Bibletimes Marketplace

This year was our first to participate in Bibletimes Marketplace (VBS) at our church. I am in awe of what an incredible experience it was...for the kids and the adults!! The entire church building was covered in butcher paper and decorated to look like Ancient Rome (circa 30-100 AD -ish). For the kids 4-6 years old, they were divided into the 12 tribes of Israel and went through each station as a family. The stations were: the barnyard, games, the underground church, Breadmaking, and a meal together in their tent. For the school aged kids, they were divided into cities and had even more stations to experience, such as "buying" things in the marketplace, leather-making, etc. There were also vignette skits happening spontaneously around the building the entire time.

But each night started with meeting all together for worship and a skit.




Kids aged 3 and under, that had parents volunteering in the Marketplace, got to attend in chariots. (If you view this real big you could see Chance and Chandler.)


We would start with standing and reciting the Shammah in Hebrew, then in English.
(Which was also our theme verse for the week "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.")


Then the worship team would lead us in singing.

{Singing "Great Big God." If you squint, you can see a really cute guy in the back, on the bass guitar. There's another cute lil guy doing some big motions in the bottom-center, too.}


{There, you can see the big cute guy a little closer.}

Then came the skits, which went thru the life of Paul.
This one is from the first night, when Paul receives his sight back after the Damascus Road experience.

{And a big kudos to our friend, Jeff Henderson, for memorizing a billion lines for the part... especially the third night, with the entire speech before King Agrippa!}

Then we'd have some tent time, and talk again about our story for the night.


Everyone was in costume, including the kids. I LOVED this little girl's headdress.

The kids learned firsthand what it was like to live in the beginning times of Christianity, and how it was not fun to be persecuted. Here, we're worshipping in the underground church in a cave (complete with a stone rolled over the doorway). If we heard Roman guards walk by we'd have to hush and wait. It was neat for the kids to see that being a Christian sometimes requires bravery. Also, makes us thankful to live in a country with freedom of religion!

The kids also learned what goes into making bread, doing a part of it each night.

{And yes, that's Charlie. The Mamarazzi spied on him while he was in his tribe.}

The third and final night we had a special service for the parents as well, and ended with a song about being the Light of the World.


Chandler, however, found this all very confusing. He couldn't figure out why we were all dressed up.


And when I saw how hot it was, I was wondering why myself. ;)


But thank God for the Air Conditioning inside!! And the week was amazing. I can't wait for next year. God has really blessed us with a church that has an awesome children's ministry.