Vacation Bible School and Nepal

Dear VBS Parents and Volunteers,

We are deeply saddened by the news of the earthquake in Nepal and Mount Everest. We intend to be sensitive and prayerful as we approach our theme for Vacation Bible School this year. As adults, we understand that natural disasters are possible in God’s vast and mysterious earthly creation, but for children it is difficult to understand how and why such terrible things occur. In the coming weeks and this summer at VBS, we are going to trust that God is at work through us amidst the situation in Nepal. Please know that we will carefully handle talking with the children about the disaster and how we are helping during the week of VBS.

We believe that the way we can support the people of Nepal is to contribute emergency aid. We have decided that it would be best to change the recipient of the Penny Wars to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance for disaster relief in Nepal. They have already set up a fund for emergency aid, http://pda.pcusa.org/situation/nepal-earthquake-april-2015/. We will contribute the money collected from the boys and girls during the week to this fund. 

We are working with the Child Development Association (CDA) in Roswell, who was our initial mission partner for this project, to still purchase play equipment for them through other VBS and Mission Outreach funds. We feel it is important to uphold that promise to them.

Amidst devastation we have to intentionally look for the place where God is at work. We do not know why these things happen, but we know that God is present throughout it. In Christ, God suffered the worst that humanity can endure. We know that when God’s children suffer, God is the first to feel that pain. We will do what we can to aid the suffering. The children, youth and adults of the Roswell Presbyterian Church have an opportunity to support Nepal from here through our heightened awareness of this disaster due to our theme for VBS. We are blessed to be able to offer God’s money towards their incredible needs. Our continual prayers for their healing and recovery are needed as well.

Vacation Bible School will still be a wonderful and powerful week for the children and volunteers this summer. The purpose of VBS is not the theme, it is the faith experience for all involved. Therefore we will focus on opening ourselves, all the more, to God’s work being done.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about this. Do not hesitate to reach out to any of the church staff or myself for how to help your children, or yourself, deal with the grief of this disaster.

Thank you,

Sarah Kate DeWyngaert
Director of Children’s Ministry
Roswell Presbyterian Church
sarahkate@roswellpres.org
Direct Line: (770) 649-4507