Children and teachers from the Living Water Christian School. Titus Boggs, director of the Laurel Mission, is in the back-center.

2004 Vacation Bible School
Special Project

Scholarships and help with special needs for the Living Waters Christian School in Big Laurel, Kentucky.

Each year, VBS children in UB churches throughout the country cooperate through a special missions project. This year, the project is the Living Waters Christian School, which is affiliated with our Laurel Mission in Kentucky.

The Living Waters Christian School is located in a deep narrow valley in the Appalachian Mountains. It is 20 miles from the county seat (Harlan) and a 2800-foot mountain must be crossed for shopping and for business. Many school children travel narrow crooked roads to get there.

Illiteracy is a big problem. A few years ago, a man in this area declared that he had four sons who graduated from high school and not one of them could read or write. He began his grandson in the K-5 program at Living Waters and soon that five-year-old could read to others in the family.

Coal mining, trucking coal, welfare, and logging are the means of obtaining a livelihood and in that order. Children face a lifestyle entrapment.

After years of seeing the children of the area be as sheep without a Shepherd, the Lord placed a burden on the hearts of the Boggs family to offer a Christian elementary school. The family members pooled their resources and began Living Waters Christian Academy, Inc. in 1984. The school began as K-4 through 2nd grade and now is K-4 through 6th grade.

Since the school's inception, there have been positive changes. This year's VBS project will help to keep those changes moving forward. Together as churches partnering with this year's project, we can help to make a difference!

The Alvin Boggs Memorial Chapel on the grounds of the Living Waters school.
Alvin Boggs (Titus's father) founded the school.

Services provided by Living Waters Christian School.

Provide a state-approved Christian elementary education for children.
Provide some financially challenged families with tuition assistance. Tuition for each student is $50 a month.
Enable children with special needs to have boarding privileges at the school.
Assist with nutritious lunches for several students.
Provide textbooks for children not able to purchase them.
Teach children to not only achieve academically, but challenge them in their spiritual growth and in learning to be an asset to their community.
Assist with clothing and other special family needs through the thrift shop on the Laurel Mission compound.

How to Become a Partner in This Year's Project

If your church wants to participate in this VBS project, use the promotional materials to share the need with students in your Vacation Bible School (a packet of materials was sent to all UB churches in May). We included a brief history of the school, information pertaining to how the school currently assists children and their families, some photographs for you to place on your bulletin board, and information as to how you can partner with this project.

Challenge the children to bring their offerings each night. Some churches even encourage the children by providing a matching monetary gift toward the project. Following your VBS, mail your check with the gifts for the project to:

Global Ministries
2004 VBS Project
302 Lake Street
Huntington, IN 46750

Thanks so much for your partnership in this special project. As all of our churches partner together through this VBS project, lives will be impacted eternally in Big Laurel, Kentucky.