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Writer's pictureNate Hayden

Reflections on VBS and Camp


The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for me, between Vacation Bible School (VBS) and Summer camp. However, despite the business of the last few weeks I have had so many moments of reflection on what we’re doing in the lives of our kids and students.


I grew up going to church week in and week out. I went to every VBS and I have been going to Lake Geneva Christian Center, where we send our students, since I was in 3rd grade. So, over the past few weeks I have been reminiscing on my experiences at VBS and Camp.


I remember going to Mega Sports Camp VBS at my hometown church when I was in 4th grade and more then I remember any individual lesson, I remember the people that were there and had given up time and talent to share Jesus with me via their actions. These people gave up part of their summer to show me how to play basketball and hockey in a hot gym for free. They had prayed and prepared for VBS because they recognized that this was an early opportunity to share the most important truth that any of us could ever know, that we have a God that loves and cares about us so much that He made a way for us to be with Him forever.


Now being on the other side of VBS, I get to be a part of the investment in the next generation. At VBS, I saw tons of awesome moments between our kids and our volunteers. I saw kids that had never been to our church yell the memory verse and get up to sing and dance. The moments we create with our kids now are things that will be etched into their hearts forever. And while we might not always know how impactful our VBS was in the short term, we know that God is allowing us to plant seeds into the hearts and minds of our kids that can grow for an eternity.



This last week at camp, there were so many times where I told our students about things that I had done at the same camp they had gone to. I pointed out the spots where I had 1 on 1 talks with my youth pastor, the altar where I had prayed so many times for God to use me, and even the trash can I had leaned against to take a quick nap during service my senior year.


Lake Geneva is a special place to me for everything God has done in my life there but, it is also a special place for what it has done and will do in the life of our students.


Having known our students for a year now, it was amazing to see some of them move outside their comfort zones with God for the first time. Our students were intentional about praying and responding to God in altar moments. They were excited to worship and be in an atmosphere with 1200 other students all lifting our praises to God.


More than anything, it was awesome to see them come together as a group and grow closer over this week. The power of youth group is not just that I minister to our kids but also that they build each other up and are involved in a Christian community that can help them weather the storm of middle school, high school, and early adulthood.


These last few weeks have been exhausting. I have lost my voice multiple times. I have been running on limited sleep but, I wouldn’t trade extra sleep for the impact of what God has been able to do in the next generation of our church through VBS and Camp and I am so incredibly thankful for the opportunity to lead such special events.

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