Vacation Bible Schools Help Kids Form a Relationship with God

School may be out for the summer, but Vacation Bible School is in session at several Athens churches to help kids form a connection with God. Green Acres Baptist Church, Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Beech Haven Baptist Church, Athens First United Methodist Church, , and , among others, will hold weeklong VBS programs, led by volunteers, that are open to anyone in the community.

At Beech Haven Baptist Church, children will enjoy music, crafts, Bible stories and snacks as part of Lifeway's curriculum Big Apple Adventure: Where Faith and Life Connect, said Pam Ratti, publications assistant.

“VBS is an evangelical kind of outreach program,” she said. “It's designed to introduce children to Jesus Christ and disciple them.”

▪                When: June 6-10

▪                Time: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

▪                Ages: Children who have just completed first through sixth grades

▪                Cost: Free

 At Green Acres Baptist Church, VBS will include Bible study, worship, crafts, recreation and cooking as part of the Big Apple Adventure curriculum, said Heather Fountain, children's minister.

Ninety volunteers will lead the program, “to disciple children and help build their relationship with Jesus Christ and others,” Fountain said.

▪                When: June 6-10

▪                Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

▪                Ages: 3-year-olds through fifth graders

▪                Cost: Free

At Emmanuel Episcopal Church, children will enjoy singing, crafts, snacks and skits while “generally running around and having a lot of fun,” said Edwin Beckham, associate priest. The program will use the curriculum PandaMania: Where God is Wild About You!

“Because church attendance always drops off in summer because of summer vacations, it's a way to keep kids connected with God,” Beckham said. “This is a way to remind the kids that their relationship with God is a 24/7 thing, and it doesn't just stop in the summer.”

▪                When: June 20-24

▪                Time: 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

▪                Ages: 5-year-olds to rising fifth graders (3- and 4-year-olds can attend if parents volunteer)

▪                Cost: $15 for church members, $25 for other children, free for children whose parents volunteer for the whole week, scholarships available

At Athens First United Methodist Church, children will enjoy arts, crafts and stories while using the Hometown Nazareth curriculum, said program assistant Diana Zylow.

▪                When: June 20-24

▪                Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

▪                Ages: 3-year-olds through children who have just completed fourth grade

Cost: Free to those who register before June 1; $10 for those who register after June 1. Preregistration is required before June 10.

 At , VBS will wrap up a week of farm-themed activities with a county fair on Friday, to go along with the Son Harvest County Fair curriculum.

The program will teach children about "growing the fruits of the spirit" -- love, joy, peace, patience and kindness, said Christy Correll-Hughes, children's minister. Vacation Bible School "provides kids with basically up to three months of what they would get in Sunday school, but in a fun, friendly, interactive way," she said. "Our goal is just for kids to learn about the Bible and the fruits of the spirit, and have fun doing it."

When: June 20-24

Time: 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Ages: rising Pre-K to fifth grade

Cost: free

For more information or to register, consult the website or call 706-354-0090.

will use Vacation Bible School as a time to explore Bible stories and present-day problems with the Water U Doing? curriculum from nonprofit organization Watering Malawi.

"It's an organization that raises money to build sustainable wells in Malawi, so the children will be learning about stories from Malawi," as well as ways they can help and corresponding Biblical texts, said Hannah Coe, minister of youth and children.

Coe said the curriculum differs from many others that are available. "This one is designed to be completely Earth-friendly and recyclable" since it uses digital resources, she said. And, "it's not as entertainment-oriented as some of the other materials out there."

VBS is a chance to show children the intergenerational side of religion, Coe said, by letting them see adults practicing their faith. 

"VBS is something that helps us share our story of faith and learn about how God loves us and how God can help us to love others," she said.

When: June 6-9

Time: 9 a.m. to noon

Ages: age 3 to grade 5

Cost: Free, but donations of up to $5 per family are welcome

For more information, consult the church website.

 At of Athens, children will enjoy theater, music, crafts, story time and recreation, said Holly Jordan, administrative assistant in charge of communications, and Misse Mallino, director of Christian education.

They will use the curriculum Shake It Up Cafe: Where Kids Carry Out God's Recipe, which uses a cooking theme to teach Bible stories. The kids will help package 4,000 meals in an assembly line as part of a mission project with Stop Hunger Now.

 "It's a really easy mission project for children to participate in, because it's broken down into steps," Mallino said. The older children will also learn about the Seder, a Passover tradition that Jesus celebrated, and eat a Seder meal.

Vacation Bible School, Mallino said, is a way to teach children through different ways of learning.

"The purpose behind VBS is the take some extra time and teach them Bible stories through lots of different activities," she said.

When: June 13-16

Time: 9:00 a.m. to noon

Ages: age 4 to grade 5

Cost: by donation

For more information, consult the church website.