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By DALE LINT
Our youth in rural George,
Iowa, are far removed from the
Third World miseries of chil-
dren who are forced to drink
from mud holes and untreated
water sources.
We take for granted our
ability to go to the faucet for
a glass of clean water any time
we want.
But through our experience
with the Vacation Bible School
materials prepared by Living
Waters for the World, our eyes
were opened to needs around
the world and locally.
While we spent time in class
learning about God’s awe-
some creation, we also spent
time sharing with others as
we dedicated our offerings to
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By DEBBIE REXRODE
Inspired by the Living Waters for the
World Vacation Bible School curriculum,
“Clean Water for all God’s Children,” the
Orange Presbyterian Church in Orange,
Va., has embarked on a year-long focus on
“The Restoring Power of Water.”
We are blessed by clean running water
and, except for times of drought, we never
wonder if there will be enough. However,
for many in our community and our
world, water is a precious commodity, and
people pray for the rains to come so that
there will be water.
We are also blessed by the healing and
spiritual power of water - the water of
baptism that reminds us we belong to God.
On Easter Sunday, we remembered our
own baptism as we celebrated the baptism
of two of our children.
Between Easter and the Sunday to
recognize the Baptism of Our Lord in Janu-
ary 2013, the congregation is engaging in
activities to experience the restoring power
of water. Activities include a Water Contest
(naming all the ways we use water), a video
entitled, “FLOW,” to become more aware
of the disturbing reality that our crucial
resource is dwindling and greed may be the
cause, our VBS emphasis on Clean Water,
a Clean Water Sunday worship service, and
a unified fund-raising effort to provide a
clean water filtering system.
Scriptures call us to “Let justice roll
down like waters, and righteousness like an
ever-flowing stream.” The Rev. Dr. Denise
Hall, pastor of OPC said, “From the young-
est to the oldest, our church is experienc-
ing the “restoring power of water.”
Deborah Rexrode is Chair of Youth and Christian
Education at Orange Presbyterian Church, Orange,
Va.
VBS experience launches year-long project
Under a “magic” faucet (blue arrow) are Zoar’s
VBS kids.
VBS opens eyes of youngsters in rural Iowa
Orange Presbyterian Pastor Denise Hall and VBS children
work to fill a water jug with an offering to purchase a clean
water system.
Living Waters for the World
and our crafts and worship to
the residents of the local Good
Samaritan Center.
We made treasure containers
and magnetic wall boards for
each member of the nursing
home and then we took our
closing program on the road
and shared it with the residents
there.
To help remind us of how
wonderful clean water is,
we had a huge magic faucet
provided by Culligan soft water
that seemed to pour water
right out of clear air as our
center piece.
Thank you, Lord, for the gift
of this earth and all its riches.
Dale Lint is pastor of Zoar Presby-
terian Church in George, Iowa.
LivingWaters for theWorld has
received over $9,500 worth of of-
ferings fromVacation Bible Schools
across the country through July 31,
2012. Thank you to all theVacation
Bible Schoolers that gave to Living
Waters for theWorld this summer!
— Carie Turner, Financial Adminis-
trator, LivingWaters for theWorld