Because of the COVID-19 novel virus, many churches have been forced to cancel their 2020 in-person/on-site VBS programs.  Though families will not be able to bring their children to a church building this summer, the “Church” still can bring the good news of Jesus to families.

Safari Through the Scriptures is a virtual, creative and fun online experience designed to digitally deliver a way to study the Bible and learn about Jesus. It’s just a new way of delivering the always and forever message of the Gospel.

Yes! Absolutely!

Anyone, any age from anywhere in the world is welcome to attend. We all can learn how to search for Jesus in the Scriptures.

Safari Through the Scriptures is a digital experience designed for the entire family. The Biblical model and foundation for teaching children is not centered in an institution but rather rooted in the estate of the family. (see Deuteronomy 6)

Martin Luther followed this pattern in the 1500’s with his Small Catechism (online edition). He begins each section of the six chief parts with these words …

As the head of the household should teach it to his family in a clear and simple way.

With the help of “Coach John” and our friends from around the world, kids ranging in age from 5 – 95 years old will have fun and learn much while searching for Jesus in the Bible.

Each Safari will contain …

• recorded teaching modules designed in content and substance for the “heads of households” (dads, moms, grandparents etc.)
• in addition, we’ll try and provide a separate video (with the “same substance” of the lesson) yet delivered in a style age related and appropriate for the kids
• each Safari will contain online video lessons of different lengths that you can watch at any time that’s convenient

The technical delivery of these components will consist of the following:

• Digital materials delivered in video form and hosted on an online virtual classroom called “eXPlain it” (click here)
• Live virtual elements of teaching and community hosted virtually through ZOOM.

It’s called Safari through the Scriptures because throughout the digital experience we’ll be searching for Jesus in all of the Bible. As Jesus Himself said,

“You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testify about me.” John 5:39 (World English Bible)

The Bible is a “Jesus Book”. All of the Old Testament speaks of the Messiah who would come. All of the New Testament speaks of the Messiah who has come. The promise of Jesus and the forgiveness of sins is at the heart and center of all of the Scriptures.

The “Safari” theme was inspired by my family’s short term mission trips to Africa in 2016 and 2017. We served with Rev. James May and Lutherans in Africa and taught at the Lutheran School of Theology in Kenya. LIA will also be our designated mission partner. You can learn more about that below.

Safari through the Scriptures has three (3) main conceptual components:

• Hakuna Matata:  Activities, games, no worries and lots of fun for the entire family. (Led by my brother, “Coach John”. The fun one in the family.)
• Jambo and Rafiki:  A way to meet and make friends, maybe even some new “rafiki” (Swahili for “friends”) from Africa. Through live ZOOM meetings and videos we’ll get to know Rev. James May, his family and the local Masai community living in the villages around  LIA’s Lutheran School of Theology at the foot of the Ngong Hills.
• Safari through the Scriptures:  A time to read, study and search the Scriptures looking for Jesus. (Hosted and taught by me, Pastor Paul Arndt with some special guest teaching by  Rev. James May of Lutherans in Africa)

At the present time Safari through the Scriptures: Searching for Jesus in the Old and New Testament content consists of six (6) Safaris. The themes will be …

Safari Through the …   

• the Bible
• the Books of Moses
• the Psalms
• the Prophets
• the Gospels
• the Epistles

Each Safari will contain …

• recorded teaching modules designed in content and substance for the “heads of households” (dads, moms, grandparents etc.)
• in addition, we’ll try and provide a separate video (with the “same substance” of the lesson) yet delivered in a style age related and appropriate for the kids
• each Safari will contain online video lessons of different lengths that you can watch at any time that’s convenient

The technical delivery of these components will consist of the following:

• Digital materials delivered in video form and hosted on an online virtual classroom called “eXPlain it” (click here)
• Live virtual elements of teaching and community hosted virtually through ZOOM.

“No” and “Yes”.

NO because …

The entire Safari virtual family Bible camp happens online, so you can view it anywhere in the world at any time. The majority of the teaching and activity lessons will be pre-recorded so that you can watch them at any time. But, there also will be some “live” virtual events through ZOOM.

YES because …

I would like to do some live Q and A with families about the lessons for the week. Times and dates for these live ZOOM meetings can be flexible. Also, our hope is that we will be able to do some onsite live virtual gatherings with Rev. May, his family and some of the students attending LIA’s Lutheran School of Theology. Because of time differences we’ll have to be creative.

But, if it works, it will be fun.

Access any time. Anywhere.

Because the content is digital, you can spend as much or as little time as you want. You’ll get convenient access to all course materials, so there is no need to complete the Bible Camp within a certain time period. You and your family can travel along with Safari at your own pace and always come back to the videos later when you want to revisit the material .

YES.

Although most of the Safari camp activities and teaching will be pre-recorded videos hosted on the “eXPlain it” portal”, there will be live events and meetups hosted via the ZOOM app.

If all goes well with the technology and time zones, we’ll be “ZOOMing” with our new rafiki (“friends”) from Africa. I will let you know when live ZOOM events are scheduled. If possible, I’ll also record the ZOOM gatherings so that you can view them later.

Safari Through the Scriptures, though initially created as a family virtual Bible camp, could conceptually be adapted and used as a Virtual VBS program for a local church. For questions or more information feel free to send me an email at paul@paulwarndt.com.

Perhaps we could partner with each other and do something fun and exciting for the Kingdom.

Yes. The mission partnership for Safari Through the Scriptures is the ministry lead by Rev. James May and Lutherans in Africa in Kenya.

As mentioned above, the “Safari” theme was inspired by my family’s short term mission trips to Africa in 2016 and 2017. We served with Rev. James May and Lutherans in Africa and taught at the Lutheran School of Theology in Kenya.

You can learn more about LIA and how to support Rev. James May, the Lutheran School of Theology and its surrounding villages and community below.

Fun Fact:  all of the pictures of the giraffes were taken on the LIA site and surrounding area.

The mission of Lutherans in Africa is …

Forming African Christians to be Teachers of the Faith

There is a severe shortage of trained pastors in Africa.

In America, the Lutheran Church has 1 pastor for every 376 members.  In Tanzania, for instance, there is 1 pastor for every 3,500 members.  The Lutheran Church in Tanzania alone has over 5 million members, but many struggle to understand what Lutherans believe and why.  The average pastor serves 12 parishes but only visits one each Sunday.  The other eleven are served by evangelists who have had little or no training.  Even those who are trained have few books and limited opportunity for further formal study in the Living Word and doctrinal theology.

By training Africans to be teachers of the faith, Lutherans In Africa (LIA) is able to help fill the need for pastors and further spread the Gospel, allowing God to work through His external Word. By training pastors, evangelists, and church workers, we are teaching not merely this generation, but the ones to come.

I’ve had the opportunity to serve with Rev. James May. In my recent visit (December of 2017), I tried to capture the mission and work of LIA through a series of “Photo Stories”. I share them here with you.

(When you click on the PhotoStory, scroll down through the frame to see all of the pictures and the accompanying mission story.)

Summary of PhotoStory 1:  Arndt Family Goes to Africa

• First trip to Lutherans in Africa (December 2016)
• Brief recap of LIA and its mission
• Lutheran School of Theology (LST) site plan
• Start of construction
• The first seminars at the newly established LST
• Daily life on the LST
• A rugged beauty and majestic giraffes
• Construction of the library begins

Summary of PhotoStory 2:  Arrival at the LST

• Travel adjustment and recuperation
• “Karibu Kenya”
• Rev. James May’s Class on the Lutheran Liturgy
• Construction progress:  library, visiting professor’s cottage, May family home
• Chores and daily life on the LST
• The giraffes stop by for a visit

Summary of PhotoStory 3:  Teaching at the LST

• The trip from Nairobi to the LST
• The Ngong Hills and the majestic Rift Valley
• Traveling the road to the LST
• Advent 2 and the Service of the Word
• Progress (and delays) on the library. “Karibu Kenya”.
• Seminar on the Psalms
• Daily life on the LST
• Afternoon walks with the giraffes

Summary of PhotoStory 4:  Finals Day at the LST and Send Off

• Final Exams
• Posting of grades and a moment to celebrate
• Send off for pastors and their long trips back home
• Giraffe traffic jam
• LIA staff Christmas party at the LST
• “Thorns, thistles and the sweat of your brow”
• “The wages of sin is death”
• “I am making everything new”

Summary of PhotoStory 5:  Christmas Youth Gathering

• Off to the Kenyan Coast for the Youth Gathering
• Just follow James
• Matatus – mayhem on wheels
• A full week of teaching the Youth
• The beauty of Kenya
• Some downtime at the beach
• Advent 4 and Christmas Day with the Youth
• Christmas Day Feast
• Freedom for the prisoners
• A crown of beauty instead of ashes

Our Mission Partnership during the Safari  will be Lutherans in Africa

If you would like to support the work of Lutherans in Africa and Rev. James May at the Lutheran School of Theology, you can access giving options in the links below.

• Here’s a link to LIA’s homepage (click here)
• In the sidebar of the homepage you can find information about support via PayPal or by Check
• There is also an electronic giving option by credit card.
• Here’s a link to …  LIA’s designated electronic giving page (click here)

The target date for the launch of the first Safari is Monday, June 15th. This is the date that most schools will finish their virtual learning year and begin summer vacation. In the weeks that follow, I’ll release the remainder of the Safaris:

Safari Through the …   

• the Bible (coming June 15th)
• the Books of Moses
• the Psalms
• the Prophets
• the Gospels
• the Epistles

NO COST for Safari Through the Scriptures

• The virtual family Bible camp is FREE for families.
• You can enroll at my online digital platform called “eXPlain it”. Here’s the link to the site:   eXPlain it (click here). 
• Find the “Safari Through the Scriptures” course card (or click here)
• Click the “enroll free” button and follow the prompts
• You’ll have to create an account using an email and your own unique password

Our Mission Partnership during the Safari  will be Lutherans in Africa

If you would like to support the work of Lutherans in Africa and Rev. James May at the Lutheran School of Theology, you can access giving options in the links below.

• Here’s a link to LIA’s homepage (click here)
• In the sidebar of the homepage you can find information about support via PayPal or by Check
• There is also an electronic giving option by credit card.
• Here’s a link to …  LIA’s designated electronic giving page (click here)

NO.

Because the teaching modules and activities are pre-recorded videos and are hosted at the “eXPlain it” portal, there is no limit to enrollment. Families (as long as you have internet) can access any of the Safari  lessons any time, anywhere.

The only limitation may be the live ZOOM events. We’ll manage days, times and attendees as the number of enrollees dictate.

Here’s how to sign up:

• The virtual family Bible camp is FREE for families.
• You can enroll at my online digital platform called “eXPlain it”. Here’s the link to the site:   eXPlain it (click here). 
• Find the “Safari Through the Scriptures” course card (or click here)
• Click the “enroll free” button and follow the prompts
• You’ll have to create an account using an email and your own unique password

The “eXPlain it” Online Discipleship Portal

I created “eXPlain it” as an online discipleship resource to help you understand the person and work of Jesus Christ as He is revealed in all of the Scriptures. The majority of the classes on this site are currently free and are open to all for registration.

Please note that the majority of the materials and classes are in the developmental and “beta testing” mode. If you’d like to help, I need a number of individuals who would be willing to work their way through the online classes as they are being developed and posted. Feel free to give feedback along the way. You can start with one class and add more as your time allows. It will be a work in process. In advance, thanks for your patience, feedback and encouragement.

You can send comments or suggestions to paul@paulwarndt.com.

If you’d like to help support the development of Safari Through the Scriptures and similar courses, you can become a “patron” of the “eXPlain it” site.

Become a patron of my “eXPlain it” Discipleship Portal Through a Monthly Subscription

A “patron” is someone who supports the creative efforts of artists, musicians, writers etc.

The “eXPlain it” monthly patron subscription gives you access to all of the digital materials on the portal. It also helps to support the development of other digital materials as well as website and technical costs.

You can become a “patron” by signing up for a monthly membership here:   eXPlain it monthly subscription

Once a member, you’ll have access to all of the classes. I’ll be posting more videos and developing this discipleship portal in 2020.

PLEASE NOTE:  Any fees charged to your credit card will appear as being given to the “THE RECEPTIVE LIFE WWW.PAULWARNDT MI.  The “RECEPTIVE LLC” is currently listed as a “for profit” entity and, therefore, SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED OR DECLARED as a “charitable” tax deduction for your personal tax filings.