May is India’s mid-summer month and is the month when most evangelical churches run Vacation Bible Schools for children who are on vacation from school for the whole month. Most of the churches of the Advent Christian Conference of India and the Fellowship of Blessed Hope Churches have their activities in the first week of May, but some delay them until later in the month. The total attendance in past years has often been in excess of twelve or thirteen thousand children, many of whom are from Christian families but many Hindu children also attend as they are allowed by their parents to do so as “school holiday activities”. It is a little early yet to have details of the total attendances, but indications from the early weeks of the month are that attendances will again be quite high.
Most VBS‘s are run for five or six days with a hot meal – either breakfast or lunch – usually supplied to those who attend and the programmes include plenty of opportunities for Biblical teaching as well as games and other activities. Please thank the Lord for the many hundreds of adults and young people who spend many hours and many days planning and running these programmes, teaching the classes, preparing and serving meals and preparing handcraft and other activities, and pray that the Lord will touch the hearts of many of the children who attend and draw them to faith in Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.
Below are details and pictures of a few of the programmes held during the first week of May.
The Fellowship of Blessed Hope church at Nandanam had 100 children attending, with ten teachers. Their church is a very small building so fitting in 100 children and teachers was something of a crush! Their programme’s topic was “Stand Aright.”
The Fellowship of Blessed Hope church at Sathiyavasal had close to 150 children attending, with six teachers and numerous other helpers. Their programme’s topic was “Joy in Jesus.”
At the Advent Christian Conference of India’s church at Guindy, 100 children attended, with seven teachers. This church is fortunate as they are able to use the Guindy hostel and school’s buildings, as the children from the hostel are away on holiday for the school vacation. The programme topic at all the ACCI churches VBS’s was the same – “Beautiful Earth.”
The Advent Christian Conference of India’s church at Velachery had close to 200 children, with ten teachers and many helpers. They met in the old church building which is now used as the “parish hall.” Their programme topic was “Beautiful Earth.”
