We had a BLAST at Beach Blast, our VBS at Clough Pike in 2011! Arguably the best Bible School I've ever worked, God blessed our church in every way imaginable this year. Thank you, Lord, for the beautiful weather 5 straight nights (upper 70's to low 80's, no rain), for a multitude of workers, and for 136 children entrusted in our care. Thanks especially for the professions of faith those children made and are continuing to make during follow-up!
Our guys would sneak around the worship rally with water guns and squirt innocent workers and children.
One of our Land Sharks happened to be married to our VBS director, and always went after her!
Remember the part of the song where the guy tries to swim back to shore but it's too late? At that point, Dr. Lou Schott - dressed in his actual lab coat - bounced out of the audience and performed fake CPR on Tim, but failed to revive shark-eaten Tim. Tim then stood-up, faked having wings, and went to Heaven.
Remember the part of the song where the guy tries to swim back to shore but it's too late? At that point, Dr. Lou Schott - dressed in his actual lab coat - bounced out of the audience and performed fake CPR on Tim, but failed to revive shark-eaten Tim. Tim then stood-up, faked having wings, and went to Heaven.
I taught the 2 and 3 year olds. We had a great group of 10 boys and girls who - for the most part- were extremely cooperative and attentive. May God richly bless the man/woman who created flannelgraph! Even in a video-game, TV-centered world, nothing captivates a 3-year-old like a flannelgraph Jesus.
(above) Katie Withrow to the left, and recent-breast-cancer survivor Linda Lindsay! Hooray for Linda!
(below) Christopher's favorite recreation of the week, crab-walk soccer.
(below) Christopher's favorite recreation of the week, crab-walk soccer.
(below) One of the coolest things of the week were how the audio-visual folks did all the motions and songs with the kids.
(below) Every year, we are able to rent a public school bus every VBS so that we can pick-up children from a local housing project. It's amazing to have the same children year after year come from that project, and to watch them grow. For most of these children, this is the only time they are in a church all year (many of their parents won't let them come on Sundays, but will let them come to a VBS). Unfortunately, we didn't have as many of those project children as we normally have, although we praise the Lord for the reason: a sister SBC of ours was also running a bus to the same project for their Bible School this week! The more churches, the merrier!
(below) Our courageous directors, Miss Becky and Miss Janice.
(below) These next pics were the workers that Tim prayed over on Sunday morning before VBS started.
(below) Tim always has a persona for VBS. This year he was "Stitch Buchanon," a take-off of Mitch Buchanon from the 80's show Baywatch. Believe it or not, but our little John did not understand that this was his dad! He thought it was a totally different person!
(below) Closing program. This was John's class, although you can't really see John because he was on the back row.
(below) Christopher's class in the closing program.
(below) Anna's class. We only had 3 children who wouldn't sing. My helpers and I considered that a success. (I was in the front of the kids leading the song, which is why I'm not photographed here.)
(below) Our courageous directors, Miss Becky and Miss Janice.
(below) These next pics were the workers that Tim prayed over on Sunday morning before VBS started.
(below) Tim always has a persona for VBS. This year he was "Stitch Buchanon," a take-off of Mitch Buchanon from the 80's show Baywatch. Believe it or not, but our little John did not understand that this was his dad! He thought it was a totally different person!
(below) Closing program. This was John's class, although you can't really see John because he was on the back row.
(below) Christopher's class in the closing program.
(below) Anna's class. We only had 3 children who wouldn't sing. My helpers and I considered that a success. (I was in the front of the kids leading the song, which is why I'm not photographed here.)
Family night was awesome! The snack folks fixed everyone a dinner fo chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, carrots and cookies, and had punch and ice cream for dessert. They stretched beach towels and lawn chairs around the property for everyone to sit on, and we had a wonderful picnic. God even kept the bugs away!
The offering this year went to SBC disaster relief. The girls brought-in more money than the boys, thanks to a generous donation of $100 on the last night by someone who undoubtedly wanted to see their pastor in a dunking booth! As Tim prepared to enter the dunking booth, the kids and parents all began chanting "Stitch! Stitch! Stitch!"
We want to shout-out a HUGE thank-you to the Greater Cincinnati Association, who loaned us their block party trailer. We were able to turn our parking lot into a carnival. The kids LOVED the blow-up jumping and sliding toys and water slide, cornhole games, and dunking booth. All of this stuff was parked right outside our driveway: What great memories are my children going to have of growing-up at a church? 
Below are my co-workers: Sonya Coppedge (middle) and Betty Howard (right). Betty is 74 years old, and has worked with pre-schoolers most all her life. I couldn't keep-up with her! May I have that kind of energy at 74!
(below) Tim chats with Youth Pastor Jeff.
The offering this year went to SBC disaster relief. The girls brought-in more money than the boys, thanks to a generous donation of $100 on the last night by someone who undoubtedly wanted to see their pastor in a dunking booth! As Tim prepared to enter the dunking booth, the kids and parents all began chanting "Stitch! Stitch! Stitch!"
We want to shout-out a HUGE thank-you to the Greater Cincinnati Association, who loaned us their block party trailer. We were able to turn our parking lot into a carnival. The kids LOVED the blow-up jumping and sliding toys and water slide, cornhole games, and dunking booth. All of this stuff was parked right outside our driveway: What great memories are my children going to have of growing-up at a church? 
Below are my co-workers: Sonya Coppedge (middle) and Betty Howard (right). Betty is 74 years old, and has worked with pre-schoolers most all her life. I couldn't keep-up with her! May I have that kind of energy at 74!
(below) Tim chats with Youth Pastor Jeff.
(below) Ralph Farmer to the left, Tim.....urrrr....I mean "Stitch" in the middle, and Association Missionary David Coppedge to the right.
(below) Check-in workers in the lobby: JR and Stephanie Bishop and Stacy Graham.
