Memorial Baptist Church

Youth Camp

It is day 3 of camp and the Memorial Baptist Youth are having a blast!  Camp began with an opening celebration where we learned some of the songs and traditions at camp, such as the daily "honor camper" award.  So far, Halle Clark and Sarah Roberson are already honor campers!

Each of the youth attend a Bible Study group and a special interest session in the morning/early afternoon.  These classes include talks about the environment, cultural sensitivity, recess, and understanding your body.  Claire Jones will eat different cultural foods for lunch each day while Jenny is learning yoga.

The focus for worship is the Millenium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations.  They include eliminating poverty, fighting AIDS, malaria, and other disease, raising child mortality rates, improving education, improving healthcare, and improving rights for women.

Believe it or not, the youth have a lot of fun while tackling these big issues!  We ended yesterday with a giant recreation party.  Our youth played volleyball with a 5 ft tall ball, played crab ball, threw water balloons, and cheered loudly with their new friends from camp.

The scripture for this week is the same scripture that the GA's sewed into their quilt for Belize:

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'      Matthew 25:35-36

VBS Music

We have been movin' and groovin' during music time this week!  I have enjoyed singing and dancing with our students as we learned about serving God and others through our songs,  "God's Big Back Yard", Ï'm Diggin' Life in Jesus Christ", and "We Can Serve".  "The Greatest Commandment"song has helped us to remember our memory verses for the week.  We are blessed to have such amazing children in our church!  - Anne McClain

VBS - Wednesday

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VBS 2008 Pictures (Monday & Tuesday)

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Vacation Bible School 2008

We have been having a BLAST in God’s Big Backyard this week. As we have been learning how to serve our families, our friends, our neighbors and our community we have also been learning how awesome it is to worship and Serve GOD! Each night as we sing and learn our memory verse we are reminded how connected we are to each other and how our service to one another reflects our service and devotion to God. Faith without works is not really faith and our children are showing us the way as their generous hearts are filled with love. The sanctuary is filled with food for the food pantry and soft, plush, loved animals donated for the SAFE house of Harnett County. Our 30+ volunteers are being blessed by the children and we are all learning and serving together.

Don’t miss the opportunity to be here on Friday to share in the experience of VBS. We will eat at 5:30 and the program will begin at 6 pm. Come and see how you can work and serve in God’s backyard here and around our community.

Work ends, reflection begins

The Memorial Baptist Church mission team completed its work in Independence, Belize on Thursday.

Early in the day, some team members sifted more sand that the church will use to make concrete. Others put tile in two showers.

During the afternoon, the Memorial mission team had an unexpected visit from another North Carolina group. The team from First Baptist Church in Forest City arrived on Wednesday to work at a nearby Baptist camp in Belize.

Later the team cleaned the church and led the final night of Bible school. About 130 kids came to the fourth and final night of Bible school, with attendance increasing each night.

The team taught the children about Zaccheaus, with the focus on how he followed Jesus. At the end of the night, all the children were given a bag with a toothbrush, candy and other items.

Team members hugged kids before the children piled on three vans for the trip home.

During devotions at the end of the day, the team began to reflect on the week and how to transition from the mission in Belize to the mission in Buies Creek. Team members started to think about how best to share their experience with the congregation and make the effort an opportunity for church-wide spiritual growth.

Wednesday Photos

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Stories, bracelets, songs and wiffle ball

"Jesus loves the little children, all the children of Belize."

Those words were sung to several members of the Memorial Baptist Church mission team Wednesday night. The song went on to list Mayan, Creole and other cultures in the country where the mission team is working.

Team members are doing construction work and leading a Bible School at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Independence, Belize.

Attendance at the Bible school increased for the second straight night on Wednesday.

More than 120 children came to the third night of the Bible school, which ends Thursday. All three vans that the team rented for the trip were used to pick up kids.

Team members said that despite the large number of children the school went well.

The kids learned about Jesus' life, death and resurrection on Wednesday. During earlier nights, they learned about creation and Jonah. On Thursday they'll study about Zaccheaus.

On Wednesday, the kids heard stories about Jesus, made bracelets with colored beads representing God's love, sang songs and played wiffle ball.

At the end of the night several of the children stood and recited the night's Bible verse, John 3:16. During story time several kids showed that they had remembered verses from previous nights.

Team members said they were impressed by how much the children respected Mount Zion pastor Alfred Ramsey. When one of the kids got rambunctious, a team member could get the pastor. When he arrived the child would immediately stop misbehaving.

Earlier Wednesday morning, mission team members worked on jobs around the church and finalized planning for the night's Bible school.

During the afternoon, the team rode on two boats to nearby Placencia. The team ate at a restaurant called "The Purple Space Monkey" and walked down a boardwalk lined with small shops and cottages. Several bought items to help them remember the trip.

More Tuesday Photos

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Tuesday Photos

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