Vacation
Bible School
By:
Dr. Jeff Fuller
In a meeting a few weeks ago, I was listening to all
of the plans for Vacation Bible School.
Several of our twenty one churches are conducting VBS in the next two
months. Different themes, different
materials, but it is VBS time in Coosa County.
Here at Rockford, we will host Colossal Roller-coaster June 23-27.
VBS is so much fun and watching the kids have fun,
learn new things and make precious little mementos makes for an enjoyable
week. The bonus is when their eyes light
up because some truth has taken root in their life and it causes them to think
on a higher level-yes, I believe that is a true bonus. Additionally, I get a kick out of the ones
who travel from VBS to VBS and learn all of the Bible stories, the music and
moves, and the recreational games. These
are the ones everyone wants to come to their Bible School.
I have always loved VBS! When I was growing up, attending the classes
and as an adult teaching, and now as a pastor-Bible School has always been a
highlight of the summer activities for children. And there are some interesting stories I can
tell.
When I was in college, my home church worked a
Mission Vacation Bible School in a church in our county. The church was a small country church between
the community of Lebanon and the Town of Collinsville. It was a small church, with a great need for
reaching children. Ten or fifteen of the
youth from our church went down in the country to help with the Bible School.
It was a learning experience. Even though we submitted ourselves to a time
of training, it was still a hands on experience. We were prepared for something akin to the
joint services we participated in at First Baptist, the classrooms with walls adored
with art and posters detailing the areas of our study, and the elaborate
refreshments which went along with the theme.
What we forgot was small church, small classes, and
limited resources. Joint worship
entailed old songs none of us knew, classrooms meeting under tents or the great
outdoors, and cookies and kool-aid for refreshments. Not to mention recreation…
Recreation was a nature walk. We took time to lead the kids along the dirt
road, down to Will’s Creek and throw rocks in the creek, while talking about
the great outdoors and the creator Father.
This worked fairly well until a couple of the kids decided one morning
to jump in-clothes and all-to take a swim.
While retrieving the three boys who jumped into the creek, another one
did a belly flop in the middle of the creek, sunk under the water, disappearing
in the dark, cold water.
We thought he was going to re-emerge close to the
banks, until a girl came along beside me and said, “Sir, J.R. know not how to
swim.”
My friend next to me over heard the words and was
pulling her shoes off and heading through the air toward the middle of the
creek. Within seconds she was hauling
J.R. out of the water, up the bank and depositing him on the road.
J.R. was fine.
He was sputtering water, soaked to the skin and shivering from the fear
of jumping into the ten foot deep water, with no way of knowing how to get out.
We reassembled the kiddies, started back toward the
little country church and laughed and picked at J.R. as he sloshed along, his
tennis shoes making weird sounds with each step. The laughter stopped, the joy flushed and the
next few moments was a blur of activity.
This little church had a rather larger than life
matriarch. She was the mother of twelve
children and twenty three grand-children.
We did not meet the children, but the grand’s we did-they made up half
of the attendance that week in our Bible School. Momma carried a hickory switch everywhere she
went that week, and we were soon to find out why.
She was standing at the door of the church, one hand
on one hip and the other one with the switch bobbing back and forth. The look on her face was a mixture between
Mr. T. and Medea.
When we all made eye contact, the procession
stopped, there were whimpers among a couple of the children (evidently they
were grandchildren of T-Medea, and J.R. attempted to hide behind the nearest
oak tree.
The voice of the T-Medea boomed, startling the
Robins in the tree: “J.R. you come here now and not later! Now, boy, come here and don’t delay. The righteous and holy God is in the Temple
and justice is to be served from His table.”
I so wanted the ground to open up at that
moment. My friend grabbed my hand and
broke three fingers, as she attempted to calm her beating heart that was felt
in my hand.
J.R. stumbled forward, and stammered, “Momma…I
fell…fell in and that nice girl over there hoped me…she hoped me out of the…out
of the water. Oh. Momma,” he cried and
it was the sound of a wounded animal, “I swear…I fell in when…when Boyd pushed
me in…Boyd, you know Boyd…he pushed!
“Now, Boyd, boy you come, now!”
Boyd ran from the Sweet Gum tree he was hiding
behind and ran to his Grandmother’s side.
He beat J.R. who was still stumbling along in the direction, but not at
all in a hurry.
“I just fell in…” J.R. was trying to explain, but
T-Medea with that look and that switch cut him off…
“Boy, I ain’t got all day, get your thing over here,
now!”
J.R. at that moment burst into a trot and joined
grandmother and Boyd on the steps of the church. The next few moments are vividly etched in my
mind for all of eternity. The woman
commanded, “Reach down and do it now!
Grab those ankles and I’ll tell you when you might stand straight again,
if you can.
She swung the switch and hit the south end of the
north facing youngsters with one swipe.
With each one she counted and admonished.
“That’s one.
For the good book say we all are sinners…”
“That there is two.
God say that when a boy don’t obey, you tear his hind end up…”
“That’s three.
Yes, sir, we are to be righteous as He is righteous…”
“That one’s four.
If I spare this here rod, I spoil this here child…”
“That make’s five.
It will be unto your good will, Father, that these here children will
obey with stripes upon their skin…”
She stopped swinging that switch, she straighten her
rather large frame, and took a deep breathe.
The boys continued to hold their ankles, as tears fell from their
cheeks. No one moved for a moment.
Then T-Medea said, “Arise you workers of evil and
give praise to a Holy and just God who will not leave you to your own devices,
but will spare you, as if by fire.”
They stood straight up, raised their hands in the
air and mumbled something, I am not sure what, but there was a word of “Thanks,
but no thanks,” somewhere in between clinched teeth and tears rolling down
dirty cheeks.
Then T-Medea looked at me and my co-teacher, and
pointed the switch at us. At that very
moment I begged God to open the ground on which I stood and make me
disappear. But He did not do it and she
spoke firmly…
“Should you’uns have any more problems with any of
these children-mine or otherwise-you let me know and I will kindly take good
care of the problem. Now git!”
We went back to class. The reminder of the week present itself with
no problems, none whatsoever. Even the
teenagers who were working from my church; we all were as good as angels.
The Bible says, “The one who will not use the rod hates his son,
but the one who loves him disciplines him diligently.” (Proverbs 13:24
HCSB) Discipline reflects love. We do not like being disciplined, nor do we
care to discipline, but we know that when it is done in love, it will be for
the good of the individuals involved.
And oh, the love God has for His children that He would correct us and
conform us to His imagine.
Until next
time…
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