The week of July 3rd to July 9th was specially designated to engage with the children of the community who gathered at the Mount Fortune Seventh-day Adventist Church for the annual Vacation Bible School (VBS). As is customary, the children were occupied with several fun-filled educational and spiritual activities.
According to reports from the VBS Coordinator, Ms. Marcia Hodge, sixty-five children registered, and fifth-eight attended.
She provided an extensive synopsis of what the children were involved in for the week.
This year a cross-cultural program was used with the theme being ‘Thailand Trek’. It focused on Thailand and its culture through videos and games played by Thai children. The participants from ages 6 to 12 were divided into four “crews”.
On Day One, each crew was required to give themselves a name. The names included “Christian Soldiers”, “Treasures”, “Bible Detectives”, and “Diamonds”. The other children, aged 3 to 5 were self-contained, supervised by volunteers, and referred to as “Preschoolers”.
Each day throughout the week, there was a Bible Point about which a biblical concept that was taught. A Bible verse was associated with the Bible Point, and a song was linked to the general daily theme. A Bible story was also linked to the Bible Point.
The Crews rotated through four stations each day. They began and ended the day as a whole group reciting the Bible Points and learning the songs. The four stations were as follows:
1. Bible Adventures – Each day, there was a discussion on the Bible story of the day.
2. Thai Treats – The children made and enjoyed snacks that are eaten by Thai children. Some included sticky rice, spiced toast, and plantain chips.
3. Experience Thailand – Children learned about Thai culture as if they were on a tour of the country.
4. Thai Games – This was an outdoor station where students learned to play various games played by children in Thailand.
“On Monday, we focused on the fact that God is real even though He cannot be seen. The children identified things in their environment that aren’t visible but were testament to the existence of God,” Ms. Hodge said.
“On Tuesday we featured “Mango Madness” where church members donated mangoes from their trees. We got hundreds of mangoes that were used to make mango beverage and mango specials for the children. That day, Tropical Treats Ice Cream also came along and provided ice cream to each child as well as the volunteers.
“Wednesday was Water Wednesday. The only beverage served was water. On Thursday, more mangoes were donated and were served as snack along with watermelon. Friday was “Plantain Frenzy”. The children were exposed to plantain porridge and had plantain chips made by the teachers at the Treats Station,” Ms. Hodge said.
VBS culminated on Sabbath afternoon with a Closing Ceremony attended by the children’s friends and family members. They recited their daily Bible Points and scripture verses for the audience, and they shared the lessons they learned about Thailand in their various groups. One highlight during the ceremony was that parents were challenged to chant the Bible Point for each day after the children, and also to recite each day’s memory verse.
“We would like to thank Pastor Dr. Howard Simon and all the volunteers and donors who made the activity a success,” Ms. Hodge concluded. “These contributors included Tropical Treats Ice Cream; Chantal Bryan; Tiffany Carty; the kitchen staff; Catherine Brooks (for the décor); Shefoo Webster; Vanicia Fleming; and Max Printing (for printing of t-shirts). We also thank the parents for entrusting us with the care and education of their children for yet another year. We hope to minister to children at VBS 2024 as we seek to share God’s word in creative and interesting ways.”
