The Countdown is On!

Well folks, we are less than 24 hours away from the start of Baptist Center Church's 2011 Vacation Bible School -Pandamania! I have to say it's pretty exciting to look around the church and see the awesome decorations in place to set the stage for your kids to have a great time this coming week! A huge thanks to Jennifer, Doug, Gracie and Drew Baker for their hard work all week long to get some of the biggest portions of the decorations up, to Chrissy and Lisa McCarty for the originals they've contributed, and to all who came out this morning (Saturday the 16th) to help with many of the last minute preparations. People sometimes make the mistake of thinking things just fall into place and magically come together, but really it takes a lot of time and effort to get all the details complete that really make the week extra special for the kids.

Now we're approaching the really exciting part....24 hours from now we will have finished our first night, and from this worker bee's standpoint, will hopefully be safely in our homes reflecting on what an amazing first night it was! But for now, I encourage all workers to be at the church no later than 4:30 on Sunday night, especially if you're working registration. And if you're not a worker, remember we will have the doors open to start registration at about 4:45, and dinner starts at 5:00 p.m. If you've pre-registered your kids or confirmed that last year's information is still valid, you'll just need a quick stop at the registration table to pick up your name tags before heading in to dinner. And please, PARENTS, make sure your kids' registration forms indicate if you want to come inside to get them, or pick them up in the carpool line.

By the way, the whole family is invited to join us for dinner at 5, even parents or grandparents who aren't staying for the VBS portion but would immerse themselves in the atmosphere of Pandamania. If you can't join us for dinner, remember the ceremonies officially begin at 6 p.m. each night, and pickup starts at 8:45.

One last thing....Family Night will be Friday night, July 22nd, and will run similar to every other night. We will serve families and guests dinner at 5 p.m. this year (instead of after the "commencement" service), and our group celebration will begin at 6 p.m. in the sanctuary. We WILL still have amazing inflatables for kids and adults to enjoy around 7 p.m., when the official celebration is complete.

So don't forget, it's not too late to pre-register your child. We'll be taking names and info right up until the on-site registration begins. If your kid(s) participated last year, all you need to do is email baptistcentervbs@gmail.com to confirm that none of your child's information such as allergies, emergency contacts, pickup method have changed - other than their getting another year older. If you weren't a part of our VBS last year and need a registration form, please email as soon as possible. We'll get one out to you right away, and you can either email it back or print it and bring it already filled out.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email. Otherwise, we'll see you tomorrow night at PANDAMANIA!!!

What's Happening Right NOW?

A lot is going on right NOW at Baptist Center Church, in preparation for Vacation Bible School. This afternoon (Sunday, July 10th) at 4:30 p.m. we are going out into our community, door to door, passing out flyers to let folks know about VBS and how they can pre-register. If you're a part of Baptist Center Church, please come out and join us in this outreach event. We have found this to be our most effective method of reaching those around us, regardless of how old-fashioned it may seem - even more effective than this blog or a facebook post, despite what some may think! Many hands make light work...the more people we send, the more we can bring in. Our youth, GAs and RAs will be going out this Wednesday night, so if you can't make it today, please come out on Wednesday evening if you're willing to take part.

We'll also be seeing more Pandamania scenery taking over the church building in the coming week. WORKERS, DON'T FORGET there's a workday for VBS preparation this coming Saturday!

One VERY important activity that is taking place right now is pre-registration. If we can pre-register a large number of kids before next Sunday, this will make the evening go much more smoothly for everyone! So, if your child participated in VBS last year, just email us at baptistcentervbs@gmail.com to confirm that their information has not changed (other than their age and school grade jus completed). And if your child is new to our VBS, or you know someone you would like to invite, send an email to the same address to get a blank copy of the registration form. Remember, sign up early and you won't have to spend a lot of time in line on Sunday evening.

That's it for now. Don't forget, VBS starts next Sunday night, July 17th, with dinner from 5-5:45 p.m. and VBS starting at 6. We can't wait to see you there!

Pandamania Is On Its Way!

No, not pandemonium (at least we hope not), PANDAMANIA! That's right, once again the time for Baptist Center Church's annual Vacation Bible School is almost upon us, and the excitement is building!

This year's theme is PandaMania - Where God Is Wild About YOU! Kids learn an important Bible Point each night, all about God's love for them. Our VBS is not only for Baptist Center's kids, but also for kids from all over the Clayton area...and even further if you want to make the drive!

Kids will dive into the Bible with wild creatures - Boomer the Giant Panda, Fez the Golden Pheasant, Lulu the Golden Monkey, Amanda the Red Panda, and Pogo the Snow Leopard. God Sightings will help them discover that they really can see evidence of God all around them in everyday life.

PandaMania is centered around Psalm 139. Throughout the week kids will learn specific points about God's love for them:

God Made You

God Listens to You

God Watches Over You

God Loves You, No Matter What

God Gives Good Gifts

We'll be trying out a new nightly format this year, but we'll still have Wild Bible Adventures, Crazy Crafts & Missions, Bamboo Blast Games, and Treetop Treats!

If you're a part of Baptist Center Church and haven't yet signed up to help with this very important inreach and outreach ministry, PLEASE talk to Jennifer Baker as soon as possible. There is a leader's meeting on Sunday, June 26th to finalize assignments and discuss final preparations over the next few weeks.

So if you haven't done so already, mark your calendars! BCC's VBS is scheduled for July 17th through July 22nd, with the supper meal served from 5:00 - 5:45 pm Monday through Thursday and VBS Opening Services starting promptly at 6:00 p.m.

If you'd like to pre-register (and we would reeeeeally like you to!), please email baptistcentervbs@gmail.com for a registration form and save yourself (and us) a lot of time on opening night. And stayed tuned right here for more updates....