This summer, the youth groups from First Presbyterian Church in Frostproof and First Presbyterian Church in Lake Wales, FL traveled to Cayce Pres in Cayce, SC, to help the church put on Vacation Bible School. What began as a week of service became a powerful reminder of the strength of connectional ministry and how churches can encourage one another in the work of the gospel.
Hannah Madsen of Cayce Pres described the congregation as “absolutely overflowing with hospitality and the desire to serve fellow members and our surrounding community.” But after years of hosting community events with sometimes discouraging results, the church was excited, and cautiously hopeful, when they learned a Florida youth group was coming to help with VBS.
“We were quickly blown away by the joy and energy these young people from Lake Wales and Frostproof brought with them,” Hannah said. The students canvassed the neighborhood, invited children to VBS, provided childcare, taught lessons, and led music. “It really felt like such a fresh breath of air was breathed into our church!”
For Ava Griffin, a Frostproof youth, the experience showed the value of many churches working together. “Cayce Pres was very inviting and easy to work with,” she said. Volunteers from a nearby church also joined the effort. “Many hands made the process fairly simple, considering we were from out of state.”
The partnership also created opportunities beyond VBS. Parents joined the children for dinner each evening and could stay afterward for an adult Bible study, helping families connect with Cayce Pres.
Walker Kirkpatrick, Lake Wales youth director, called the experience “invaluable.” The group not only served Cayce Pres but also helped with a service project at Sherwood Forrest ARP nearby. “I cannot say enough about how thankful we are to have had the opportunity to serve within our own denomination,” he said.
The story comes full circle for Frostproof. In 2021, Ebenezer ARP in Rock Hill, SC helped Frostproof put on a VBS. That experience encouraged the church, and Frostproof has been able to host VBS independently ever since. Now, Frostproof is part of encouraging another congregation.
This is the beauty of a connectional denomination: churches receive help, grow stronger, and then become equipped to help others. As Hannah put it, the week moved Cayce from “weary and discouraged” to “filled up and energized” to continue connecting their community with the good news and hope of Jesus Christ.
