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‘Vision for missions’ highlighted at VBS

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RICHMOND, Va. (BP)– Although this wasn’t the first time Kingsland Baptist Church highlighted missions through their Vacation Bible School, organizers said they did it with renewed purpose, making missions the focus of the week’s activities.

The church wants the children to “have a passion for sharing Jesus across the street and across the ocean,” Kingsland pastor Pat Fiordelise said.

“We want to plant a vision for missions in our kids.”

Beginning with a worship rally each evening, July 13-17, Kingsland Baptist in Richmond, Va., showed the 120 VBS participants a different video each day featuring IMB missionary Martha Moore and the student ministry she started in Europe called Connexxion. The church’s VBS media director Amanda Campbell talked with the children about what they had just seen.

“A missionary is someone who goes and tells people about Jesus,” explained Campbell, addressing the children on the second day of the program.

In addition to further explaining missions as part of LifeWay’s VBS curriculum, the church collected an offering throughout the week to support mission work around the globe. To encourage the kids to give to the offering, VBS directors made it a competition among the different age groups. Divided into three groups — kindergarten and first grade, second and third grade, and fourth and fifth grade — those from the group that brought in the most money at the end of the week would get a reward, Campbell told them. The reward was throwing pies in the volunteers’ faces.

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After announcing the reward, Campbell said there was a noticeable jump in giving. One of the groups brought in $40 the next day. The total amount collected was $154.81. The fourth and fifth grade group came in first place.

Kingsland member Alicia Barrett was happy that her daughter, Haley, learned about the importance of missions through VBS.

“It teaches them selflessness and to think outside [where they live],” Alicia said.

All ages can have a part in sharing and supporting missions, Haley said.

“VBS was a good cause for people to come have fun,” she said.

Missionary Martha Moore encourages young people to “make a world of difference” where they are. For more information and to see more of her story, go to imb.org/VBS [3].
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Ariana Castro Acuña served as an IMB summer intern. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress [4]), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress [5]) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp [6]).