Bible study in summer

Michele Marr

One year, teacher Sue Dodd broke her wrist. The next year teacher

Lori Bobo got sick. Worst by far, though, was the year vandals

threaded a running hose through one of the then-louvered windows at

the Huntington Beach Church of Christ just days before the start of

its annual vacation Bible school.

“The hose had been running for days,” said Dodd who discovered it

when she stopped by the building to pick up materials to prepare for

her class. “The carpet was soaked in the church and classrooms. The

pews and furniture were standing in water.”

But for the last five years neither that flood, nor illness nor

broken bones have prevented the church’s popular summer program from

going on.

“One way or the other we get it done,” said Dodd.

And according to Debbie Rojas, coordinator for the three-day Bible

school, the year of the flood was one of the most successful years

they’ve had.

“Our goal each year is to present stories directly from the Bible

in a fun way,” said Rojas. “We want the kids to learn, and we also

want them to have fun. We want them to want to come back the next

day.”

They seem to succeed. Children who are from the congregation, as

well as children from other churches, not only come back the next

day, they come back year after year. A lot of the children, like

Karen McMasters’ 6-year-old Amanda, attend the vacation Bible school

every year.

“The lessons are really, really great,” McMasters said, “just like

the lessons throughout the year on Sunday mornings and Wednesday

nights are, too. They relate what the Bible teaches, to life. I think

my daughter -- most of the time -- is a better child for having God

and Jesus in her life, for being taught these things.”

Amanda she said looks forward to the school, in part because all

of her friends from the church attend, too. For the small

congregation it’s a way to encourage families with young children to

get to know other families and their children better. Children, ages

4 through 12, are welcome and there is no fee for the program.

“We deliver fliers and do mailings to the community on a small

scale,” Rojas said. “We would love to have a year when we have a

little more interest than we can handle. That would really be great.”

The theme for this summer’s program is “Daily Challenges From

God.”

Lessons will explore a variety of character-building moral

challenges.

The first day of the program will focus on being truthful. The

second day will concentrate on being prayerful and humble. The final

day of the program will center on trust in God and obedience.

Each year for the past two years about 35 students have enrolled

in the program. Classes are age-appropriate. The curriculum is

written and the activities are designed for various childhood

developmental levels and abilities, but all the lessons share a

common theme.

First thing in the morning, the children meet in their classrooms

for lessons and a related activity. Then they gather in the church as

one large group to sing songs that reflect the lesson’s theme.

Later in the morning, they return to their classrooms for a craft

project that is also tied to the theme. The crafts give the children

something to take home with them that will remind them of what they

learned. Before they go home for the afternoon, they meet in the

church again for a summary of the day and its message.

“All the lessons are about things the kids, well all of us really,

face on a daily basis,” Rojas said.

* MICHELE MARR is a freelance writer and graphic designer from

Huntington Beach. She has been interested in religion and ethics for

as long as she can remember. She can be reached at

michele@soulfoodfiles.com.