Kids' 5-Day Camp at Parkside

The beginning of summer opens up a world of possibilities for each newly liberated child, and one of these is a day camp where children can play games, sing songs, discover the cultures of the world, and learn about God’s plan of salvation for all people. Vacation Bible School is being held by Parkside Bible Fellowship from June 23rd to 27th, and all children from age four to sixth grade are invited to enjoy a program that has been a large part of the Parkside summer ministry for more than ten years. VBS has a new creative theme each year, and this year’s is The Incredible Race, which means that students will be doing a “race around the world” - learning about a new continent every day - and also discovering how every member of the human race is made in God’s image. They will explore many different cultures, with sets, games, skits, and even snacks adding to the theme. There is a serious amount of work that goes into organizing and preparing for a five-day camp of this scale, and the Parkside team has been hard at work for months to bring it all together. The program directors are Sarah Hurley, Kim Klenakis, and Brianna Behimer, who are working with a completely volunteer staff. Brianna Behimer, the Preschool Program Director, said that “people are coming out of the woodwork, finding what they’re good at and using it to help out," whether that is teaching, set design, cooking, or choreography. The students at VBS will be separated into teams based on age, and each team will have a different country as their mascot. They will participate in games, Bible verse memorization, and challenges like skits or scavenger hunts, and at the end of the week, points will be added up and the winning team will be announced. This year VBS will also be focused on raising money for Operation Christmas Child, which is a program dedicated to sending gift boxes, along with the gospel, to children all over the world. On the third day of VBS Parkside will hold a packing party, where kids will be able to pack boxes full of gifts to be sent off to children in need. Parkside will be accepting donations throughout the week to support this outreach. Vacation Bible School has been held at Parkside almost every year for over a decade, with about eighty students attending per day last year. Active planning for this year’s VBS has been underway since January, and when the week-long camp is over, planning for next year will begin. Brianna Behimer expresses Parkside’s love for the community and dedication to this ministry, saying that “We’re excited to teach kids about God’s plan to save people of every tribe, every tongue, every nation from the punishment of their sins.” VBS takes place at 485 Tedford Lane, from June 23rd to the 27th, with a kickoff barbecue starting on Sunday at 5:15 p.m. Contact 423-3855 for more information or to register.   Support local, independent news – contribute to The Fallon Post, your non-profit (501c3) online news source for all things Fallon. Never miss the local news -- read more on The Fallon Post home page.