Vacation Bible School programs gear up for another summer

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VBS group leaders at Ss. Cyril & Methodius Celeste Cantu, Isaiah De Leon and Gabe Guerra teach the Bible lesson: God has the power to heal.
Contributed photo

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Mountain climbing, deep sea diving, cave exploration—all in a week’s time. With themes ranging from Deep Sea Discovery (“God is With Me Wherever I Go”), Everest (“Conquering Challenges Through God’s Power”), Marvelous Mystery (“The Mass Comes Alive”) and Cool Kingdom Party (“Mary Leads Me Closer to Jesus”), Vacation Bible School programs in the Diocese of Corpus Christi provide action-packed fun. They provide each child with unique and lasting ways to deepen their love for Jesus and apply the lessons to real life.

Preparations are currently underway for this summer’s Vacation Bible School programs in the diocese, with at least eight local parishes participating and hosting their own VBS program in 2016.  They include Our Lady of Victory in Beeville, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Portland and Ss. Cyril & Methodius, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Pius X, St. John the Baptist, St. Andrew by the Sea and Christ the King, all in Corpus Christi.  

Aimed at reaching children of all cultures and religious backgrounds, Vacation Bible School offers a welcoming and enjoyable environment where kids can discover Christ through Bible stories and creativity.  Using Scripture and easy to remember songs, VBS leaders teach children to experience God’s word in “fun-filled” faith lessons.  

Each parish has a particular theme that it explores each year. The program typically runs for one week each summer, from approximately 8 a.m. until noon. The age of children that participate generally range from prekinder to the sixth grade, and the cost is minimal, ranging from free registration to $25 per child for the week. Volunteers include teen group leaders and parish teachers and mentors.

“This year’s Vacation Bible School theme is Birthday Blast: A Celebration of Life where we will be focusing on the beauty of God’s creation and the dignity of a every human being. Youth will learn what it means to be a child of God and to respect, protect, serve and celebrate life,” said Youth Formation Coordinator Elizabeth Griss at St. John the Baptist. “VBS provides the children in our community with a fun and faith-filled morning, demonstrating that learning about their faith does not have to be boring or dreary.”   

Griss said from her experience, “young minds of the Church are thirsty for knowledge of Christ and the ins and outs of their faith, we just have to find a way to do so that caters to their fast-paced, constantly changing way of life.” 

She believes they can accomplish this through the “tangible joy of our volunteers, the energetic dance tunes and the lessons bursting with the love of Christ.” The overall goal of each VBS is the same: bringing the souls in front of us closer to Jesus Christ and inviting them to have a relationship with him.  Each year we strive for this goal through different avenues,” Griss said.

At Ss. Cyril & Methodius Parish, director of religious education Kiki Garcia said, the goal is that at the end of the week children will learn that God loves each one of them and he, is whom they should turn to in times of struggles.  

“This year the theme is Cave Quest: Following Jesus, the Light of the World.” Garcia said.  “The activities will focus on building a solid foundation on God’s love, even in our dark times,” she said.  The different stations include KidVid Cinema, Bible Story, Imagination Station and Games. 

“Our volunteer catechists for Vacation Bible School all work together and put a lot of time and effort in preparing for the VBS week; even though it is a short week the impact is overwhelming.  You can truly see that the children get it,” Garcia said.
Check with your parish office to see if they are holding a Vacation Bible School this summer. 

Students in the music station at St. John the Baptist learn the dance moves to the VBS song of the day. Contributed photo