Under the ocean and out into the wild at VBS

The weather of June 24 to 28 was a lot more bearable than the week before when it was over 90 degrees. The lower temperatures in the 80s came just in time for kids to enjoy three vacation Bible schools that week — SCUBA at Dalton United Methodist Church, The Great Jungle Journey at both The Super Summer Slamm and Servant Church of the Abingtons.

The children of Dalton United Methodist Church enjoyed an underwater-theme VBS called SCUBA. Five teams of students split into groups named after a sea animal VBS character, such as a dolphin named Finnley with a bubbly personality and a big, friendly whale named Waylon.

Speaking of whales, one of the stories in the Bible story station was about Jonah. He was the prophet who had to spread the news of the upcoming savior to Ninevah but didn’t want to because he didn’t forgive their wicked ways. The kids then learned the memory verse that day, which was John 13:34, which is ‘A new commandment I give unto you. That go love one another; as I have loved you.”

Kids also learned that verse through an outdoor game, in which kids worked together to use a towel and pass a ball to another team holding another towel. Through teamwork and encouraging words, the youngsters learned the Bible verse.

On another day, children learned the Bible verse John 11:25, which is “Jesus told her. I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live.” At the station called Sticky Scripture Kid Vid, VBS volunteer Marcia Rivenburg had children dance to music played by a video and continue to dance when the music stops. This was to teach the kids that even though Jesus died on the cross, his disciples continued to spread the word about Him for they knew that He rose from the dead.

Kids at Dalton United Methodist Church enjoyed activities at the Imagination Station such as painting T-shirts of sea creatures in the middle of the ocean. They also got to see that a ketchup packet going down a plastic bottle by squeezing the middle of the bottle.

At the Super Summer Slamm run by Evangelical Free Bible Church and Servant Church of the Abingtons, the kids explored the 7 C’s - creation when God created the world, corruption when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and catastrophe when God sent the flood and Moses built the ark, confusion, Christ in cross, and consummation, when God will make everything good again.

“We are to be God’s light to the kids,” said Super Summer Slamm team leader Rene Durkin.

About 120 students were split into eight teams. Kids from each team made projects based on a Bible story. One day, they made the tower of Babbel out of pasta and duct tape. Team leader Jen Measley tells a story about a missionary every year. This year, she told the story of Scottish Mary Slessor, who wanted to spread Jesus’ message to an African tribe, in which their chief was excited to see her. She also gave medicine to the sick tribal members, who came down with malaria.

Kids enjoyed at the Super Summer Slamm of gama ball, obstacle courses, train rides, tug of war, and playing with water guns and water balloons.

“I like getting wet but only by dropping water on myself,” said Brandon Diehl, who has been in this VBS for three or four years. “I like the train rides. I throw rocks in the creek.”

“We play games and make new friends all the time,” said first-year Super Summer Slamm camper Giulianna Joyce, explaining what she likes about the VBS. Her favorite activity is soccer ball.

The auditorium of Servant Church of the Abingtons welcomed the VBS students with a huge display of a jungle with a waterfall decoration and a snake decoration in the ceiling. One day when the theme was Christ in cross, children played an outdoor game called ‘Steal the Serpent’ in which two teams had to race to pick up a pool noodle. The pool noodle represented the serpent who tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. The main lesson is that God forgave Eve. Kids made arts and crafts of tombs with Jesus’ cross on it. This emphasized Jesus dying for our sins.

Volunteers Ron and Donna Liples decorated their Bible lesson station into a river boat. One of the days, they explained each of the 7 Cs by color such as green for creation, gray for confusion, and yellow for consummation.

For children who missed out on these VBS’s or want to enjoy more VBS’s this year, there are a couple of upcoming VBS’s in the future. Countryside Community Church will have their VBS called Keepers of the Kingdom from July 8 to 12. First Presbyterian Church will have it VBS called Hometown Nazareth When Jesus was a Kid, which will be from July 15 to 19.