Last summer, the Yuba City Church organized an East Indian Vacation Bible School (VBS) with outstanding results. Average attendance ranged from 40-45 with a maximum of 65 registered.

As a result of the three-week VBS, about 25 children and parents now attend a 6 p.m. Sabbath church service and children’s Sabbath school class in the Punjabi language. “We are still nurturing the relationships that were built during this program, and we plan to have another VBS next summer,” said Pastor David Calderaro.

The VBS series originally grew from an idea Pastor John Joseph and his wife Parveen had when they arrived in June to take over the East Indian Ministry in Yuba City. Joseph replaced Pastor Barkat Isaac, who retired again after more than three years of service to the Indian community.

Soon after their arrival, the Josephs expressed a desire to conduct a VBS for Indian children, and the church rallied to help put the program together in four weeks. They started planning the program in June, purchased supplies and quickly decorated the gymnasium. Church members printed beautiful color flyers and mailed them to more than 700 homes. They also placed large color posters in Indian businesses.

The theme of the three-week program was Creation. A beautiful fenced garden scene, complete with live animals, shrubs, trees, water fountain and large stuffed animals depicting the scene portrayed in Isaiah 11 greeted the children, parents and grandparents who attended. The group participated in activity songs, Bible stories and crafts and listened with excitement to health and nature talks presented by health professionals and nature lovers. The church also added a dunking tank to cool everyone off during the hot summer month.

“Night after night,” said Lavena Cater, treasurer, “the children came filled with eagerness and enthusiasm.” While planners scheduled the program from July 21 to Aug. 2, they extended the VBS schedule another week because the children kept asking, “What are we going to do next?” One-hundred eighty-nine parents, including Indian non-Adventist pastors, responded to the written invitations to attend the graduation exercises, followed by a catered Indian dinner.

Seven months later, the church continues to be excited about the possibility of their East Indian programs growing. “Our East Indian congregation is the first in the country to be converted and baptized into the Adventist church,” said Calderaro. “Nearly one-third of the population in Yuba City is East Indian, and we are working to help this group grow into a successful church plant.”

In addition to the other activities in the church, the children in the East Indian congregation are preparing to sing on a local East Indian TV show called “Abundant Life.” This program, produced by Ray Sanford, a dental lab tech, and Pastor Joseph, airs every Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Yuba City. “Including the children on this program should make a dramatic impact on our very large East Indian community,” said Cater.

For more information about the ministry, call the church at 530-673-3754.