MVBS: Doing Missions, Going Nowhere
by Steve Scudder, Director of Missions
Savannah River Baptist Association has provided a Vacation Bible School experience for migrant farm workers on St. Helena Island for decades. Started by The Baptist Church of Beaufort, the mission outreach has grown to include St. Helena, Riverview, and Meadowbrook Baptist Churches with support from our other churches. For the last few years, however, the mission has been a challenge and a struggle.
The struggle has not been the success of the Vacation Bible School. In that regard, the ministry has been very successful in making disciples. Last year, nearly one in three migrant workers and their families who attended the VBS made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ! Six-hundred and seventy-seven migrant works attended the 8 days of Bible School with 212 of them accepting Christ!
The struggle and challenge comes from getting the resources needed to carry out the VBS and the workers to serve those who come.
Did you know you can take a mission trip and do missions without going anywhere (do missions, go nowhere)? If your congregation can’t afford to go on a mission trip, but would like a mission trip experience, we have a deal for you! Each VBS is four days long. Any group, any size can serve each evening and (if available) during the day.
What: Migrant Vacation Bible School
Where: St. Helena Baptist Church
When: June 14-17 and 21-24
8:00-9:30 PM
Each Bible school runs Monday through Thursday. Drivers take vans and buses to the various camps across St. Helena Island to pick up the migrant workers and their families. A meal is provided so the migrant workers can eat as they arrive at the church. At 8:00 PM, the kids and teens go to classes in the education wing while the adults stay in the fellowship area to view part of the Jesus film (in Spanish), worship, enjoy give-aways, and hear an evangelistic message from Mario Vargas.
To volunteer, call Vicki Farrow, SRBA WMU Director, at (843) 522-9257.
Here are resources needed for the VBS:
- Transportation. This is the biggest need. We need vans, buses and drivers to pick up the workers and their families at the camps, bring them to St. Helena Church, and then return them. Gas is provided unless your congregation chooses to donate the fuel.
- Volunteers. Volunteers are needed to visit camps on these Saturdays: May 29, June 5, and June 12. At the camps, volunteers distribute migrant health kits with fliers advertising the VBS. Those interested in visiting the camps should meet at the Baptist Church of Beaufort ready to leave at 10:00 AM.
- Teenage Mission Groups. Acteens and other mission groups, grades 7-12, and their adult leaders are needed to take care of children in the nursery each night of the VBS. Groups can serve one or more nights.
- Clothing. Men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing are needed to be given to the families each night. The clothing should be clean and in good repair. There is a special need for men’s long-sleeve shirts for the workers to use while working in the field. Although the workers keep their clothing clean and maintained, the acid from the tomatoes hardens the sleeves and make the work shirts unusable after one or two days.
- Food. Rice, beans, masa corn meal, and fruit cocktail are needed.
- Prizes. Gifts for the children’s classes are always needed. These items should be Bibles, fruit packs, individually-wrapped candy, bracelets, etc. Items that they can use immediately are preferred over items that have to be packed. Remember, these families travel all summer and are limited in what they can carry. These gifts make great items for VBS, Sunday school, or mission classes to collect for their mission donation projects.
Anyone who has items to donate should call Richard Spearman at (843) 812-0268 (mobile) or (843) 838-3109 (church) to arrange delivery.
Please ask God what He wants you to do in this great opportunity to do missions while going nowhere!
