ACC Working in Partnership with Victory Lutheran Brethren Church for Summer Bible School

The Anne Carlsen Center is welcoming guests from Jamestown’s Victory Lutheran Brethren Church and Eau Claire, Wisc., June 22-25 for part of its 2009 Vacation Bible School (VBS).

About 60 high school students from Eau Claire will be in Jamestown for Mission Experience, a type of summer Bible camp Victory Lutheran Brethren Church offers. The camp begins each morning with theological training and transitions to community service in the afternoons.

“We thought, what could be unique to Jamestown,” explains Victory Lutheran Brenthren Youth Pastor Luke Fiskness. “Then we thought of the Anne Carlsen Center.”

Fiskness contacted Pastor JoAnne Moeller, the Center’s chaplain, and they began crafting a four-day schedule for the Wisconsin high school students.

“Most of the high school students have never heard of the Anne Carlsen Center,” says Moeller. “That contact will be powerful – as worthwhile and as heartwarming as the content.”

Each day about 15 high school students will lead students from ACC in their VBS activities by telling Bible stories, acting out skits, singing, and working on arts and crafts. One of the Wisconsin students is fluent in sign language and this aspect will also be incorporated into each day.

“We really desire long-term impact,” says Fiskness. “That means knowing what it is to be Christian. That means reaching out to people and asking ‘How can I help?’ So often, youth have the mentality of ‘What can I get?’ We want them to reach out and learn it is about Jesus and about other people.”

At the same time, about 40 of the Wisconsin teens will do a wide array of tasks throughout the Center. These students will help clean the Center’s Nature Trail, place mulch around trees, shred paper, file, perform office-related tasks, and more.

“Whatever is needed, it sounds like they are very excited to help us,” says Moeller. “This will be a wonderful connection beyond the Jamestown community for us.”

Fiskness hopes this can blossom into a long-term partnership in which the two organizations work together every year.

“We have to test the waters this year and make sure expectations are met on all sides,” says Fiskness. “It is an opportunity to get students outside of their comfort zones and into an area they probably haven’t reached before.”

Church groups that would like to volunteer with the Anne Carlsen Center can contact Pastor JoAnne Moeller toll free at 1-800-568-5175. More information about ACC is available online at www.annecenter.org.

The Anne Carlsen Center offers a rich tradition of empowering individuals with disabilities and their families. Our experienced staff provides compassion, training, services and supports in homes and communities across North Dakota. On our Jamestown campus, we meet the educational, residential, and therapeutic needs of children and young adults with autism, behavior disorders, medical fragility, and other developmental disabilities.