With Vacation Bible School on the horizon here at Ardmore, we’re thinking about the 80 dedicated volunteers who give their time and energy to share Jesus’ love with children. One of these volunteers is Charlie Bumgarner. Charlie has served in VBS for nine years. This is Charlie’s response when I asked him why he continues to serve:
“Last year I helped Don with the 6th grade group. On Monday, I noticed one of the children was very shy. When spoken to, he would only respond by looking at the floor and shaking his head ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ I decided to accept the challenge to help this young person feel comfortable. I often tried to engage him in conversation and sat with him on the bus when we went on our daily field trips.
The 6th grade group had a challenge for the week – to memorize the Ten Commandments. If they met this challenge, Don promised he would take them to Chick-fil-A for lunch on Friday.
I had to miss Friday. But, on Sunday morning, this young man ran up to me head up, smiling, and exclaiming, ‘Mr. Charlie! Mr. Charlie! I memorized my Ten Commandments!’ It was such a turn-around to see this 12-year-old go from sitting in a chair and looking at the ground on Monday to finding me on Sunday morning, smiling, and being excited about memorizing the Ten Commandments. In those five days of VBS, we built a relationship. That’s what we’re about here. We’re about building relationships that last through the years. That’s why I continue to serve in VBS.”
Vacation Bible School is July 9 – 13; 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon. If you’d like a chance to impact a child’s life by volunteering, contact Lee Ritchie (336-725-8767, ext. 104; lritchie@ardmorebaptist.org.
– Gina Brock
