What About VBS, and How Churches are Responding During COVID-19

April 16, 2020

“What About VBS in a Summer of Social Distancing?” Online Discussion

April 20, 2020 - 11:00 a.m. EDT

(please note corrected time above from what was published in Monday's issue)

Join us as we discuss what Vacation Bible School could look like this summer in your church and community in this online event , led by Kim Eskridge, BGAV Minister in Residence for Children’s Ministry and Pastor for Children at First Baptist Church of Alexandria, VA.

Learn about new resources available from several publishers to help you navigate this important annual opportunity for your church while respecting CDC and health department guidelines for social distancing.

How Churches are Responding During COVID-19

We've been encouraged to see how so many BGAV churches are responding to needs in your congregations and communities during the COVID-19 outbreak. Many have sent us their stories, like this one from Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond:

Sewing with a Mission - Bon Air Baptist Church, Richmond, VA

Also, nearly 100 churches have received grants of up to $1,000 from BGAV to help them respond to specific needs in their communities. Two stories from those churches are here:

Helping Our Schools - Stevens Memorial Baptist Church, Newport News, VA
The Lord Provides! - Kentwood Heights Baptist Church, Quinton, VA

You can read more inspiring stories from other churches, and we'd love to hear your church's story! Complete this simple form to share it with us.

Keeping Hope Alive

by Diane Mosby

…and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. Romans 5:5 (NRSV)

This past Sunday, faith communities all over the world celebrated the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus the Christ. Because of social distancing, doors were closed, sanctuaries were empty, and many pastors found creative ways to commemorate one of the most important days of the Christian faith. Flooding my social media timeline were statements of hope and memes of thankfulness for the ultimate sacrifice that Christ made for us all.

And here we are mid-week after the celebration of the resurrection, and already I’ve heard the same statement repeated over and over again, “I can’t wait until we are over this social distancing, and we can get back to normal.” And while the intent behind this statement, for most, is an expression of being sick and tired of the current circumstances that surrounds and abounds, the sentiment is much deeper than that. “I can’t wait” expresses a hope that there has to be something better.