Sin.  Did you know that is a term that comes from archery?  In archery “sin” literally means to miss the mark, that oh-so-elusive bullseye.

The inspiration for this year’s vacation Bible school theme at Grace Baptist Church came from archery.  After looking at all of the published curriculum available for the upcoming year, director Nikki Phillips was less than enthused about running the program.

“I was just seeing so much fluff and cute. Nothing seemed to match up with what I wanted the children to learn about God and how they can know Him,” Phillips said.

So, she decided to write her own curriculum.

“This has ended up being much more challenging than I thought it would be, but I am excited about how it is turning out,” she said. “The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that ‘All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’ And sometimes as humans we don’t just miss the mark by a little bit—we can even be known to turn around and shoot arrows in the wrong direction.”

The Bible lessons will focus on our big-name Bible heroes, but from a different point of view.  The kids will see how Moses, David, Elijah, Peter and Paul failed; how they missed the mark.  But God still used them to accomplish His purpose for His glory.

“This is good news for our kids because they can see how God can use them too, despite their shortcomings,” Phillips said.

In addition to the Bible lessons, the kids will take part in archery lessons, songs, games, snack, and crafts. There will also be a special rotation for the kids with the church’s new pastor, Dan Mielke. He has a unique repertoire of magic tricks and demonstrations that represent truths from the Bible.

Children entering kindergarten through eighth grade are invited to attend this week-long free event. It will be held from 3-6 p.m. Monday, July 30 through Friday, Aug. 3.

There will be a closing program at 5:45 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 3  for the whole family.  Supper will be served after the program free of charge for all in attendance.  After supper, the activities wrap up with the annual water fight, weather permitting.

Children may register by calling the church office on weekday mornings at 507-437-2473 or they may show up on the first day at 2:30 p.m. and register onsite at Grace Baptist Church, 1700 West Oakland Ave. in Austin.