A local church is taking Vacation Bible School (VBS) to a whole new level.
Instead of a week of snacks and crafts, Pauls Valley/Davis Lakeside Trinity Baptist Church is hosting a summer-long missions adventure program for children who have completed preschool thru sixth grade.
The program, “Mission Mondays,” is designed to teach children how to share the love of Jesus with their community and fulfill the Great Commission through serving their city and surrounding areas. Students do not have to be a member of a church to participate.
“Our staff was brainstorming how to restructure VBS to make it more interesting, something outside of the traditional snacks, games, Bible story, crafts, rotation,” Trinity Baptist Church children’s director Ashley Gallagher said. “We came to realize that there are not many opportunities for children to attend mission trips and volunteer in their communities as there are for adults and youth, so that’s what started the idea of Mission Mondays.”
Here’s how it will work: participants will arrive at the church on select Mondays to check in. There will be a time of announcements and worship through music as well as an interactive lesson on missions.
“Topics will include teaching kids what a testimony is and how to share theirs, what the Gospel is and how to share it, the importance of helping orphans and widows, learning about Paul’s missionary journeys in the Book of Acts and more,” Gallagher said.
“After the kids learn about missions and enjoy a provided lunch, they will have a chance to take what they learned and put it in action through a mission experience geared toward kids; for example, one day they will decorate cookies and then deliver them to local firemen and law enforcement and pray over them, maybe even have a chance to explore the fire truck and get wet.”
Other service projects include picking up trash at the park and train depot, helping clean at the 99+1 Foundation facility in Stratford being built for youth who have aged out of foster care, shopping for the food pantry and blessing boxes around town, making nursing home gift bags, serving hot dogs in the park and inviting people to church.
“The kids will even have an opportunity to help choose and plan one of their own service projects at the end of the summer,” Gallagher said.
Mission Mondays will be hosted 9 a.m.-2 p.m. The cost for the summer program is $25. Scholarship applications are available. Optional t-shirts will be available for $15.
The deadline to register is May 11. Registration is available online at https:// forms.gle/28DhCzNne- Q8M1djaA. Each student must also have a 2022 medical release form on file with the church.
Gallagher said older siblings and parents are welcome to attend.
Mission Mondays will kick-off with Mission Fest VBS June 5-8. Each night, the fest will include a free dinner, recreation and message from renowned children’s speaker Kolby King. King uses stunts such as illusions, ventriloquism, fire-eating and games to teach children about the good news of Jesus.
Service project dates are June 13, June 20, July 4, July 11, July 18, July 25, Aug. 1 and Aug. 6. Students do not have to attend every date to participate. For questions or to donate to a service project, contact Gallagher at ashleyrosegallagher@gmail.com or call the church office at 405- 238-3531.
“This is a great opportunity to get kids off the video games and on their feet learning to serve their community,” Gallagher said. “We hope that you will join us.”