VBS students get to throw pies on the faces of group leaders.
Ben Freda | For Abington Journal
Brynn Chapman, 8, of Jessup, and Jaelynn Velez, 10, of Scott Township, with their shields they made during the VBS at Servant Church of the Abingtons.
Ben Freda | For Abington Journal
VBS students from Servant Church of the Abingtons go after the other team in a tag-like game.
Ben Freda | For Abington Journal
Micah White, left, and Ana Rivera are in a skit set in medieval times.
Ben Freda | For Abington Journal
Tony DeSantis, environmental education specialist, shows a crayfish that a VBS student from the Super Summer Slam gathered from a stream.
Ben Freda | For Abington Journal
Six-year-old Maddie Richardson shows her little craft of a dragon at the Super Summer Slam.
Ben Freda | For Abington Journal
Art teacher Katie Leonard, of Clarks Summit, shows VBS students how to paint a castle during the Super Summer Slam.
Ben Freda | For Abington Journal
Ventriloquist Marian Gehman, center, performs with VBS students Boaz Sporcic, left, and Raine Kearney.
Ben Freda | For Abington Journal
The VBS students, leaders, and helpers at the Super Summer Slam.
Ben Freda | For Abington Journal
Vacation Bible School students of Dalton United Methodist Church display torches they made during Crater Craft Class.
Ben Freda | For Abington Journal
VBS students of Dalton United Methodist Church make slime to look like lava.
Ben Freda | For Abington Journal
It was that time of year again.
It was time for Christian churches to hold weeklong Vacation Bible School programs, where kids had fun while still learning in the process.
The kids have been out of school for the summer, but they spent some of their free time coming to a Vacation Bible School to learn about Bible lessons through crafts, music, and games. There were many VBS programs this summer in the Abington area. Three churches ran VBS’s during the last week of June: Dalton United Methodist Church, Servant Church of the Abingtons, and Evangelical Free Bible Church.
Dalton UMC’s VBS had a theme called Lava Lava Island: Where Jesus’ Love Flows. The sanctuary was designed like a tropical getaway with a big volcano, where kids placed colorful stones they made during the week. The students learned a little about volcanoes during Crater Craft Class. Craft teacher Diane Dalton taught them that a hole in the volcano is called a crater. She also taught them the hot liquid inside a volcano is magma and gets called lava during an eruption.Kids made slime out of glue, water, and borax and colored it to resemble lava.
This VBS raised funds for a nonprofit organization called Artists for a Cure, which works with terminally-ill children. They draw portraits of the sick child and incorporate his or her favorite things in the picture. Examples are kids drawn as superheroes or butterflies. The VBS students managed to raise past their monetary goal of $200. On Friday evening, after performing their dances they learned in front of their parents, a few of the children got to throw pies in the faces of a few of the group leaders.
Both Servant Church of the Abingtons and Evangelical Free Bible Church’s Super Summer Slam had the same VBS theme called Keepers of the Kingdom. Servant Church’s sanctuary had quite a medieval motif as it was designed like a castle from the Middle Ages. A few of the teen church members put on a skit about a knight (played by Micah White), who wants to be a member of the “square table.” He looks for the Book of Truth with help from a knight named Sir Laughs-a-Lot (played by Ana Rivera). The moral is about how our truth should be based on God’s truth because God is the absolute authority.
During the Super Summer Slam, kids had fun in the backyard of the Joe Terry Civic Center in Montdale. They played gaga, nine-square, ran through an inflatable obstacle course, and looked for animals in the stream. Environmental education specialist Tony DeSantis of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources helped the children identify some of the creatures the kids netted out of the stream. Animals included crayfish, stoneflies and salamanders.
Jen Measley told a story called Pilgrim’s Progress, an allegory written by John Bunyan. In this story, the main character goes on a journey to Celestial City, which is equivalent to a Christian’s journey into Heaven.
Another guest was art teacher Katie Leonard, of Clarks Summit.
Keeping with the theme, she taught kids how to paint a castle in the gymnasium of the civic center. She studied graphic design and studio art at Pensacola Christian College in Florida. She found it fitting to do castles for the VBS because it magnifies God’s kingdom. This was her first time at Super Summer Slam, but she has been teaching painting classes mostly for ministry including various churches.
Another Christian guest was ventriloquist Marian Gehman. While performing with her puppet parrot named Dudley, her act has a moral about learning to have patience. While performing with a forgetful mouse puppet named Chester, she tells the story about David and Goliath, which is about bravery even in scary circumstances.
From July 10 to 13, Countryside Community Church had its VBS called Everest.
The sanctuary was designed with a camping tent in the middle of a snowy mountain. The lessons were “God has the power to provide” and “God has the power to comfort” even through hard tasks like climbing a mountain.
Children played a version of tag, in which the person who’s ‘it’ holds hands with the one he or she tagged and chases other players together. This game was about staying connected through trials.
From July 17 to 21, First Presbyterian Church had its VBS called Babylon: Daniel’s Courage in Captivity. It was for children from age 4 to completed grade 5. They were split into three tribes, Judah (pre-K to kindergarten), Levi (first grade to third grade), and Asher (fourth grade and sixth grade). There were Bible stories, music, and games.
VBS season in the Abington area may be over but summer isn’t over yet.
So, make the most of what’s left of it.
