It truly is an honor to be able to talk directly to God the Father. With this privilege comes great responsibilities. We need your help in making this the best Vacation Bible School yet. To do that, we want to be in constant prayer in the month of June. On the calendar below, take a few minutes a day praying for this church-wide encounter with God. We are signing up our last few volunteers and recruiting children all over Wentzville for June 23-28; but, without faithful prayer and preparation, we will just have an event. We are instead praying for a great encounter with God where children of all ages come and experience His will and work. I do hope you print this calendar out and add it to your daily Bible study and prayer time. If you don't have a prayer time, I hope this will be the start of a great time for you to begin your own encounter with God on a routine basis.

Jason Hoke

Children’s Pastor

IN THE WILD PRAYER CALENDAR

Day 1 - Thank God for providing all we need to abound in His good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

Day 2 - Ask God to grant His favor and honor on all those who are serving in VBS. Psalm 84:11

Day 3 - Thank God for giving us life in Jesus’ name. John 20:31*

Day 4 - Pray for the VBS director and all workers involved with the preparation and planning of VBS.

Day 5 - Ask God to give strength to the workers when they are weary and power when they are weak. Isaiah 40:29

Day 6 - Ask God to place a hedge of protection around your church’s VBS and all those who attend.

Day 7 - Thank God in advance for the blessings and opportunities He will provide through VBS.

Day 8 - Thank God for sending Jesus to do His will. Ask that God will help kids and leaders to do God’s will in their lives. John 6:38*

Day 9 - Ask God to give energy and stamina to workers who will lead kids to worship Him through music and drama.

Day 10 - Pray for those who are leading missions. Ask God to give them a heart and passion for the missionary families they will teach about.

Day 11 - Ask for physical safety and energy for those who are leading recreation during the week.

Day 12 - Pray a blessing on all the snacks that will be prepared for VBS and the workers who will prepare them.

Day 13 - Thank God for the creativity and passion of those leading crafts. Ask God to give them patience and compassion for the children with whom they work.

Day 14 - Pray for the Bible Study leaders to effectively communicate God’s love to the children they teach. 1 John 4:19

Day 15 - Ask God to help everyone serving in VBS to do everything with kindness and love. 1 Corinthians 16:14

Day 16 - Thank God for His gift of eternal life and for the children who will receive that gift at VBS. Romans 6:23

Day 17 - Pray for the pastor as he builds relationships with the kids and shares the gospel with them.

Day 18 - Thank God for proving that Jesus is His Son and allowing us to have recorded proof of that. John 1:34*

Day 19 - Pray for students and adults who may be attending VBS. Ask God to open their hearts to hear His Word in a fresh and new way.

Day 20 - Ask God to help kids know that His plan is for them to have a relationship with Jesus.

Day 21 - Ask God to help kids believe in His Son and in Him. John 14:1*

Day 22 - Pray that the VBS Celebration provides a witnessing opportunity with parents and the community.

Day 23 - Ask God to help kids know that Jesus is the only way to everlasting life. John 14:6*

Day 24 - Pray that children will continue to increase in wisdom concerning God’s Word. Luke 2:52

Day 25 - Thank God for all He has done and will continue to do through your church’s VBS.

Day 26 - Pray that all those involved in VBS will continue to seek God with all their hearts and grow in their relationship with Him.

Day 27 - Pray for leaders to effectively share the message about Christ. Romans 10:17*

Day 28 - Pray that your church’s VBS will continue to bear fruit and glorify God. John 15:8

Day 29 - Ask God to bless the follow-up efforts to contact all prospects and invite them to join other church activities.

Day 30 - Pray for those making follow-up visits to clearly share the gospel.

Day 31 - Ask God to provide a time of rest and refreshment for all those who served in VBS. Matthew 11:28

NOTE: Scripture references marked with an asterisk come directly from the passages children will study during VBS.

Transitioning is a time that most people do not enjoy. It is commonly a time of uncertainty or unknown that makes most people uncomfortable. Whether it is a new job, finishing high school and going to college, finishing college and getting a new job, moving to a new city, whatever it may be, it brings about changes that most do not like. We are creatures of habit and like things the way they are because it is what we are comfortable with.

Switching to a new job is scary because you are forced to learn a new task, get to know a new boss and begin working with different coworkers. When graduating high school: you commonly will move out of the house, you will not see your family as much, and will start to prepare yourself for a career after college. When graduating college: you will no longer see your friends from school, you will start looking for a job, you will have to look for a place to live and learn to manage your finances. Moving to a new city: you start a new job, join a new community, find a new house, and will be in a city where you likely do not know anyone.

All of these times provide changes that most people do not like. However, transitioning is not all bad. Quite often it is necessary to jumpstart a certain area of your life that you have been stagnant in. It may also provide unique opportunities to meet a new group of people to share the Gospel with. If you move, you can look for a new way to make an impact for Christ in the community. It can be a fresh start for you to be someone different and break out of the mold you had previously been placed in.

In the difficult times, we can look to God’s Word as it offers many scriptures relating to the feelings of fear and anxiety that we may be experiencing: Philippians 4:6-7 says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." We see here that God will provide you with peace if you go to Him in prayer. Another relevant scripture is 2 Corinthians 1:4-7 which says, "Who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort." God will comfort us through the uncertainty that threatens to rob us of His blessing during times of transition.

Change may be scary and will likely push you out of your comfort zone, but this should not deter you. During this time, you should be in prayer, fully relying on God, meditating on His Word daily and preparing for the blessing of sharing the Gospel with new people that God puts in your path each day.