MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. -- In the summer, parents do not always have activities for their children when school is out. It is even rarer for children to engage in activities that teach them about Christ.
A Vacation Bible School held by volunteers aboard the Marine Corps Air Station New River Chapel solved this problem, July 16-19.
The goal of the four-day program was to provide the 50-60 participants with the opportunity to learn how to become good Christians and develop a relationship with God, said Judy A. Bradford, Protestant director of religious education at the chapel.
To do this, the program divided children into different school grades and planned activities for the appropriate age level.
The program was manned by 33 volunteers from First Baptist Church of Friendsville in Friendsville, Tenn. They ranged from teenagers to adults ready to spread the word of God to children of service members who may not have both parents with them to guide them in a religious upbringing, said Scott Kidd, First Baptist Church youth pastor.
This was the sixth time the group came to Jacksonville, N.C., for VBS but the first time it came aboard the air station. The volunteers previously worked at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune five years in a row.
Some of the activities used included Bible study, singing and a snack time that featured a puppet show, said Scott.
The puppet show used a metaphor to explain how Jesus died for everyone’s sins. One sock puppet gives the other money to buy materials to build a house. He uses buckets instead of wood, and the house eventually falls on top of him.
The first puppet saves him from his mistake, just as Jesus saves people from their own bucket houses of sin, said Bradford.
Barbara Taylor, First Baptist Church volunteer, led a discussion in a way children could understand about how everyone commits sins and how Jesus can save if they asked for forgiveness.
“Say there’s a girl named Kelly,” said Taylor. “Kelly did something bad, but you went over to her house and took the spanking for her. Wouldn’t that be cool? That’s what Jesus did.”
Taylor added that everyone messes up, but continuously acknowledging that and asking for forgiveness is the way to go.
With the lessons, crafts and slip n’ slide, the school provided many children fun and exciting activities, said Mariah Hamilton, VBS participant.
“I liked everything,” she said. “I definitely liked the spirit we had here.”