Good Shepherd Triumphs Again!

Well, Raven S. Wolf's Lamburger machine has once again been destroyed, thanks to "The Good Shepherd of the Outback." The original VBS curriculum and drama was written for COTS in 2008, but we resurrected it this year for our second "VBS in the Village," held at the Rec. Center at Economy/Crestview Village housing projects on the northeast end of Ambridge. Somehow, it seems, no one managed to take photos this year (the one here is me in my wolf costume from 2008), but Barbi Davis managed to capture the climax with her Android and post it to YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBUpM59cXqI&feature=share

Although the actors were not as prepared as I would have liked (and due to illness and work schedules we actually had to switch some of the roles from night to night), I think the dramas went well, and the kids were very engaged in the story of the Shepherd, the Hireling, the Lamb who went astray, the Sheepdog, the Predators, the Wooly Bullies and the rest of the flock. I dare say it's one of the best pieces I've written, and once I've had an actual Australian review the dialect and slang, I'm hoping to make it widely available in some fashion. Let me know if any of you are interested!

How I Spent My Summer "Vacation"

Many apologies to anyone who has been trying to check this blog to see what I'm up to. I assure you my "radio silence" has been due to more, rather than less, activity. For two weeks in June and all of July, I was involved in Ambridge Arts Camp, a companion to Ambridge Sports Camp, run by Ambridge Youth Ignite and my friend Eric Geisbert. Each morning from 9 to noon, kids were invited to participate in a different sport each week, then from 1 to 3 in the afternoon (after most of the kids enjoyed a free lunch provided by the YMCA and hosted by Church of the Savior) we gave them a chance to explore their creativity. For the first two weeks we focused on visual arts, studying eras and artists from the past (that's a photo of me teaching the kids about Matisse), letting the kids draw, paint, sculpt, and do art with various materials and methods. The next two weeks we taught them drama, and the final two weeks, we focused on music. I was director for the visual arts and drama weeks, and Sadie Rankin directed the music weeks, during which time I worked with the kids on writing lyrics for two original songs. It was all very fun and exhausting, and we all got stretched in a number of ways! Four of us plan to offer more classes in the fall, and Eric is hoping to offer one sport not otherwise available in Ambridge, so we're looking for ways to continue this ministry and these relationships throughout the school year.

On a somewhat sadder note, we had to cancel our VBS due to lack of adult volunteers. I still plan to work on the scripts and other materials in hopes of doing it at another time, but clearly we did not have the people to make it fly this summer. Many things seem to be in transition with our children's ministries at COTS, and it falls to me to discern what direction we need to take. Your prayers are welcome in this endeavor.