Bible school an amazing adventure

Children at Grace United Methodist Church visited the Grand Canyon, Great Barrier Reef, the Matterhorn and other wonders of the world last week without even leaving Valley Stream.

“Amazing Wonders Aviation” was the theme for the church’s annual vacation Bible school, held June 25-29. Every morning, about 35 children gathered on the school gym’s stage and watched a short video, or “in-flight movie” as program Director Matt Roth called it, about these wonders.

Roth dubbed the stage the group’s “worship rally hangar” and set up the seats to make children feel like they were on an airplane as they traveled around the world. “We learned that God’s power is amazing,” Roth said.

The week ended on the same stage, as children performed skits and music selections they rehearsed during the week relating to the Bible stories they studied. Their families were invited to come check out the performance.

Throughout the week, children traveled to different stations including Bible study, arts and crafts workshops, music classes and recreation activities. Adult and teen volunteers, many from the church’s youth group, led the children in their week-long journey.

“I just hope that they learn that they can believe in God,” Roth said, “and through fun and friendship they can learn about God.”

Roth said the enrollment in the vacation Bible school has been steady during the three weeks he has run the program. Many of the children come back year after year, though he noted there were a few newcomers. “Every year we get some new kids and they seem to jump right in,” he said.

The program is open to children ages 3 to 12, typically students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. Roth said that vacation Bible school gives them a chance to make some new friends as they attend a variety of schools in the area, and also belong to numerous churches.

Matt Peterson, 11, took part in the program for the third straight year. The recent Howell Road School graduate said he enjoys every aspect of vacation Bible school, particularly “missions,” the Bible study classes. “It’s really fun,” he said. “Inside every single activity, you learn about God.”

His mother, Nancy, has been supervising the arts and crafts station for the past three years. She said she always tries to relate the craft activity to the Bible passages that the children are reading. “It’s a way for them to remember the stories,” she said.

Peterson added that once the craft projects are complete, they are used to decorate the stage for all to see. At the end of the week, the children got to take their work home.

Teen volunteers Alex Hartmann, 17, and David Tatum, 15, say they look forward to this week each year. Hartmann, who followed the lead of his other brother, has been volunteering since he was about 10 years old. “I have a good time doing this and helping the kids learn,” he said.

Tatum has been volunteering there for three years, and said it helps him feel like an important part of the church community. “It’s fun to give back,” he said. “Every activity they do really helps the kids. It makes them enjoy coming to church.”

Roth said he gets a lot of positive feedback about the Bible school, and many children and parents wish it was more than one week. However, he said, a lot is accomplished in that short time.

The key to success for the program, Roth said, is combining faith with fun. Otherwise, children won’t want to be there, especially during the summer. “They need to be active,” he said. “They need to be creative. They need to be sharing. We definitely share everything with each other.”