LOCAL VACATION BIBLE SCHOOLS TEACH LESSONS ABOUT CHRIST

Nine-year-old Brittney Wiedeman studdied the Bible at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church during vacation Bible school.

Lori Pleimann remembers lessons and songs she learned as a child at Vacation Bible School, but it was nothing like the Vacation Bible Schools her children Amanda, 7, and Molly, 3, attend at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church.

"All the kids love VBS," said Pleimann, who has been coordinating the activities at the church. Nearly 200 children are enrolled at St. Vincent's VBS.

Around Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois, churches are filling up with children attending Vacation Bible School. It is a tradition that runs almost weekly from June through August, depending on the community.

Although the general practice is the same, every Vacation Bible School is organized differently. Some are held in the mornings, while others are better attended at night.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Chapel switched from its morning VBS to an evening schedule for the first time this year. It has worked out well, said Greg Rommel, minister of family life at the church.

"It's a whole lot more fun than Sunday morning church and Sunday school," he said. "It gives kids who have not been able to participate before that chance."

Adults and youths also got a chance to attend the Bible studies each night.

Much like the times and weeks for VBS vary, so do the themes. Children at Good Shepherd Lutheran Chapel were out to sea on a "Lighthouse Adventure," while the children at First Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau were "Under Construction." At St. Vincent's Church, the children were on a "Son Light Island Adventure."

Because there is such a variety of themes and lessons available, churches can choose material best suited to their needs and denominational beliefs.

While many Southern Baptist churches will blast of on a "Galactic Good News Adventure" with Starquest material, First Baptist Church chose its "Under Construction" theme because it suited events happening in the church.

The congregation is funding and constructing a home with Habitat for Humanity, so finding a lesson plan that emphasizes mission work and construction was their goal. The material they chose was designed specifically for Habitat for Humanity projects like theirs.

"It was so relevant to what was going on in the community," said Rich McClure, education director at First Baptist. The church originally had chosen another theme and set aside a week in July but changed plans when the Habitat project was announced.

Each morning the children arrive at their work sites. They visit different job sites like the blueprints area where they hear a Bible story or the hard hat area where they work on craft projects. By week's end, each child helped sand or paint shutters for the Habitat house. The shutters are a gift from the Vacation Bible School children.

The children also collected pennies and loose change throughout the week to buy a kitchen sink for the house, said Cathy Matthews, who has helped coordinate VBS for the past six years at First Baptist.

The children collected the money in empty paint cans and dumped it into a bowl opposite the sink on a balance scale. They tipped the scales with Friday's collection.

While the children are learning about helping others, they also are learning spiritual lessons, McClure said. Vacation Bible School is a time when many children make decisions about salvation.

"We anticipate that," he said. "It's a time when they are really focused because of their experiences."

Rommel said Vacation Bible School asks each child "What does salvation mean to you as a child of God?"