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VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL "CHOSEN CHAMPIONS FOR
JESUS"
Submitted by Rev. Stacy King-Chaney, Director,
Vacation Bible School
This summer it will be my privilege and honor
to serve once again in the capacity as one of the Directors
for Vacation Bible School (VBS).
I have been serving within this capacity,
since the summer of 2004, when I was approached by then
Superintendent of Sunday School, Montez Rhodes to be the
next Director of Vacation Bible School.
I was most humbled by the request, when I
began to think about those who served as Director and the
great reputation that Mount Carmel Baptist Church had in
reaching out and bringing in the neighborhood Children for
Vacation Bible School.
I remembered being very excited and very
nervous. I did not want to fall short of the legacy of Miss
Lucy Smith and Mrs. Myrtle Broyles. Both of these women had
sewed well. 1 was blessed to be a student and a teacher
under Lucy Smith and a teacher under Mrs. Myrtle Broyles. I
had seen these two women cast their net deep and wide and
reach far within the church and the community to bring
children into the knowledge of the saving grace of Jesus
Christ.
They were giants to me and I did not know how
I would ever fit into their shoes. Fortunately for me,
Minister Bill Henry and Montez Rhodes never asked me to fit
into anyone's shoes. They asked me to work alongside of
someone, who would serve with me as Co-Director and keep the
Ministry of Vacation Bible School alive and well within the
community. This was a welcome relief because I realized that
the expectation was not for me to fill shoes or continue a
legacy but to join hands with others to continue working
in a Ministry that was at the point of "changing of the
guard". Understanding what was expected and that I was not
expected to do it alone, I willingly accepted and asked Miss
Charlonda Taylor to join me as Co-Director. I also asked Ms.
Sheila Broyles-Hughes to join as our VBS Music Director. My
hope was that she would revolutionize the VBS music and
develop something that would bring both children and adults
together. She did just that and we have moved into adding
signing and praise dancing with the singing; it's
revolutionary.
Charlonda and I set out to change the time to
the evening and the dates to later within the summer. We set
out to add adult classes and asked the Deacon Board Ministry
to participate as teachers for the adult class. All changes
were approved and our first summer working with the changes
netted VBS a volunteer staff of 31 adults and 125 students;
75 of which were adults. We were inspired and encouraged and
knew that God had chartered a course from which we could not
turn back.
After the first summer, Charlonda Taylor
stepped down because she was going to return to Graduate
School. I was uncertain as to what to do because it was a
Directorship that was to be shared. So, I began looking for
someone, who understood the vision of Pastor Campbell to be
revolutionary in our approach to ministry and my vision to
make Vacation Bible School, "family friendly." Before long,
I asked Jana Davenport-Jernigan to join me as Director and
without hesitation, she agreed. We have been sharing this
capacity for three years.
During our shared Directorship we have been
blessed to work with a growing volunteer staff that has
reached 40 strong and a VBS student body of 200. We have now
reached attendance and staff equal to, if not larger than
the size of many Christian Schools within Phila-delphia. It
is indeed "revolutionary".
Our adult VBS class, which is taught by our
Deacons averages in attendance of 70 students and the rest
130 students, are children ranging from ages 3 to 17 years
old. We are blessed to have Minister Kyle Bensoii and
Missionary Brenda Clark taking the helm of our teens over
the past two years and their combined classes have averaged
20 students. It is wonderful to see teens off the street and
in the church on hot summer Jernigan evenings, when they
could choose to be anywhere else.
We commend and thank all of the teachers and
workers, parents and children, who have joined us over the
past 4 years and look forward to you all joining us again.
We hope that you will bring a friend. We cannot do what we
do without you.
Lastly, it is enjoyable to see families
attending Vacation Bible School. Many of our Mount Carmel
Baptist Church members are coming out as a family unit. They
are signing up as teachers and workers and enrolling in the
classes. It is a wonderful coming together of a church
willing to follow the vision; families coming to VBS, it's
revolutionary.
We thank Pastor Campbell, the Commission on
Christian Education, Minister Bill Henry, Sheila
Broyles-Hughes, Montez Rhodes, the Deacon Board Ministry,
The Trustee Board Ministry, The Nurses Unit and everyone who
has served with us to make Mount Carmel Baptist Church
Vacation Bible School more than a legacy; it's a Ministry
with a revolutionary vision to make a difference.
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