Bible school uses fun foundation for faith creation

It's summer and that means no school — at least not the traditional kind. Local churches are keeping children entertained while they learn about religion at vacation Bible school.

The children at Marco Presbyterian Church's weeklong vacation Bible school June 5 began with a kid-friendly dinner followed by songs, prayer and a skit performed by actors from the church. The program for preschoolers to fifth-graders attracted 44 children the first day and ended June 9.

"It's a lot of fun for parents as volunteers and kids. It gives them a chance to make new friends, learn about Jesus and get a little exercise, too," said Wendy McCarty, volunteer. The church had about 35 volunteers, half of whom were church members.

The theme this year was The King Is Coming. The curriculum came from Great Commission Publications. At the beginning of the program each child was given a name tag shaped like a crown and at the end of each day they were given a different jewel that corresponded with the daily topic. Topics included creation, fall, covenant, salvation and glory.

Grade levels were split by age groups with preschoolers; kindergartners and first-graders; second-and third-graders; and fourth-and fifth-graders. Each group spent 20 minutes in one of four subjects: Bible story, crafts, music and games. At the end of the day they gathered again for music and prayer.

Jonathan Loerop, youth pastor, taught the Bible story section. The curriculum was different for each age group. He asked the preschoolers what was in the ocean. The children's answers included fish, whales, sharks and dolphins.

In the craft section children painted wind-chimes sun-catchers shaped like butterflies.

"We don't have one of these," said Wyatt Park, 5, as he chose another color for his project. Crafts were items children could take home with them as keepsakes.

During games children went outside to run relay races. When Adam Donzanti, volunteer, asked the children who came in first, a lot of hands shot up. As he watched them run the course he reminded them not to push and shove.

After the games the children went inside for a push-up popsicle, pretzels and some chocolate candy. Other snacks during the week included popcorn, trail mix, ice cream and cookies.

"A lot of his buddies from school are here, which makes it fun," McCarty said of her son, Ryan, 9.

Loerop hopes the kids left Bible school wiser about God's love while learning to love God and one another.

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At the Wesley United Methodist Church's weeklong vacation Bible school the theme was Time-Stone Travelers: Quest for God's 10 Commandments. They too began their day at Bible school with songs, which included Time-Stone Travelers, Happy With What You Have and Only One God. Each child received a CD with the songs when they registered.

Their curriculum came from Cook Communications Ministries and had five stations including the Mayan Jungle, Medieval Castle, Ancient Laboratory, Hawk's Village and Hawaiian Volcano. Each site had a Bible story, a snack, a craft and two games. The children learned about two commandments at each site and spent each day at a different site.

Katie Kirstein, 9, liked making a rain-shaker in the Mayan Jungle site.

"It was fun to decorate it and you can just shake it and it clears all your thoughts if you've had a bad day, and it's fun to make music," Katie said.

The 4-year-olds through fifth-graders had a traveling journal to take to each site that included an activity and a Bible verse about that day's lesson.

Volunteers included 10 adults and 20 youths, not all of whom were church members.

"The youth workers are awesome. When they could be sleeping in they are here instead," said Amy Orgass, youth minister.

Fifth-graders through high school students were youth helpers.

"It's so nice to do it, and the kids always love you when you do it," said Emily Boyer, 13, youth volunteer.

Lisa Richart, a church member volunteer who helped organize the Bible school, hoped the kids had a fun, positive Christian experience with friends at the Bible school. She hoped the children who attended Bible school would walk away and be able to utilize the commandments when situations warranted.

The 45 children in the program were divided into pre-school, first-and second-graders, and two classes of third-, fourth-and fifth-graders.

The church did its planning and preparation based on how many participants it could fit in classrooms. That was how we determined our limit, Pastor James Lake said.

Lake volunteered to teach one of the third-, fourth-and fifth-grader classes.

"(It's) good for kids to see their pastor as someone who's having fun with them and singing and learning," Lake said.