Focussing on the messages of five Old Testament prophets, the Mennonite Church Eastern Canada Vacation Bible School troupe brought energy and dedication to seven congregations this summer. The troupe led VBS for groups as small as 15 (Windsor Mennonite Church used it as an outreach in its community), and groups over 100 (Tavistock Mennonite, the last stop of the summer).
In its 18th year of operation, the 2008 troupe was organized and run by Sherri Martin Carman. Martin Carman was a member of the first troupe in 1990, the brainchild of Eleanor Snyder.
The troupe partners with local congregations, sending five young adults to lead the sessions, run games and work with crafts. The congregation supplies snacks for the campers, pays $1,300 for the troupe, buys the materials, and houses the troupe members, who get paid the equivalent to working at camp for the summer for both the preparation weeks and their time with the congregations.
Following the mission statement, "Loving, inspiring and affirming people by creating relevant opportunities to experience God in their own way," Heather Davidson, a troupe member from Pioneer Park Christian Fellowship in Kitchener, was excited about the possibilities of leading children in worship and study. The interaction with new people, both the other troupe members and the many volunteers from the congregations, was a high point for her, as was the flexible and creative potential of the materials.
Martin Carman notes that the troupe fulfills some of MC Eastern Canada's mission statement, "Making disciples, growing congregations, forming leaders." In particular, she points to past lists of participants and notes where they went after their time with the VBS troupe.
[Author Affiliation]
BY DAVE ROGALSKY
Eastern Canada Correspondent
TAVISTOCK, ONT.
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