VBS 2009 video from mariners church on SmugMug

See photos from the Saturday Baptisms.

What a great closing program. Here is a look at all of the fun we had during the closing program. Thank you again to all of the volunteers who made this happen and thanks to all of you kids who came and made this such a fun week!

If you want to watch the slideshow that played at the beginning of our Friday night program, click here.

Great week! Check out some of the fun we had today in our Photo Gallery.

Also check out what the preschoolers did - Preschool Gallery.

Our volunteers were great! Here are some pictures to say thanks for all you did.

Check out the great fun we had on the fourth day of Midnight Museum 2009 in our photo gallery. Also, check out the preschool program photos here.

Today was another adventurous day at The Midnight Museum. It’s hard to believe that we only have one more day left of VBS. This has been an amazing week and we have loved getting to watch all the kids and adults, have so much fun. On Monday morning, the kids enter the Worship Center a little bit unsure and reserved, not quite knowing what to expect. But by day 4, the kids come running in, excited to get to their groups and see their new friends. And even while they are waiting for Tim to come out and start the morning worship, they are singing and doing the hand motions in the aisles!

Once again, Tim helped us kick off the day with an incredible time of worship! We’ve heard from the “Groove Team”, how touching it is to look out into the sanctuary and see almost 2,000 kids all worshipping together.

The drama team taught us today that God is always with us. We saw how Mr. Spaceman was lonely but with the help of Janitor Joe and his friends, he discovered he didn’t need to be. He learned that no matter where we are, God is always with us.

Today was pizza day at snack, always a favorite, which gave the kids enough energy to enjoy all the other rotations! While eating their snack, the kids were visited by the cast, and were able to get their t-shirts signed. As a special treat, Boomer, Bambi and Madame Curator were also on site, signing t-shirts and encouraging the kids to bring in their offering for the kids in Peru.

The kindergarten kids were treated to “Water Day” during recreation. There were huge inflated water slides, blow-up pools, and kids having good old fashion water fun! This is ALWAYS a highlight of their week! And don’t forget tomorrow is “Water Day” for the 1st-5th graders. Kids should wear their swimsuits under their clothes, and bring a towel.

At the Peru Exhibit (Missions), the kids were visited by some dancers from Peru, and were taught a new Peruvian dance. Make sure to ask your kids to show you what they learned… it’s super entertaining!

At the end of the day, as the kids enter the Worship Center for the closing program, they get excited as they anticipate the “RAWR” of the T-Rex!! You can hear the high-pitched scream of the kids all the way across the campus…it’s awesome!

The kids have been working hard to raise money for the kids in Peru, and as of today, have brought in $12,110.96. That means they only need $10,000.00 more by tomorrow to reach our goal of $22,000.00! Remember, if we reach our goal, not only will we get to help the kids in Peru, but we will get to “SLIME” Pastor Trisha and Tim Timmons!

See you all in at the Midnight Museum tomorrow!

Here are the pictures from the third day of Midnight Museum 2009 in our photo gallery. Also, check out the preschool program photos here.

Do you ever wake up with a song in your heart? Today, I woke up to the tune of Tim Timmons’ “A Thousand Amens”. It’s a song that he penned specifically for VBS and the kind of music that makes you want to dance a little jig and lift your hands in worship. Leave it to Tim to make the “Doxology” (and oldie but goodie) TOTALLY ROCK!

“Unfailing Love comes with the morning. It’s your faithfulness we sing at night. It’s your kindness Lord that leads to our healing. All glory to our Maker and a thousand amens!”

The lyrics of “A Thousand Amens” saturated my heart with unexpected emotion during today’s closing program. The significant truths of this song overwhelmed me with gratefulness as I recalled the day’s events.

Today, Day Three of VBS is no ordinary day… in fact, it’s very special. It’s traditionally known as “Salvation Day”. It’s a day set aside for each respective group guide to share how the good news of Jesus Christ and the “ABCs of Salvation” has transformed his or her life.

The ABCs of Salvation? Yep. Having eternal life with God is as easy as ABC. First we have to Admit that we are a sinner… no matter how hard we try, we simply miss the mark. Next, we Believe that Jesus Christ is God’s son who willingly came to die on the cross and pay the penalty for our sins so that we might have everlasting life. That really is good news! And lastly, we Choose to invite Jesus to be our Savior… our Forever Friend and follow Him. It’s really that easy!

Not only is the gospel shared but an opportunity is given to each child to make Jesus their Forever Friend. Today, 279 kids made Jesus their Forever Friend! Did you catch that? The eternities of two hundred seventy-nine children have been changed! Their names have been written in the Book of Life! All glory to our Maker and a thousand amens!

The beauty of VBS is that the lives of volunteers can be touched and transformed too. This is true of one particular sophomore guide. Her particular group was one with kids that had already made decisions for Christ earlier in their lives. But this tender-hearted 4th grade guide began to tell her story of her life B.C. (before Christ). “My life before Christ was rough” she started. “We were really poor and we lived at the Costa Mesa Motor Inn. My father was really abusive but I don’t think I should give the details.” The 4th graders huddled closer and one piped up and said, “Don’t worry, we’re old enough… we can handle it.” As the guide took a deep breath she weepily stated how her father tried to kill her mother and sister. “We tried to hide but he’d always find us… we ended up in a motel. Then one day, someone from Mariners came to our motel room and invited us to church”. Unfailing Love comes with the morning. “This person told us that our lives could be different with Jesus and invited me to VBS. I made Jesus my Forever Friend in first grade at VBS here at Mariners Church and my life has never been the same.” It’s your kindness Lord that leads to our healing. “I use to feel dirty but now I feel clean.” This was a very restorative moment for this young woman. For the first time in her life, she was able to look back at a painful time in her life and rejoice at what God had done. It’s your faithfulness we sing at night.

But that’s not all. Another student volunteer was able to utilize being bilingual to God’s glory. This volunteer was reassigned from one group to another yesterday to serve as a translator. She was disappointed. I mean, who wants to be reassigned, right? At first she was a bit embarrassed by the whole thing. She didn’t really want to speak Korean, but like a trooper, she leaned into what God what asking of her. Today, she realized that God planned this in advance and used her in a MIGHTY way. Her ability to be fluent in another language gifted her with the opportunity to translate the salvation message in the boys’ native language.

Today, Day Three was indeed Miraculous. There are SO many more stories to tell….but I think that the words of the “Doxology” sum up today best:

“Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. And a thousand amens! la la la la la la… la la la la la la”

Check out some of the fun from the second day of Midnight Museum 2009 in our photo gallery. Also, check out the preschool program photos here.

Please send any photos of your afternoon fundraising and Peru Missions activities to creativekids@marinerschurch.org

What a wonderful Day we had today on Day Two of VBS! The Joy of the Lord is evident in every child as they sing their hearts out to the Lord in the Worship Center. Our own Worship Leader, Tim Timmons wrote some wonderful songs for VBS. The children are learning through song how they can shine for the Lord and how they need not fear. They are also encouraged to share the Good News of Jesus Christ because they know JESUS is alive! How fun it is to see the entire Sanctuary, filled with  over 1800 campers and guides dancing for Jesus! Tim has a following of fans that are watching him, and as reported by a young boy camper, “only doing the hand motions Tim does”! The other ones are getting his music on CD to blast it on their way home and then jump on the beds at home. Thanks for the idea Pastor Trisha…it is truly contagious!  Everyone can experience this excitement at the Friday night closing program after the BBQ.

In Missions, volunteers taught that we are blessed to be a blessing! We see this every day in so many different areas. Today the children who join us from our Lighthouse Ministries brought toothbrushes and toothpaste to share with the children in Peru! The boxes outside of Missions filled during the day as children dropped off their hygiene products.

For our Offering for Peru, Team Tarantula brought in the most offering in our group effort towards raising $22,000 for our mission project in Peru. Keep having those lemonade stands and car washes and cookie sales! I understand our Beachside Campus is having a huge lemonade stand from 2-6pm on Thursday. If you are in the Huntington Beach/Fountain Valley area, stop by on Thursday to experience true community outreach.

We love our Guide and Assistant Guide Volunteers! You guys are amazing examples of service and dedication. We have moms and dads who have taken the week off work to be here loving our kids.  Snack time is a great time for those games in the handbook. One guide today played the Starburst game to get to know the kids better. One of the colors of starburst had the question, what do you want to be when you grow up. A 2nd grade boy proudly said he wanted to be a forensic investigator. When the next question was asked, how do you like to have fun on the weekends, he stated very seriously that he liked to dig for fossils in the backyard. When asked if he had found anything, he said yes, bones from a T-Rex!

VBS is also blessed by our 319 assistant guides. They are truly shining this week. We have an assistant guide who was willing to leave her assigned group and be an interpreter for children who spoke no English, only Korean. We have an assistant guide who, although waiting to get his braces off, chose to come to VBS and be an assistant guide. He made this decision even though it meant pushing off this much-awaited event for another month! He said, I would much rather be at VBS. These young guides are such great servants and they are fun to be around. Anywhere on campus you can see them laughing with the children, giving piggy back rides, and being examples of God’s love. We are blessed to have them.

All of the “Museum Exhibits” are staffed by wonderful volunteers who work hard to teach about Jesus. Paul comes alive again in Bible to show how he trusted God to help him escape in a basket! Ask your kids about the Bible lesson every day! The Photography team has created a very special memory of this year as each group was photographed today. Yesterday’s craft will hold this beautiful memory. No one goes hungry at VBS, even after all that dancing, since our snack team has healthy and tasty treats, today’s snack was carrots and chocolate chip cookies. This time may be some of your children’s favorite.

We all feel so blessed to be at VBS! The Lord is present and working in so many lives we just want to keep shining for him! See you all tomorrow at the Midnight Museum.

Check out some of the fun from the first day of Midnight Museum 2009 in our photo gallery. Also, check out the preschool program photos here.

Our first day of VBS “The Midnight Museum” opened with beautiful sunny weather and a campus filled with over 1,900 kids and 940+ volunteers and a vibe that shouted “This week is going to be a BLAST!”. From being introduced to all the lively museum characters that “come to life at midnight” in our opening drama, to learning about Paul having an extraordinary encounter with Jesus during the Bible drama, to learning about how kids in Peru live, and coming home and trying to wash their VBS t-shirts in a bucket or bathtub in our Missions center, to playing field hockey with swim noodles and beach balls, all morning long we saw huge smiles on kids as they made new friends and got to experience VBS, Mariners- style!

The theme verse that sets the tone for our week is from Hebrews 4:12, “For the Word of GOD is alive and powerful”, and that is what we hope your kids come away with this week… that the Bible is true, inspired by God and can change our lives in a powerful way.

Here are some of the stories we heard today:
In Missions, each child was asked to go home and try washing their VBS shirt the Peruvian way in a bucket or tub, using a bar of soap or laundry detergent and SCRUB, SCRUB, SCRUB. Kids are supposed to air dry their t-shirt. Within hours, we received many photos of kids going right home and immediately doing this, getting an idea of the contrast with the big o’ machine that we Americans always use! It is amazing to see how God places compassion and a desire to know how other cultures live in the hearts of our kids.

A mom told the story that  her daughters said immediately upon pick up that they needed toothbrushes and toothpaste to bring to VBS… before even saying hello! They are really committed to the cause and ready to serve the Peruvians!

Another guide asked our Missions volunteers how many toothbrushes we wanted. They said “as many as we can get!”. He then asked, “so what if I brought 1000?” to which they responded, “GREAT!”. God’s going to work in a big way this week… he is already starting to speak to the kids, volunteers, and moving their hearts!

One mom shared that upon coming home, her 4-year-old daughter went directly to the TV, using it as a mirror, and started practicing all the new hand motions and dance moves they learned from worship leader Tim Timmons and the Groove Team, using her Tinkerbell umbrella as a prop.

One of the Mariners pastors, Eric Heard had a role as Janitor Joe in the museum for this morning’s opening drama. Since he was Pastor of the Day, he later went to the new Chapel to be there for whoever came in for prayer. A mother and young child went in, and Eric noticed they had their VBS t-shirts on. With a big smile on his face, Eric asked the little girl what her favorite part of VBS was, and she promptly said “Janitor Joe!”, not at all recognizing Eric “out of costume”. That big smile on his face went even wider!!

In Bible, there was a part where Paul, prior to his conversion, is angrily out to find Christians and throw them into jail. In the drama, Paul asks the other cast members, where are all the Christians, so he can throw them into jail. To the surprise and blessing of the cast, an entire group of 3rd graders sitting near the front proudly raised their hands in identity with Christ, indicating their willingness to experience hardship, even jail, for Jesus.

These are just some of the stories we heard today. Tune in tomorrow for more neat stories as we see how God is impacting these young lives for Him this week!

Our program this year is going to be packed with crazy crafts, spectacular stories, fun, music, drama and much more. If you are new to VBS, be sure to visit our About page. To see photos of the fun we had at last year’s VBS, visit our Mariners photo gallery.