Baptist, Wesleyan churches host ‘High Seas Expedition’ in Houlton

    HOULTON, Maine — After several years of holding separate Vacation Bible School programs one week apart, the Military Street Baptist Church and Houlton Wesleyan Church joined forces this year to host one big VBS for Houlton area children.  From June 20 to June 24, more than 200 children from preschool through Grade 5 gathered at Houlton Wesleyan for “High Seas Expedition.” The program included fun music, snacks, games, crafts, interactive Bible stories, and other activities that reinforced each night’s lesson.  More than 150 adult and teen volunteers from both churches worked together to make the week a success.
At Military Street Baptist, parents participated in Dr. Kevin Leman’s “Have a New Kid by Friday” DVD seminar, while their children were at VBS. About 20 parents attended the parenting seminar and it was very well received.
Becky Nadeau attended the seminar and said, “What a blessing it was to us to have Dr. Leman help us to be better equipped to raise our children! We took away lots of tidbits, are implementing them, and are seeing great results within our family.”
The churches hope to offer the seminar again to parents who volunteered their time at the children’s program, as well as other parents who were unable to attend the first session.
VBS directors, Hollie McAfee from Houlton Wesleyan, and Lisa Surran from Military Street Baptist, began planning the program early in the winter. Both have had several years of experience, and this year faced challenges that were best met by combining efforts. Military Street Baptist lacked the space necessary to host so many children, while Houlton Wesleyan has a newly renovated children’s ministry and youth center, in addition to the larger sanctuary.
The Wesleyan Church’s usual curriculum provider stopped producing a VBS program, so the award-winning Group Publishing program that has always been used by Military Street group was needed to offer a strong learning environment.  Everything worked together well and ran smoothly.
“The partnership between our two churches was ‘history in the making,’ and it was truly a privilege to be a part of the planning,” Surran said. “God’s blessing on the entire venture was so apparent all week long.  From over 200 kids coming together, to 150 volunteers working in unity, to a community seeing what it’s like when two churches partner to be the Church…wow!  This could be the start of something big!”
The excitement each night was contagious, with the children smiling, singing, and enjoying the company of friends while they worshiped together.  The enthusiasm spread to the volunteers and students alike.
“It was a great experience for kids and adults,” said Charity Cyr, a mother and crew leader for second and third graders. “The high-energy atmosphere made learning about God fun. My kids are still singing the songs.”
A fourth grade student added, “I felt great at VBS, because I got to learn about God all week long!”
Pastors Wayne Robertson of Houlton Wesleyan and Randall Burns of Military Street Baptist are both excited about the success of the two churches’ partnership. Burns commented, “I thank the Lord for His leading us to this historic development of partnering together for His Kingdom first beyond our personal, congregational pursuits…May this community know without a doubt that we are Christ’s disciples by how we love Him and one another as the Body of Jesus Christ.”
Robertson added, “It has been an honor to partner together to impact the area for Christ, as the body of Christ.  For all that was done, and the high level of involvement amongst so many volunteers, we are so very thankful.  For all the children who experienced an extraordinary week of God’s love in action, we believe lives have been, and are being impacted.”