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A Note from JoAnn Tennant

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Thursday Feb 16 2012

Written by JoAnn Tennant

Dear Friends,

Yes, it’s that time again!  Community Presbyterian Church is getting ready to celebrate its 15^thannual VBS (Vacation Bible School)!  From its humble beginnings with 50 children gathering in the Preview Center trailers at the edge of town in July 1998, this program has developed into a tremendous outreach over the years, reaching children in Celebration, surrounding communities, and out of state!  Now hosting 60 tots in the PreK Week and 220 children in K-5^thgrade Week, a large team of volunteers works for months each year to assemble an incredible two weeks – of games, crafts, music, and Bible study.

We are proud to say that many children come year after year and we welcome new faces each year as well.  Another source of pride for us is that the children, who wear the traditional CommPres VBS yellow T-shirts, cannot wait to become “blue shirts” (i.e. youth volunteers)!  Rising 6^thgraders attain the much revered “blue shirt” status as our youngest and most enthusiastic volunteers.  God smiles as 3 year-old tots all the way up through college graduates enjoy VBS fun in our church home!

Each year our VBS families and our church family bless us with generous donations that enable us to provide two weeks of fun, faith, and fellowship.  And, we can’t forget the AMAZING volunteer teams that serve each of the two weeks.  During the PreK Week, a team of 5 adult volunteers and 20 “blue shirts” provide a gentle start to the VBS experience for our little ones. During the K-5 Week, we pull out all the stops as a team of 40 adults and over 100 “blue shirts” help our K-5 kids rock the entire church campus.  Between our awesome adult volunteers and our terrific teen volunteers, many of whom are repeat volunteers, VBS at CommPres runs like a great big well-oiled machine!

Many thanks also go out to the church office staff that help to manage registration with excellence and lots of smiles from February to June!  In addition, each year we are also honored by Good Neighbor donations. Flippers Pizzaprovides delicious pizza lunches both weeks. Celebration Town Hallloaned us tents and fences for shade and traffic control.

A well-known saying tells us that, “it takes a village . . .” and VBS surely makes those words ring true! 

As we get ready to “soar with our Savior” at VBS 2012 – SKY, we thank God for drawing so many families to this beloved outreach program . . .

Walking with the children,

JoAnn