VBS at Cross Walk Church:
A Summertime Blessing

Exchanging to-do lists for bucket lists. A thick wedge of sun-ripened watermelon that drips between your fingers as you eat it. Enveloping your giggling preschooler into your arms as he zips off the end of the waterslide. God's summertime blessings are some of my all-time favorites.

Do you want to know another huge summertime gift? Vacation Bible School (VBS) programs. They are a total win-win. Not only do busy parents get a bit of a break from kidlet-duty for a few evenings, but, much more importantly, the children are learning about and growing closer to Jesus in a fun and meaningful way. And, you guys, we discovered an ah-mazing VBS program this summer, and I have to share it with you.

While part of me wants to register my children for all the VBS programs (and, trust me, there are a lot in the area), I am ever cognizant of overscheduling my children and am, therefore, quite selective about which VBS programs my children participate in. What drew me to the VBS program at Cross Walk Church was the rich content, which focused on five foundational Biblical principles: Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), Sola Gratia (Grace Alone), Sola Fide (Faith Alone), Solus Christus (Christ Alone), and Soli Deo Gloria  (God's Glory Alone). (I later discovered that the premise was actually developed from scratch by my friend Charene's husband Jason who is a pastor at Cross Walk and my other friend Rachel!) In terms of what my children would be learning, I was totally sold. I mean, they'd even be learning a little Latin!

Given the rich educational content, I suspected that my children might find the program a bit, er, academic. But they had an absolute blast!! We've participated in several VBS programs over the years, and I have to tell you that I have never seen my kids more excited to participate in a particular program. The team at Cross Walk made the material so much fun. The theme was centered around the children embarking on the "Sola Trail," so each night after they learned about a new Sola, they arrived at a destination such as "Glory Summit." The decorations were colorful and exciting and really put the kids in the mood to embark on some trails and learn about their Savior! My kids loved the songs, and they were crazy about the crafts, and especially the snacks. (Haha, boys and their stomachs!) Here's what they had to say:

Logan (age 4): "My favorite part was the song."
Me: "Just one song?"
Logan: "No, all of them!"

"They taught us about God. They gave us awesome snacks like Glory-Top Praise Pops [skewers loaded with fruit and donut holes]. I really liked the crafts. I liked making a bracelet and a picture frame the most." ~ Conner (age 7)

"They have really cool songs, snacks, and we learned a lot. We learned about the five Solas, which help us understand how and why we've been saved." ~ Shane (age 10)

When I registered my boys for Cross Walk's VBS program, I knew that the final day of VBS would conflict with Lifest, for which we had purchased tickets months ago. I mentioned right away that the boys wouldn't be able to attend the final day, and I was told that was okay. After day three of VBS, I reminded Conner that he wouldn't be attending the final day because he would be coming to Lifest (to see TobyMac!!!) with us. Now, he loves TobyMac's music, so you can imagine my surprise when his bottom lip jutted out, he hung his head, and walked away the saddest little boy I had ever seen. [I'm positive I heard the melancholy Charlie Brown music as he retreated, you guys.] I relayed this to Charene, who replied, "Don't tell them they'll be missing an inflatable obstacle course and fireworks tomorrow night, or they'll really not want to go to Lifest!"

Wowza.

So when Conner approached me later and said he'd really prefer to go to the last day of VBS than Lifest, I switched up our plans so that he could go. (After I picked up my jaw from the floor, of course.) He just loved the VBS program that much. (And, luckily for us, Conner was young enough that we hadn't needed to purchase a Lifest ticket for him, so we weren't out any money.)

Anyway, I just wanted to share this with you because it was such a find. Cross Walk's VBS program is designed for kidlets ages 4-13. And did I mention it was completely FREE? The boys even got free t-shirts and loads of goodies to take home! We are so grateful for everyone at Cross Walk who made it such an amazing experience, and the boys can't wait to participate in next year's program!

To see the fun for yourself, click below for a short video recap. [My arm even makes a guest appearance, hahaha!]

Wishing you all of God's summertime blessings, friends!

XOXO,
Kristin