Greetings my Fellow Servant in Christ:

As servants of the Most High, God allows us to see the hurt and opportunities for healing the hurt before they fully develop, and right NOW there is a great work to be done in the Norristown Community.  Families, and especially children, who have either been infected or affected by the Coronavirus, need spiritual help … Spiritual help that cannot be administered by one church, but by a community of churches who are sensitive to the leading of the Lord.

As you know, Norristown may be in one of the wealthiest counties in our state, yet it is marked by poverty and a myriad of family needs. The residents of this community we serve are under pressure daily from the threat of the virus pandemic, the broken economy, community violence, social and political divide, and the need for justice. But out of all the issues our youth must face, the most crippling has been closing of the school buildings in Norristown Area School District.  The effect on our children and families has been extremely difficult. We hear numerous reports on the news of how young people are missing virtual school classes; many are falling into depression; large numbers of students are falling behind in their studies and grade levels, not to mention missing their friends along with sports and activities. The children in our community are hungry to find something engaging, stimulating, and fun to do this summer with their friends.

To address this need, I am asking for your support, in which we, as the local churches, would come together to provide a safe and spiritual outdoor City-Wide Vacation Bible School, FREE of charge to those attending. We would offer the children and their parents healing and hope through a Bible-based curriculum, with the theme “You Were Born with a Purpose.” In addition to the Bible-based curriculum, we would provide the children, ages 6 – 12, fun activities with sports, arts and crafts, bible games, and other outdoor activities. By recognizing the difficulties our children have faced this year, we also want to offer social and emotional support as they prepare to return to school in the fall. But most importantly, we would seek the opportunity to share the gospel of Christ with the children and their families – which I consider the strength of your ministry.

The VBS planning team of the Ministerium looks forward to welcoming your church as part of the many volunteers we need to make this unified effort, safe, full of action, and exciting. While we plan to hold the VBS sessions over a (4) four-week period from July 26, 2021 to August 20, 2021, all we are looking for from your church volunteers is a one-week commitment, to provide help in the areas of: teaching, serving lunch, daily set up and breakdown, arts and crafts, etc. The sessions would be held for three weeks each at two different locations – Grace Tabernacle Church SDA, 603 E. Elm St., and 506 Haws Ave., which are easy access for the East end and West end families. The sessions would be held first at 603 E. Elm St. for 1 week, and then at the  Haws Ave. location for 3 weeks.  Simply put, rather than your church holding its own VBS this summer for one week, why not partner with us during that same week you may have planned your VBS?  Our goal is to reach 400 – 600 children, and this can be accomplished with your church and the other churches working together.

Together we would make progress in lifting the lives of hundreds of children and their families in our community, while lifting the banner of Christian unity in the Norristown community.  In a day and time when the world is so divided, wouldn’t it be good for the church of God to lead the way in showing what unity looks like?  Please respond to this opportunity by clicking on the link https://vbspro.events/p/gnamcwvbs and confirming your role and participation by July 13.

I realize we are in a busy time of the year for you and your church, but it is important that we reach out to the parents for them to register for the CWVBS starting May 17th and ending July 13th.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the VBS Director, Shaleen Manning at 215-896-8268 or email: info.cwvbs@gmail.com.


In His Service,


Byron L. Craig
President, GNAM
revised 6-29-2021