School’s out and it’s time for some summer fun! To combat the many controversial issues that have recently taken place in public schools all over the country, the Director of the VCC Missions Department, Mrs. Phyllis Finch, felt a prompting in her spirit to reach out to the public-school students in the community to celebrate the completion of their school year and to plant seeds of salvation and prayer into the children and their parents.
More than 70 students and their moms from apartment complexes nearby visited the VYB to attend the End-of-School Celebration! Members from the church who volunteered to help with the event gathered before it began to canvas South Oak Crossing and Shelton Knoll Apartment complexes to invite its residents to enjoy festivities such as music, open gym time, various carnival activities and games, and lots of free food, including hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, cookies, drinks, and ice cream!
During the event, the attendants split up into groups, and an encouraging message was shared with each group that catered to their age group. Mrs. Elizabeth Jenkins shared a salvation message with the 5-9-year-old students titled “Who’s Having the Most Fun Here?” Miss Gloria Cleveland shared a self-esteem building message with the girls age 10 and up called “Mirror”. Minister Caleb Smith shared a salvation message titled “Only Jesus Can Fill the Void” with the boys aged 10 and up. Lastly, Mrs. Gail Pharr shared some tips and encouragement with the mothers about “How to Have A Safe Summer.” She also gave them a prayer of divine protection for their children and shared some activities that their children can do over the summer vacation.
In addition to all the food, fun, and encouraging words, the families also received gifts such as toys and books to encourage summer reading. Information about upcoming church activities and services was shared to invite the families to attend, and resources were given to help encourage the families to apply for the Opportunity Scholarship and give their children a Christian education at VCCS.
The event was held on Tuesday, June 13th from 6-8 pm, and by the end of the event, 6 people were saved and 2 people received the infilling of the Holy Spirit! We encouraged all the families to allow God to plant them in a church and gave them a book from Pastor Marilyn Gool called “How to Choose the Right Church.” We give God all the glory for the ability to host this event and for the IMPACT it has had on the nearby communities! We couldn’t have done it without the support of our faithful members who volunteered to help with the event in various ways such as canvasing the neighborhoods to pass out flyers, setting up the activities and various stations for the event, cooking, distributing food, playing music and managing the audio, ministering to and praying for the guests, capturing photos and video footage as well as security on site to oversee the event! If you’re interested in supporting us at the next outreach event, stop by the Welcome Center before or after service to get more information!