Day 5: Jesus lives

Jesus rises from the dead
Matthew 28:1-10

While we were in the Marketplace today, Mary came running in, looking for Peter. She wanted to tell him that Jesus is alive!

Peter first tried to get Mary to hide with him. Peter was still afraid for their lives because he had seen the way Jesus was killed.

Mary insisted that Jesus' tomb was empty! She had seen and talked to Jesus himself. He's alive!

Peter still had a hard time believing her. Jesus died three days ago. How could He be alive?

Mary kept telling Peter that Jesus had risen from the dead. She left the Marketplace to go tell the others, and Peter took off to see if Jesus had really come back to life.

Before we left the Marketplace, Mary was back, this time to tell us Jesus was here!

Jesus came in and greeted everyone.

At the end of our Marketplace time tonight, Jamba reminded everyone that while we have had fun acting out these stories from the Bible, we need to remember that these events really happened! Jesus lived here on earth, shared His love, showed us how to live, was crucified, and then was raised from the dead—and He lives today!

Thank You, God, for sending Jesus to die for us, and thank You that we can have eternal life, too!

Scenes from the Marketplace: Barnyard and Candy-Making

On this last night of VBS, we take a look at the week's activities in two more Marketplace stations!

The Barnyard

Candy-Making

What a great week it has been in the Marketplace! The children really enjoyed all the Bibletimes experiences they had thanks to our shopkeepers.

Meanwhile, in the nursery...

...our littlest participants were enjoying their own VBS! While their parents were volunteering elsewhere, these little ones were having a great time!








We're so thankful to our Super Servants who work so hard to make sure VBS is special for our youngest children, too.

Well done!

Tonight Jamba and Svet talked again about why we're collecting money for the Bulgarian orphanage. Svet has talked to the Bulgarian children and assures us that they are so thankful for the coats Heritage kids have sent them.

Jamba thanked all the children for their prayers for and their contributions to the Bulgarian children. He reminded us that in the Bible, Timothy writes, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." He emphasized that you can never be too small to show God's love!

We have certainly seen God's love in the generosity of our children this week!

Throughout the week, children have given pocket change, money they've been saving, and jackets they have worn. They've given their allowances, and they've asked their parents for donations, too.

And into the well it has gone! At the end of VBS Friday night, our children had given $500.06—and that's not all! There are still coins to be counted, so that total will be even higher soon. Our goal was to raise $600 to cover the postage for sending coats to the orphanage, and in just four days, these kids have raised almost all of that amount. A generous donor has pledged to give the difference, so in one week, this $600 expense has been covered! Praise God!

Blessings abound

This week has been such a blessing to so many! In the synagogue and the shops, from the preschool to the playground, we have learned more about our wonderful Savior, Jesus. The time spent with our tribes helped us get a better understanding of Jewish life, and the nightly dramas helped us imagine those true, amazing events that changed the world forever.


If you attended VBS, THANK YOU! Your enthusiasm and desire to learn more about Jesus blessed us all. We're so glad you joined us, and we hope you now have a better idea of what Jewish life was like in Jesus' time. More importantly, we pray that you understand that the stories we acted out this week really happened 2,000 years ago, and Jesus still lives today!


If you brought children to VBS, THANK YOU! We loved having this opportunity to share Jesus' story with your children in a way we hope they'll always remember. We'd love to see you at Heritage again! We offer programs for children and adults on Sundays and Wednesday with other special events throughout the year, too. Check out our website for details.


If you volunteered at VBS, THANK YOU! This week could not have happened without your commitment. God has blessed Heritage with many Super Servants, and it is wonderful to see people give their time and talents to spread God's love.


Jamba, Karen, Diane and the rest of our HCC staff, THANK YOU! We know you didn't "just happen" to come our way; God sent you to us! We love you, and we thank God for the countless ways you serve our children and our church.


And to our Heavenly Father, THANK YOU! Thank You for bringing us all to this place for this very special week. We pray that we have brought glory to Your name and that we have brought others closer to You. Father, help us take the relationships we've begun and the lessons we've learned and build on them so we may become closer to each other and ever closer to you. We thank You for sending Your Son to die for us, and it's in His name we pray. Amen.

Day 4: Jesus died for us

Jesus is crucified
Luke 23:26-55

Tonight in the Marketplace, we saw Peter being chased by two people who accused him of knowing Jesus.

The accusers said that Peter was there when Jesus was crucified and that Peter was a Jesus-follower.

Peter denied the accusations over and over again.

After the others were gone, Peter fell to his knees, crying. Jesus had died, and Peter didn't even admit that he had followed Him and called Him Lord.

In the Marketplace this week, we've heard the people of Jerusalem talking about Jesus: about how was celebrated as He arrived in Jerusalem and how He showed God's love as He washed His friends' feet. We've also seen Marketplace people upset and confused because Jesus was arrested, and now we hear that Jesus has died. We thank God that Jesus' death isn't the end, and coming up Friday night, we'll get to hear more of this greatest story ever told.

Tribe time

Tribe time is so important to our VBS because in these small groups, our children learn more about the night's lesson and life in Bibletimes.






Tribe time also helps the children get to know each other and their tribe leaders better. The kids really look forward to sitting in their circles, and one child in particular loves tribe time so much,

she created this to depict her tribe!