A Look Back at Vacation Bible School

It’s the beginning of Fall now, and summer has ended, but as I reflect on this past summer, one of the biggest highlights for me is being able to direct and lead our annual Vacation Bible School program. It always reminds me of God’s goodness and how He provides us with everything we need to do the work He has given us.

VBS is always such a huge event with the endless to-do lists, the paperwork, the registrations, the decorating, planning the stations, meetings, getting all the supplies, getting the volunteers, having leader trainings, and more.  But as always, VBS was a wonderful week, enjoyed not only by the kids who attended but also by the leaders and volunteers. 

I want to personally thank each and every one who has helped make this program a success for our community:

Thank you to all those who gave up time to help plan, decorate, set up, prepare, and get things ready for VBS. Your dedication and support is invaluable and a huge blessing to all. 

Thank you to all of the group leaders who diligently and faithfully led their groups throughout each day and enthusiastically gave their 100% to make sure that the kids had a wonderful time, made memories, and learned more about God. They give a perfect example of being the hands and feet of Jesus! 

Thank you to all those who volunteered their time at stations. Whether it was a craft, science, mission, games or story station your help was vital in our VBS days running smoothly.  

Thank you to all those who helped in the kitchen, making sure that everyone always had snacks and drinks to enjoy throughout the day. 

Thank you to all those who donated and provided items for us to use during the week for snacks and our hotdog lunch. 

Our theme for the week was “Camp Firelight,” where kids were able to go on a week-long adventure with God. Each day, we were able to join together and learn more about God through stories, worship, games, crafts, science, and mission projects. 

“Camp Firelight” VBS 2024 was an amazing time, with tons of laughs, lots of smiles, new friendships made, and many memories created. Not only did we have an amazing time, but we had kids, youth, and volunteers grow closer to God during this perfect summer week!

Below you can read some of the thankful moments from those who served and volunteered at VBS as well as those who attended. Please take time to read through them and see all the different ways God has moved through this ministry! 

Miss Adrienne

I volunteered for the week this year for VBS. I was amazed at how many children and teenagers showed up.  What impressed me the most was how the teenagers lead the younger children each morning to start off VBS in the Sanctuary with songs and a skit about what the lesson was going to be for that day. They did a fantastic job! It was so great to see so many older young adults into God and spreading his word to our younger children.

I helped out at the mission station. The children that came to our mission station were K-2 graders. They were so excited to do the projects for the different organizations, knowing they were helping others and spreading the word of God. This program was very well organized, and the children had lots of fun learning about God while doing fun activities, singing songs, and praying. It made my day, every day, to see God working in such a powerful way!

Janet Gillon

“VBS at Pendleton Center United Methodist Church was one of the best weeks of my summer!” said my niece, who attended. She is from Virginia and happened to be staying with us at the beginning of August, so she went to VBS with my three boys.

Everyone was so welcoming (staff and campers) and friendly to her. She made new friends and enjoyed all of the activities! My oldest said his favorite parts were making candy salad, the science station, doing the boat experiment, and learning about Bible stories. My middle child said his favorites were Gaga ball, tug of war, and learning about Jacob’s dream of angels. My youngest (age 5) talked about the science experiments and the ice cream truck. It was truly an awesome, enriching experience for all ages. The program offered learning opportunities from science exploration to discovering certain details in Bible stories and, at the same time, offering a warm environment to encourage new friendships. Everything a Vacation Bible School should include! The staff was also well-informed and accommodating to my two boys with food allergies. I will definitely be sending my kids next summer! We will plan around it!

Jamie Worrell

I would like to give thanks to the Lord for an awesome week at Vacation Bible School. I had the opportunity to work on mission projects with the very young campers. I was amazed at their generosity and thoughtfulness. They gave graciously of themselves for others that they did not even know. I am especially thankful for the time we spent in prayer together for the recipients of these small gifts/projects. 

I pray that all of the campers continue to grow closer to Jesus Christ, feel the love of our Heavenly Father, and be guided by the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of countless folks that gave of themselves to make this beautiful week happen. We serve an awesome God!

Jo Ann O’Neill

What started as a way to be familiar with the church for pre-k turned into an annual tradition of pure joy. 

We decided to register our children for VBS as a way to get them acquainted with the building, the staff, and fellow classmates the summer prior to them starting pre-K at Genesis. They have now attended VBS there every summer and are the first ones to tell you that it is their favorite week of the summer. VBS provides wonderful lessons but also builds great friendships and long lasting memories. From the delicious snacks, fun theme days, adorable crafts, stories, movies, and games… each day is filled with fun… all while learning valuable lessons about the Bible. Since that first summer, when they were just three, my favorite part is sneaking in to catch them dancing and praising God at the end of each day. They have already mentioned that when they are too old to attend, they would love to come back as leaders. Thank you for everything!

Tara Laraba

My children loved PCUMC Vacation Bible School! I appreciated the safety aspects that were put into place - the parent check-in and assigned groups. My children learned so much about God while also having fun, doing crafts, and singing songs! They made wonderful new friends, and I couldn’t have asked for a better organized program.

“I liked the centers and my group! We even got to squirt our teachers with water balloons!” -Olivia (9 years old)

“I liked my group and the teachers! We played games and did fun things!” -Mikey (6 years old)

Jennifer D’Agostino & Family