The picture gallery for Vacation Bible School is ready. If you attended and didn’t get an email from me about how to purchase prints, please let me know and I’ll send the information. Proceeds from print sales will help defray expenses related to the Habitat for Humanity youth mission trip next summer.
This will be Bradley’s first mission trip! Ok, where’s the clutching-heart-crying smiley?
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 11:02 am
CHECK IT OUT!!! Is there a more perfect way to end VBS week than with a beautiful “thank you”?! Thank you again to our MANY volunteers! It was a great week!
Is this the coolest thank you card ever, or WHAT? That’s me on the right! It was presented to me after church today with the mat signed by some of the kids who were at Sunday School. I love that it documents one of my favorite parts of our Vacation Bible School — each day’s closing assembly — in which we played games with members of the youth group to turn over letters that revealed the message of the day. Since we didn’t play the game on Firetruck Friday — our “choose to be thankful” day — that makes this card that much more special to me!
Thank you all SO much for coming to church today! We had a great turnout and I am so touched that so many of you came to sing a few of our songs and see Prince William and Micah perform one last skit for the congregation. It was so great to see you all again, and to share our great VBS week with our church family! Thank you again to Nancy for all your hard work organizing the week!
I feel so blessed to be part of something so special. I love that First Presbyterian Church gives me the opportunity to share my faith and love for Jesus with so many people. And it’s AWESOME that so many of you forward the slide shows to grandparents and other friends and relatives. It means a lot to me that we can share our gifts with people far and wide!
The adorable illustration was created by animator and character designer, Alfred Pangkerego. I am simply overwhelmed with gratitude, Alfred! You are one talented and thoughtful man! Thank you thank you thank you! I will treasure this card always!
I mean, WOW! I have my very own anime drawing of ME! I LOVE IT! Love the hat, the orange belt, the blue block of letters on my shirt — everything! It’s just PERFECT! I’ve been a huge anime fan ever since a dear friend of mine brought the anime movie, “My Neighbor Totoro,” into my house when Bradley was about 3 years old. Alfred, this really is the coolest thing EVER! I am humbled by your generosity and talent. Suh-WEET!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 11:39 am
Whaaaa-hoooooo! The firetruck came and the FRIDAY slide show is live! Check it out on the vbs web page!
Our theme for the final day of Vacation Bible School was “Choose to be thankful” and today’s Bible verse is from Psalm 118:24: “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” That’s one of my all-time favorite verses, and I was jumping for joy when I heard that song on the radio last Sunday because I KNEW it had to be the song for our firetruck day! YAY!
Be sure to come to church Sunday morning! William and Micah will make a repeat performance during Children’s Time and we will sing a few of our favorite vbs songs. Since I didn’t learn the song words or hand motions, I need you all there to help!
Keep your eye on the blog for information about how to order prints. I’m going to take my time organizing that, since I need to get back to my day job now (and my night job too). All proceeds from print sales will be donated to the Mission Fund of my church, specifically to benefit Habitat for Humanity. We’ll send out an email about it, but I’ll also post something about it here.
I hope to see you all soon! Space fills up fast for vbs at our church, so be sure to register early next year! See you at church!
Whaaaaaaa-hoooooooooo!
Your ride operator,
Abigail
(aka jules)
And now, a few words for my friends on the assembly team…
Special thanks to our Propman, Gabe, for being an amazing assistant photographer. I set my camera on “shutter priority,” gave it a reasonable shutter speed to capture the action in the Sanctuary, set the white balance, turned off the flash, and handed the camera to him. He did a really fabulous job while I was leading the assemblies. He captured the moments like a true pro, never once missing something important, and often capturing things I never expected. He also did a great job composing shots and focusing on things from interesting angles. Thanks Gabe!
Check out this Gabe shot. As part of one of our skits, we spilled popcorn all over the floor, and during the skit the “choose forgiveness” sign fell off the stage among the popcorn. Spilled popcorn: choose forgiveness. Isn’t that a great message? I just love pictures that tell a story.
Here’s one that Gabe took during the famed popcorn assembly. All the actors did a great job with their lines and on all the props too. It was a pleasure working with all of you! The adorable actress who played “Miriam” was my covenant partner this year. Love you, girl! You’re the BEST! Her sister played the part of the puppet we called, “Micah.” She delivered her lines like a pro, and all the kids loved the puppets! You guys ROCK!
My son, Bradley, also took pictures for me. He took this one of me arranging a clown shot. Nice way to document a moment, Brad!
Here’s my resulting clown shot. Robin made the clown. Nice job, Robin! The kids LOVED it!
Here’s another shot Bradley took. I love the composition, dude! And of course, he’d pick the camo Crocs to photograph, but I love how he thought to document a fashion trend for our time at this church.
Bradley played the part of Prince William (the frog and the prince), doing an excellent job! Brad, it is pure pleasure to be your mom! (Most of the time.)
Also, a huge thanks to Brenda for heading up the music. I always love the pictures of kids singing, but the best part is that they can learn all those fun songs in a week, and then perform some really difficult stuff for the parents during the closing program. Amazing! And of course, a very special thanks to Nancy for organizing our fabulous vbs. Without her, there would be no pictures to share! Love you, Nancy!
No firetruck party would be complete without a firetruck! Major thanks to the Metuchen Fire Department for coming out and ROCKING our big party! You guys are AWESOME!
Ok, really signing off now…jules
OOPS! One more thing: If you forgot the username and password for the VBS slide show site, no problem! If you’re a member of my church or a family who participated in VBS, send me an email or call the church office for information on how to get to the show.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 6:38 pm
Whaaaa-hoooooo! The THURSDAY slide show is live! Check it out on the vbs web page!
Our theme from today was “Choose Jesus” and today’s Bible verse is from Joshua 24:15: “Choose today who you will love and obey.”
As an update to my computer woes from yesterday, all seems well in Cyber Kingdom today. So far. But I still have to write the skit for Sunday’s Children’s Time sermon. The assembly team and I (minus Miriam, who will be away on a mission trip) are planning to reprise a couple of our favorite scenes to present to the congregation, and we hope to sing a few of our favorite VBS songs. So kids, be sure to come to church Sunday morning! I’ve been taking so many pictures that I didn’t learn the song words or hand motions, so I REALLY need your help on Sunday!
As for Friday, the firetruck’s coming! (Pending no fires of course.) So don’t forget to wear your bathing suit under your clothes and this time you’re going to want a towel for sure! See you Friday!
Whaaaaaaa-hoooooooooo!
Your ride operator,
Abigail
(aka jules)
P.S. If you forgot the username and password for the VBS slide show site, no problem! If you’re a member of my church or a family participating in VBS, send me an email or call the church office for information on how to get to the show.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 12:46 am
Whaaaa-hoooooo! Thanks to some serious praying over my computer, WEDNESDAY is finally live! I think I was editing pictures from two cameras (thanks to Gabe and Brad, my assistant photographers) at such a quick pace that the friction from spinning computer thingies — a technical term — caused my Mac to crash. It crashed so hard, it actually screeched at me! So I stared at the blank screen, clasped my hands, and prayed, saying, “God willing, there’ll be a slide show.” About that time, Gregory wandered into my studio asking if I would read him a bedtime story. Thank God for Laura Ingalls Wilder because that 20 minutes of cooling off time did wonders for my Mac, and for me!
Don’t worry, if you forgot the username and password for the VBS slide show site, no problem! If you’re a member of my church or a family participating in VBS, send me an email or call the church office for information on how to get to the show.
Our theme from today was “choose to OBEY” and today’s Bible verse is from Psalm 119:60: “I will obey your commands.” Is it just me, or is there something deep about that verse as relates to me staring at a blank computer screen, pushing the “on” button, and nothing happening? In any case, don’t thank me for the Wednesday show, thank God!
Oh yeah, in case you’re wondering, in the photograph above, the children went on a treasure hunt, found the treasure, then had to give it all back! (From the story of the rich man who obeyed every command, except the one about sacrificing his riches in order to follow Jesus.)
See you on Thursday! Don’t forget to wear your bathing suit under your clothes!
Whaaaaaaa-hoooooooooo!
Your ride operator,
Abigail
(aka jules)
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 12:55 am
Whaaaa-hoooooo! TUESDAY is live! Turn up the sound and check out the looney tune! Don’t worry, if you forgot the username and password for the VBS slide show site, no problem! If you’re a member of my church or a family participating in VBS, send me an email or call the church office for information on how to get to the show.
Our theme from today was “choose FORGIVENESS.” (I’m praying that Gregory, above, and all the other kids forgive me for the super fun timing in today’s slide show! But moms and dads, if it’s causing a problem at home just let me know and I’ll sub in a different picture if you want me to. That’s my Gregory, above. He didn’t even know who “Beavis” was, until I told him the name of that cartoon. He squinted at me like I was crazy for even ASKING if I could use his picture there, but he loves the song so much, he gave in just so I’d get the slide show done already.)
Today’s Bible verse is from 1 John 1:9: “God will forgive our sins.” As a reminder for my 1st grade friends, that’s the memory verse for your class! You never know if Prince William might pop out and ask if you remember the verse!
By the way, the part of Prince William, who is not to be confused with Kermit the Frog, despite evidence to the contrary, is being played by a very special person who is dear to my heart. But sort of like on Home Improvement, we only get to see half of this young man’s face until VBS is over! See you all on Wednesday! Don’t forget to wear your bathing suit under your clothes!
Whaaaaaaa-hoooooooooo!
Your ride operator,
Abigail
(aka jules)
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 11:39 pm
Whaaaa-hoooooo! Check out the VBS web page for the Monday slide show because IT’S LIVE! Don’t worry, if you forgot the username and password, no problem! If you’re a member of my church or a family participating in VBS, send me an email or call the church office for information on how to get to the show.
This year’s Vacation Bible School is all about CHOICES, and how we can help each other learn to make good ones. The theme for Monday was “choose to BELIEVE.” Each day will be something different, and we’ll enjoy live skits that tell some of our favorite Bible stories. We’ll also learn fun new songs as well as some favorites from long, long ago.
During assembly times, we’ll have a blast watching Micah figure out how to turn Prince William back into a prince. Meanwhile, Miriam and Abigail (played by yours truly!) will be trying to hold things together at the theme park. Enjoy the shows! And be sure to thank your teachers and the leaders of the various sections: crafts, snacks, games, stories and music. Trust me when I tell you they’ve been preparing for MONTHS! Oh, and special thanks to Mr. Ray for letting us borrow the costume for our Monday skit, above! And special thanks to Propman (aka Gabe) for taking pictures during the assembly skits!
Didn’t the decorating team do a fabulous job? Wow!
Today’s Bible verse is from 1 John 4:14: “God sent his son to be the Savior of the world.” As a special helper for my kindergarten friends, that’s the memory verse for your class! So if Abigail asks what your memory verse is, be ready!
See you all on Tuesday! Don’t forget to wear your bathing suit under your clothes!
Whaaaaaaa-hoooooooooo!
Your ride operator,
Abigail
(aka jules)
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 8:37 pm
If you’re a member of my church, hold on to your hats (and crowns) and check the blog next week for some fun slide shows from Vacation Bible School! We’re running a massive theme park this year and the planning team has just about completed the uphill climb. Starting Monday evening — ZOOM! — we’ll be racing to our computers to see the first batch of pictures! (God willing.) You’ll need the username and password to view the shows, so if your family is participating in vbs or you’re a member of my church, shoot me a message and I’ll be sure to share!
Incidentally, I’m playing the part of “Abigail” this year, a seasoned theme park employee who has some issues!
While we wait for the first slide show to be ready, here’s a sneak peak at Prince William’s latest photo shoot, kids!
Prince William likes to climb things like this fireman’s pole …
… and the dogwood tree.
He likes to pretend he’s driving through the jungle.
And he LOVES to jump!
Look at him GO!
ROCK OUT! That frog-dude catches some AIR!
Oh no, on NO! Watch out for that…
… hydrangea bush.
Ouch!
Sometimes he likes to just hangout.
And just so you know, Prince William throughly enjoys naptime. When he puts up his “do not disturb the prince” sign, it’s probably a good idea to let sleeping frogs sleep.
This is Prince William’s official headshot, and a personal note from the prince himself: “Hi kids! Can’t wait to meet you all next week! It’s FUN being green! Ribbit!”
Peace,
Abigail
(aka: jules!)
P.S. When a new slide show is up, a new blog post will go up letting you know it’s there! So check the blog for updates!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 4:45 pm
The other night, several youth from my church went to a puppet show featuring the PETER Puppets.
In the picture above, “Skip” is trying to figure out what to do about a peer pressure problem.
He gets some solid advice from an old friend.
And he sings too!
The youth from our church who went to the show are part of our own puppet ministry. The kids research, write, rehearse and perform stories at our church, so we thought it would be educational for them to see how the pros do it!
At the end of the show, Chris, of PETER Puppets, spoke to our kids about how he got his start in puppet ministry.
Our kids were inspired by the show and are excited to continue to develop stories for our church! We’re doing a promo skit this Sunday during Children’s Time for this summer’s Vacation Bible School featuring Prince William! Shhhhh! Don’t want to give too much away. See you in church on Sunday! It’s going to be so much fun!
P.S. Note to Chris and the PETER Puppets: My 7-year-old son, Gregory, whispered to me during the show: “Mom, they spelled ‘Soda Shop’ backwards.”
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 2:40 pm
Realizing that we’ve all just now gotten our kids back to school and had a minute to catch our breath, I figured you might appreciate a little more time to consider ordering prints from the Vacation Bible School Galleries. So I’ve extended the deadline to Sept. 24!
HERE’S HOW TO ORDER PRINTS
Each VBS slide show has a gallery icon at the bottom right corner. It looks like a square with a bunch of little squares inside. Click that icon. Then click on any thumbnail image. That allows you to see the pictures individually. Each picture’s filename is shown at the bottom. It looks like this: “vbs-thu-053.”
Each print will be mounted on mat board. This makes it easy to frame, or you can simply stand the print up at your desk at work with no frame or stick a magnet on the back and put it on your fridge. Way more durable than an unmounted print!
Suggested donation for a 5×7 is $10 each. Suggested donation for an 8×10 is $20 each. You must place your order with me by September 24.
Make your check out to: “First Presbyterian Church” and marked “YOUTH MISSION” in the memo field. This insures that your donation will directly benefit the Habitat for Humanity youth mission project.
Send your check, along with the filenames of the images you want to order to me (Julie Walton Shaver) at 610 Main Street, Metuchen, NJ, 08840. Make certain you tell me what SIZE you want! Please include your phone number and e-mail address in your letter!
(Please keep in mind that no toning changes will be made — if the image is presented as black and white in the gallery, it can’t be printed as a color image.)
On September 25th, I will send one big order to the lab. When the prints arrive a few days later, I will send a mass email letting everone know the prints are in, and you can pick yours up at the church office in the First Presbyterian Church Social Center.
Let me know if you need the username and password to get into the slide shows.
Here’s the link to the main gallery page.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 9:14 am
