Bible school gets the creative juices flowing

Grace United Methodist Church has experimented with the times of its annual vacation Bible school for the past few years, and this time church leaders think they’ve found a winner.

This year, they went with a four-day camp, beginning June 29, for six hours each day beginning at 9 a.m. With 36 children registered, enrollment was up over last year, when the program was held in the evenings. There were also nine teen volunteers this year.

The theme was “Workshop of Wonders” and there were messages, or “wonder words,” each day. Children learned to imagine, build, grow, work and walk with God. Every morning, they got together in the school gym to watch a video and go over the daily message before splitting up into small groups for activities.

There was music, Bible study, arts and crafts, and recreation. In one arts and crafts program, children colored paper flip flops to symbolize walking with God. After lunch, they then completed a walk at Hendrickson Park.

Vacation Bible school began with a worship service in conjunction with the church, followed by a small carnival. Matt Roth, the director of youth ministry, said seven children signed up for the camp that day because of the activities.

The camp closed out on July 2 with the children doing musical presentations for their parents.

Roth said that he saw a lot of smiles during the program, and believes it was a good experience for the children. “We hope that they would leave here knowing that God is with them always,” he said. “The message is ‘God is with you all the time’ and with God, all things are possible.”

Jackson Morton, 8, attended the program for the second year and said he liked the variety of activities. He enjoyed making some new friends and learning how to follow God.

Stephanie Neri, 8, whose mother served as the music teacher, returned for the third year in a row. “I think that the activities are good,” she said, adding that they kept her focused throughout the day.

Volunteers included 13-year-old Matthew Peterson and 17-year-old Kenny DiSalvo, both members of the church. DiSalvo, working there for the fourth year, said he enjoys developing bonds with the children. “I love giving them a good friend,” he said. “I love seeing them with the smiles on their faces.”

DiSalvo said he wanted the children to walk away from the week knowing that church can be a fun place to go to.

Peterson, who attends North High School, volunteered for the second year and was responsible for leading his group of second- and third-grade students. He ensured that they were safe, happy and at each activity on time.

He said he liked seeing the connections the children were making with their peers. Overall, Peterson said vacation Bible school can be a rewarding experience for kids. “It builds their trust inside the church,” he said.

Over the years, Roth said one of his greatest rewards has been seeing the children make friends, and continue those friendships outside of the program.

Pastor Matthew Curry noted that the vacation Bible school, at six hours a day, provides a better educational experience than 45 minutes of Sunday school. “It gives them a positive experience of the church,” he said.

Noting that many children return year after year, Curry said the program, which begins right after the regular school year ends, is something they look forward to. He added that it would not be possible without the hard work of Roth and the volunteers.

For Roth, who attended the program as a child, this was his final year as its leader. “It was a very rewarding experience,” he said. “I wanted to give back to the church that I grew up in.”

Every year, there was a different theme to the program, and Roth said he is hard pressed to pick a favorite. Each one had its own set of activities, Bible versus to share and messages to impart. “Every year was something different which made the experience unique,” he said. “I can’t say that one year topped them all.”