Shepherd's Heart 7/18/25
Elisabeth Lectka has graduated seminary and is on track to be ordained at Good Shepherd. She leads our Family Ministry team and reflected on this year's VBS for this week's Shepherd's Heart.
It has been a wild week inside the walls at 1310 Shepherd Dr... This week we welcomed 426 kids and over 270 leaders into our church for True North Vacation Bible School! And even as our Prayer and Action Guide is sent today, kids are still in the building wrapping up the afternoon session.
There truly is no joy like VBS joy. The excitement from leaders as they learn the song dances at the VBS leader training, the nervous energy from kids at check in on Monday, the explosion of sound that comes from the worship center on Friday. There are few ministry events that I have been a part of that can match the magic of VBS. Blood, sweat, and tears goes into each and every part of this week and the payoff is worth it. Almost 650 big and little people heard, responded, and celebrated the truth that God is good and we can TRUST JESUS!
Over the last few years, I've had the privilege of being a leading hand in placing kids into their small groups and volunteers into their leader roles. It's a chaotic, time consuming, and holy process. One of my favorite parts of VBS every year is seeing all the pieces fall into place and witnessing how God is at work in our little corner of the universe. Most of the time, I think I'm just problem solving logistics, but God is always up to some holy mischief. I put a student leader behind the tech booth thinking, "Sure, he can press a space bar for slides!" without remembering how that student grew up watching his grandpa serve as the master of sanctuary tech. I assigned a volunteer on Monday morning to a last minute leader gap and it turned out that his granddaughter was in that very group. I placed a mother-daughter team over a small group that contained a new and nervous preschooler that the family had invited to our VBS this week. Every year I'm reminded that the ordinary, small, and faithful decisions we make can be used by God for his holy purposes. For connection, for growing in faith, for abounding and overflowing JOY!
I am ending this week with an exhausted body and a brain like swiss cheese but my heart is so so full. I'm so grateful for every leader that answered the call to invest in the next generation. I'm so grateful to the hundreds of families who trusted us with their kids. I'm so grateful that I get to be part of this little glimpse of heaven when we pack the church at VBS. And above all, I'm so grateful for our God who lavishes his love and joy on us over and over and over again.
It's so good to be the Church with you Good Shepherd,
Elisabeth Lectka
It has been a wild week inside the walls at 1310 Shepherd Dr... This week we welcomed 426 kids and over 270 leaders into our church for True North Vacation Bible School! And even as our Prayer and Action Guide is sent today, kids are still in the building wrapping up the afternoon session.
There truly is no joy like VBS joy. The excitement from leaders as they learn the song dances at the VBS leader training, the nervous energy from kids at check in on Monday, the explosion of sound that comes from the worship center on Friday. There are few ministry events that I have been a part of that can match the magic of VBS. Blood, sweat, and tears goes into each and every part of this week and the payoff is worth it. Almost 650 big and little people heard, responded, and celebrated the truth that God is good and we can TRUST JESUS!
Over the last few years, I've had the privilege of being a leading hand in placing kids into their small groups and volunteers into their leader roles. It's a chaotic, time consuming, and holy process. One of my favorite parts of VBS every year is seeing all the pieces fall into place and witnessing how God is at work in our little corner of the universe. Most of the time, I think I'm just problem solving logistics, but God is always up to some holy mischief. I put a student leader behind the tech booth thinking, "Sure, he can press a space bar for slides!" without remembering how that student grew up watching his grandpa serve as the master of sanctuary tech. I assigned a volunteer on Monday morning to a last minute leader gap and it turned out that his granddaughter was in that very group. I placed a mother-daughter team over a small group that contained a new and nervous preschooler that the family had invited to our VBS this week. Every year I'm reminded that the ordinary, small, and faithful decisions we make can be used by God for his holy purposes. For connection, for growing in faith, for abounding and overflowing JOY!
I am ending this week with an exhausted body and a brain like swiss cheese but my heart is so so full. I'm so grateful for every leader that answered the call to invest in the next generation. I'm so grateful to the hundreds of families who trusted us with their kids. I'm so grateful that I get to be part of this little glimpse of heaven when we pack the church at VBS. And above all, I'm so grateful for our God who lavishes his love and joy on us over and over and over again.
It's so good to be the Church with you Good Shepherd,
Elisabeth Lectka
Posted in Shepherds Heart