Vacation Bible School Brings Faith and Fun to Children of Our Parish: June 19-23

What if we could show the youngest learners that church isn’t boring and that it’s fun? What if we could plant that seed that will bear fruit for years? With our annual Vacation Bible School (VBS) program, we can show children that church events and being active in your faith are fun! Don’t miss the chance for your child to enjoy Stellar: Shine Jesus’s Light from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., on June 19-23 in Seton Hall.

The mission of the Stellar program is to “launch kids on a cosmic quest where they’ll have a blast shining Jesus’s light to the world. ‘Stellar’ rockets kids on an out-of-this-world adventure that’s light years of faith-building fun.”

Children will finish the week knowing that whenever they encounter challenging circumstances, they just need to shine Jesus’s light.

Jeremy Vest, Director of Youth Ministry, enjoys planning VBS just as much as the children enjoy participating. Students going into kindergarten through sixth grade are welcome to attend VBS. Youth and adult helpers are also needed. Most of the stations are run by teens in seventh to 12th grade. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton uses a VBS program that’s specifically Catholic, from a company called Our Sunday Visitor.

“We’ve used programs from this company for years, and the children love it,” Jeremy says.

Children jump through a variety of activities at each session. They start and end with music. In the beginning, they learn about a Bible story and meet the daily “Bible buddy.” During each session, they make a take-home item, play games, have a snack, and watch a short video. The rooms in Seton Hall are decorated to match the theme.

“It is a journey through our universe to see how God is present in our lives every day,” Jeremy says.

For Jeremy, one word immediately comes to mind when he thinks of VBS, and that is “joy.”

“It is so refreshing to see children excited to learn more about Jesus and to see teens engaged with helping the children through each station and modeling the faith,” he says.

There is so much value in building community at VBS. The children get to see other children who they know from church and school, and they all get to grow in faith and have a week of fun together.

Jeremy is always surprised by what he learns going through VBS. He is so appreciative of all those who volunteer for VBS, and he loves seeing how the children look up to the teens. They become role models.

Seeing the children at Mass throughout the year and hearing them talk about VBS is also a blessing for Jeremy. He’s always amazed at how much they grow in faith through just one week of VBS.

To learn more about Vacation Bible School, or to assist with the program, contact Jeremy Vest at 386-986-6831 or jvest@seapcfl.org.