thailand to Nepal to China. They tasted cultural snacks--naan bread from India and rice pudding from Bangladesh--and drank a different kind of tea each night.  They played a marble game from Japan and raced on coconut shells like kids in Bangladesh like to do. They made head rings and carried baskets on their heads like Nepali children.

They learned about kids who work in sweatshops and the importance of education.  They learned about the problem of waste and the importance of caring for the earth.  They learned about the earthquake in Japan and had the opportunity to raise money and stencil messages on a quilt that will be given to victims of the earthquake through MCC.  And most importantly, I would like to believe that they went away with a taste of God's love for the wonderfully diverse and beautiful people in this great big world in which we live.


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Koinos Summer Campaign

Sometimes I feel worried.  Worried that my kids are spoiled.  Worried that they are too narcissistic.  My seven-year-old had a near meltdown this morning when I said no to his request for having a friend over today.  He must honestly suffer from short-term memory loss.  Do you realize, Dylan, that you have been with friends every day this week so far?  Did you hear that I said you could have a friend over tomorrow?  Do you know that the world doesn't revolve around you???

Yeah, my kids have it good.  Really good.  Thus, part of my suburban gal complex.  And another reminder to me how important it is to challenge their experience, broaden their perspective.  This week offered a great opportunity for that.

Our faith community Koinos holds an annual campaign every summer, where we canvas close to 10,000 homes in a four-day period, dropping off at every door a plastic bag and a list of items needed at Berks Women in Crisis.  We then drive around with pickup trucks and minivans on a Saturday morning and collect all of the donations left on our neighbors' front porches.   From there, the items are carted to an undisclosed location where staff await with open arms and tears in their eyes, grateful for the largest donation they receive each year.  Needless to say, it is a very cool experience. 

The kids and I participated in yesterday's morning shift and then again as a family in this evening's shift.  Sure, it's not that life-changing.  They get to walk around with their friends up and down sidewalks and driveways for a couple of hours.  But it does get tiring; they do get hungry; and sometimes it's rainy or real hot.  And they get to hear from Mom and Dad how these donations are going to help a lot of moms and kids who need diapers and shampoo and cereal, etc.... Moms and kids who don't even have a safe home, if any, to stay at.


So, yes, my kids are a little spoiled.  They certainly are extremely lucky.  But once again I must choose to turn that "survivors guilt" into motivation to use our privilege as a blessing.  We have strong legs, full bellies, and time.  That's more than enough to be grateful for.