Well, it's that time of year again when churches on every corner are promoting their Vacation Bible Schools. Your church bulletin has likely been pleading for VBS volunteers for a while now and I'd say that those who step forward to answer the call are among the most resolute and courageous of the entire church membership. I'd even take it a step further to say they'd be the Christian church's equivalent to SEAL Team 6 or Delta Force. Their bravery immeasurable. Their fortitude unflinching.

Most of the churches around here go all out for Bible school with elaborate decorations, choreographed music, themed snacks, very involved crafts, and over the top props. The kids just love it and how could they not? I can't help but think, though, how very different it is now than it was when I was in Bible School.
Back then, there were 3 kids, who were selected to hold the American Flag, the Christian Flag, and the Bible. They were the big dogs for the day. As the pianist played a "marching in" song, everyone would file in behind the chosen three. Of course, while not nearly as important as the Holy Trinity, these three had climbed to the highest rung of the VBS hierarchy. We'd march in behind them and say all of our pledges. Then, I remember sitting down on the hard, creaky pews with my legs sticking to the varnished wood. Bible school was one of the few occasions when we could wear shorts to church, so it was beyond a treat. 

Anyway, there were no palm trees made from paper mache or larger than life jungle animals cut out of plywood or two story rocket ships made of foam core board like there are today. I don't recall any twinkly lights, large boulders fashioned from crumbled Kraft paper or beach scenes on the stage complete with an umbrella, Adirondack chairs, and wave sound effects. No, as I remember, there were the preacher, the music minister, and the podium and, on a really exciting day, the slide or film projector might be brought in. If you saw one of those as you took your seat, you knew good times were ahead.

Just below the chosen three were the six kids, who were picked, each day, to take up the offering (aka the change we found in the vinyl seats of the Chrysler and in the bottom of our Mamas' purses that morning). These offering takers were the kids, who were runners-up to the flag holders in the complex Bible school pecking order. I, myself, never submitted my name to be considered for any of these spots. I was shy, back then, and wanted to stay as far away from the front of the room as possible. I'm certainly not shy anymore, but the front of the room is still a location I try to avoid.

Anyway, after we said our pledges, sang our songs, and took up the mission offering, it was off to our classroom. We headed down the hall and there was no grassy pathway cut from indoor/outdoor carpeting leading to the rooms and our names weren't perfectly penned on laminated, themed shapes hanging from the ceiling. There were no freshly cut stumps to sit on and no real tents set up in the room in which to have our lesson by lantern light. No, we walked in and the teacher was like......"You see those brown, folding chairs set up in a semi-circle facing the bulletin board? Go sit in those.....and don't run." Oh, those metal chairs were so cold on your bare legs and so you'd put your hands under them until your seat warmed up. 

We never pretended like we were all on safari riding in a jeep and we didn't sit around a faux campfire made with real logs and tissue paper flames, while we had our lesson. The teacher wasn't wearing a cowboy hat, didn't use a black light, and didn't bring in any live amphibians for us to pet. There were no stuffed monkeys hanging from the ceiling and no thoroughbred horses out in the parking lot for us to sit on. No, she just sat there in the brown folding chair with her Bible in her lap and those old Bible pictures that she'd pin to the bulletin board behind her when the time was just right. Something like these might have, very well, been your only visual for the whole day, so you had to glean the most from it.
 
After we finished our story, it was time for crafts. Not the kind of crafts they do today. No, there was no going to another decorated room, where supplies were laid out for some HGTV- worthy craft....like building a coffee table or glass blowing a vase or something. Back then, it was "Ok, now pick up your chair and take them back over to the tables, where we will have our craft. Don't slide the chairs, because we don't want to disturb the class below us!"