The 2024 edition of Vacation Bible School is upon us! Last year we took a Stellar Adventure and learned how to shine God’s light. This year, we’ll stay on earth and dive into God’s Friendship to see what Living Water is all about.
All are invited to become part of this experience. Here are the details:
WHAT: Scuba: Diving into Friendship with God
WHEN: Monday June 24 thru Friday June 28
TIME: Starts at 6:00 PM. Ends around 8:00 PM
WHERE: Pitman United Methodist Church (directions)
WHO: All kids! Nursery through 6th grade
COST: No way!!!! Absolutely free.
REGISTRATION: Pre-registration is now open, either online or in person. Click the below button to register:
PUMC VBS RegistrationOnline registration will continue through Sunday June 23 at 12:00 p.m. After that just come a little earlier on Monday June 24 and we will register you there!!
How’s this Gonna Work???
Each evening will last about 2 hours and follow a 4-part format:
- We’ll kick things off in the sanctuary with a “Sing and Play Splash.”
- Each “crew” will then rotate through a set of four stations:
- Deep Bible Adventures
- Imagination Station
- Reef Rec. (games)
- Sticky Scripture
- “Tidal Treats” (snacks)
- We’ll all get together for a “Fin-tastic Finale”
Here are a few glimpses from previous VBS’s:
Living Water
The book of Acts tells us that new Christians were baptized and then they received the Holy Spirit. And before that, Jesus told the woman at the well that she (and we) need to be filled with “Living Water”
Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 4:10-14
What’s the deal with Water? What is this “Living Water” stuff anyway????
“Living Water” is a metaphor describing the relationship that we can have with God. Jesus even called His disciples Friends! We can be a “Friend” of the almighty God, even as we revere and worship Him. Like the deep end of a pool, God’s love immerses us and covers us from head to toe. Living Water flows to us in the form of “coincidences”, answered prayers, moments of inspiration, familiar Bible verses that “hit you” afresh, and friends who show you love. We can receive this “water,” and we can share it with others as is overflows in our soul.
Here are some other qualities of the “Living Water”:
Living Water cleanses. When we discover that we’ve been “out of synch” with God, off doing our own thing and not even thinking of God, we feel “dirty.” Living Water is the unconditional forgiveness that makes us feel clean again. God’s forgiveness isn’t “burying the hatchet with the handle sticking out” (as Garth Brooks sang). God’s forgiveness is complete and unconditional: He removes our sins “as far as the East is from the West (Psalm 103:12). The past is so far removed that even God doesn’t remember our sins anymore.
Living Water refreshes. Life can sometimes feel like we’re just spinning our wheels, spending all of our effort on things that don’t matter or last. God’s Living Water is a lasting and meaningful purpose. When we’re tired from wasting our efforts, Living Water refreshes our spirit, points us in a new direction and puts winds in our sails.
Living Water is eternal. When you drink from a cold bottle of water, you feel great. But after a few minutes in the hot sun you’ll feel thirsty again. You need another drink. If that bottle is too big to carry around with you or if it’s too small and runs out, you need another supply. But God’s supply of life-giving water is not only endless, it’s continuous. It’s always available to flow into your thirsty spirit. Check out this description of heaven: Revelation 22:1-6
Living Water is deep. You can’t keep in tune with God simply by sipping some Living Water now and then. It’s good to read the Bible in the morning, but are you thinking of God driving home from work in rush hour traffic? Living Water invites you to become immersed in it. Not to just dip your toe into it once in a while, but take the plunge and dive into it. You can’t develop a rich relationship with God just by going to church once a week. To be surrounded by a friendship with God, to feel His presence and purpose, you need to dive into the Living Water by inviting God to be in every minute by minute detail of your life. See Philippians 4:4-9.
Living Water is for everybody. The woman at the well in the above verse (John 4:10-14) came to the well alone during the heat of the day because she not respected by her community. She was married five times and was currently living with a man who wasn’t her husband. And she was a Samaritan- a “half breed” who Jews wouldn’t associate with…. but Jesus did. She wouldn’t have been invited to their synagogue, but Jesus invited her into His “Church.” Regardless of your past, regardless of what others think of you, God still loves you and welcomes you into His fellowship. Living Water is available to anyone. 
This summer, dive deep into an amazing undersea adventure where kids will experience the ever-flowing, never-ending love of God. At Scuba VBS, kids will be immersed in the Word and discover what living water is really all about! During the week, adults can immerse kids in prayer and acts of service. Circle the week of June 24 on your calendar and pre-prayer to surround yourself and others with God’s amazing love.
For a sneak preview, check out the below video:
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For more info on our Vacation Bible School ministry (or to see posts about previous years’ VBS), click this button:
