Monday, November 30, 2009
Boomerang Buzz: Day One (Follow Him)
G’day mates! Welcome to the first day of Vacation Bible School – Boomerang Express! It is a bright, cool and sunny morning at the Outback! Praise God for the awesome weather (no rain!). The Kidaroos came rushing excitedly into FBC grounds for registration at 8 am, some even earlier before the registration tables were manned! Upon registration, they lined up according to their classes and awaited the march into the Music Opera House. Every morning will begin with a march into the hall, followed by the singing of the National Anthem and the recital of the Pledge to the Bible. This instills discipline and patriotism in the Kidaroos hearts.
Today at Music Opera House, a special guest showed up and caught the Kidaroos by surprise! Simon Peter came with his fishing net and taught the Kidaroos the meaning of “Peter” in Hebrew, which means “Rock”. Building up on Peter’s story, the Kidaroos learnt Bible Stories of Peter from Matthew 4 and John 1 in classrooms today. These stories taught the Kidaroos that because Jesus loves and chooses them, they can follow Him. They should also trust and obey Jesus when Jesus calls on them.
Bible Verse for Day One:
As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love. – John 15:9
At Recreation Rock, the Kidaroos got to know each other better through icebreaking games. These games proved to be a success as the Kidaroos learnt most of their friends’ names almost immediately and had fun at the same time!
Invitations to the Family Day, Sunday School Open Day and Thanksgiving & Awards Party were distributed to the classrooms today. Please reply with your RSVPs by Tuesday (tomorrow)!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
ONE MORE DAY!
All Aboard for the Land Down Under!
It is ONE day before this church experience an avalanche of 392 kidaroos, from 8 am till 6:30pm; frenzied clambering, excited shouting, joyful laughing for one whole week of fun-filled, back breaking, jaw dropping Vacation Bible School. We have 180 brave and courageous outbacks guides, prepared in body and spirit to lead the way.
This year we are going to the Land Down Under, riding the rails on the Boomerang Express as we crisscross from Worship Rally Central to the Bible Study Outback. Along the way we will sing at the Opera House, learn to share the good news at the Missions Harbor, get creative in Crafts Crossing, play hard at Recreation Rock and stuff ourselves silly at the G'day Cafe.
Not only will the kids get a glimpse of the amazing scenery and unique country of Australia, they will also and more importantly, discover the amazing truth that Jesus Christ desires to have a unique and personal relationship with them. They will learn 5 truths for 5 days:
1. Because Jesus loves and chooses me, I can follow Him
2. Because Jesus is the Son of God, I can worship Him.
3. Because Jesus died for me, I can confess Him as my Savior.
4. Because Jesus forgives me, I can still serve Him.
5. Because Jesus helps me, I can follow God's plan for me.
Beginning with the apostle Peter's first introduction to Jesus, kids will follow Peter's growing relationship with His Savior and Lord. Kids will be encouraged to begin their own journey with Jesus. Whether they are just being introduced to Jesus, are ready to begin a life of following Jesus, or have already accepted Jesus as Savior, kids will discover how important it is to have a relationship with God's son. No matter where kids find themselves, they will learn that 'It All Comes Back to Jesus'.
Let me backtrack and remind ourselves why we are doing this. The committee has been planning since April. The volunteers have been working tirelessly to prepare their lessons, games , snacks, songs and dance, crafts since August. Why are we doing this?
It is because VBS offers a unique opportunity for us to open up our church to a big group of kids and parents who have not heard about Jesus and who have not been to church before. VBS brings the harvest right before us, to our doorsteps and it is our duty and responsibility as God's people to share the good news, to touch their lives with God's love, and to point the way to Jesus.
VBS is an evangelistic outreach program. The heart and essence of this ministry is that we teach our own church kids to be a missionary and to reach out to an unchurch friend and invite them to church. Our own kids have been blessed with Sunday School throughout the year. Through VBS we are teaching them not to be inward looking but to be outward looking, not just to concentrate on ourselves but to reach out to the world around us. Children take their cue from their parents. If they see us reaching out to others around us, it is something very natural for them to do as well. If you are one of the parents whose kids do not get to attend because he/she could not find a passport, we hope you understand - VBS is an evangelistic outreach program.
A personal story to share. A lady from another church shared this to us. She attended our VBS years ago, and accepted Jesus through VBS. She attended VBS three years in a row. Now , her mum and her mum's twin sister are currently attending our Cantonese service. This is just one of the many testimonies of how VBS has impacted childrens' lives.
Prayer is the foundation for a successful VBS. If you are not one of the volunteers actively involved in VBS, you can and should certainly pray along with us, and for us. We have distributed a one month prayer calendar, and in it are the many items you can pray for. Pray together as a family, pray with your fellow volunteers, pray individually - just pray!
VBS does not end after one week. The spirit of VBS should carry on through all of us throughout the year. The VBS scripture this year is 1 John 4:9 God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Let us enlarge our vision, and our hearts, and take up this challenge and do our part in sharing God's love. VBS week is only the beginning of this journey. We have the rest of the year to continue to reach out to these unchurch families that have begin their journey with us. For the parents who have invited these unchurch kids, they are not just a convenient passport so that your own kids can attend VBS. They are kids that God has put in your lives, and you have to ask yourselves, what are we going to do about this? Volunteers who have helped during VBS week. You will come into contact with nearly 200 unchurch kids this week. How are you going to carry on influencing them after VBS? What can you do so that the seeds you have planted during VBS week will not die but germinate?
Come aboard the Boomerang Express! Each one of us have a part to play in order for the train to move in the right direction. We hope that one day, when we reach our final destination, we will see lots of passengers, tickets paid by Jesus, in God's train.
It is ONE day before this church experience an avalanche of 392 kidaroos, from 8 am till 6:30pm; frenzied clambering, excited shouting, joyful laughing for one whole week of fun-filled, back breaking, jaw dropping Vacation Bible School. We have 180 brave and courageous outbacks guides, prepared in body and spirit to lead the way.
This year we are going to the Land Down Under, riding the rails on the Boomerang Express as we crisscross from Worship Rally Central to the Bible Study Outback. Along the way we will sing at the Opera House, learn to share the good news at the Missions Harbor, get creative in Crafts Crossing, play hard at Recreation Rock and stuff ourselves silly at the G'day Cafe.
Not only will the kids get a glimpse of the amazing scenery and unique country of Australia, they will also and more importantly, discover the amazing truth that Jesus Christ desires to have a unique and personal relationship with them. They will learn 5 truths for 5 days:
1. Because Jesus loves and chooses me, I can follow Him
2. Because Jesus is the Son of God, I can worship Him.
3. Because Jesus died for me, I can confess Him as my Savior.
4. Because Jesus forgives me, I can still serve Him.
5. Because Jesus helps me, I can follow God's plan for me.
Beginning with the apostle Peter's first introduction to Jesus, kids will follow Peter's growing relationship with His Savior and Lord. Kids will be encouraged to begin their own journey with Jesus. Whether they are just being introduced to Jesus, are ready to begin a life of following Jesus, or have already accepted Jesus as Savior, kids will discover how important it is to have a relationship with God's son. No matter where kids find themselves, they will learn that 'It All Comes Back to Jesus'.
Let me backtrack and remind ourselves why we are doing this. The committee has been planning since April. The volunteers have been working tirelessly to prepare their lessons, games , snacks, songs and dance, crafts since August. Why are we doing this?
It is because VBS offers a unique opportunity for us to open up our church to a big group of kids and parents who have not heard about Jesus and who have not been to church before. VBS brings the harvest right before us, to our doorsteps and it is our duty and responsibility as God's people to share the good news, to touch their lives with God's love, and to point the way to Jesus.
VBS is an evangelistic outreach program. The heart and essence of this ministry is that we teach our own church kids to be a missionary and to reach out to an unchurch friend and invite them to church. Our own kids have been blessed with Sunday School throughout the year. Through VBS we are teaching them not to be inward looking but to be outward looking, not just to concentrate on ourselves but to reach out to the world around us. Children take their cue from their parents. If they see us reaching out to others around us, it is something very natural for them to do as well. If you are one of the parents whose kids do not get to attend because he/she could not find a passport, we hope you understand - VBS is an evangelistic outreach program.
A personal story to share. A lady from another church shared this to us. She attended our VBS years ago, and accepted Jesus through VBS. She attended VBS three years in a row. Now , her mum and her mum's twin sister are currently attending our Cantonese service. This is just one of the many testimonies of how VBS has impacted childrens' lives.
Prayer is the foundation for a successful VBS. If you are not one of the volunteers actively involved in VBS, you can and should certainly pray along with us, and for us. We have distributed a one month prayer calendar, and in it are the many items you can pray for. Pray together as a family, pray with your fellow volunteers, pray individually - just pray!
VBS does not end after one week. The spirit of VBS should carry on through all of us throughout the year. The VBS scripture this year is 1 John 4:9 God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Let us enlarge our vision, and our hearts, and take up this challenge and do our part in sharing God's love. VBS week is only the beginning of this journey. We have the rest of the year to continue to reach out to these unchurch families that have begin their journey with us. For the parents who have invited these unchurch kids, they are not just a convenient passport so that your own kids can attend VBS. They are kids that God has put in your lives, and you have to ask yourselves, what are we going to do about this? Volunteers who have helped during VBS week. You will come into contact with nearly 200 unchurch kids this week. How are you going to carry on influencing them after VBS? What can you do so that the seeds you have planted during VBS week will not die but germinate?
Come aboard the Boomerang Express! Each one of us have a part to play in order for the train to move in the right direction. We hope that one day, when we reach our final destination, we will see lots of passengers, tickets paid by Jesus, in God's train.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Decor Pictures (introduction)
While we continuously strive to best provide all you readers with a glimpse (through plenty of pictures) of what has taken place over the past weeks, please note that the following posts are picture-intensive and might take a longer-than-usual duration to load.
Do bear with us, while we attempt to come up with the best way for you to digest these pictures. Till then, lay back, relax and enjoy them! Now click "Older Posts"! Cheers mate!
Do bear with us, while we attempt to come up with the best way for you to digest these pictures. Till then, lay back, relax and enjoy them! Now click "Older Posts"! Cheers mate!
The BOOMerang Collection. Try and spot yours!
Thank you all for your submissions. A 5-part exclusive is up next!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
