The Quest for Common Ground: Vacation Bible School Message: "The Kingdom of God is Me"

"The Kingdom of God is Me". That's what 4 to 10 year old Campers at the 2013 Vacation Bible School heard throughout their week of summer camp at the Church of Saint Dominic of Southington, CT. That theme expressed with simplicity the joyful meaning of an exciting adventure: God is Love. God's Kingdom is each and everyone of you.

"I thought I had stepped into the Land of Oz"

Invited to be a story teller to help start the fourth day of this year's VBS program, imagine my first steps into the entrance foyer of the church at 8:40 am last Thursday. I had the sense of virtually walking into the Land of Oz.

The place brimmed with the activity of 141 Vacation Bible School Campers from pre-K through fifth grade, eager to start their day of enchanted romping through an aptly themed “The Kingdom of God”.

With 91 junior volunteers, 6th to 11th grade, and 24 adult leaders moving briskly to their appointed posts, campers safely moved with amazing alacrity to their age-appropriate starting places.

Campers checking in before 9 am.

In a fun, joy and somewhat fantastic setting, the children rotated through designated play, pray, work and learning experiences in a lively upbeat tempo. Delicious snacks and social time offered kids a break that allowed them to kind of absorb the totality of the journey through the exciting sets and stages of the Kingdom of God, where momentary surrealism met divine reality.

Through the fairy land décor and the imagination, (wink-wink), of campers, the kids were witness and partners in the Social Justice component of service ... their collection of food for Southington Social Services. They knew that they were helping to feed the hungry by stocking the Southington Food Pantry during a slow time of summer.

“This is the 17th year of VBS at St. Dominic.”, said Religious Education Director, Theresa Kamradt. “Our theme was ‘The Kingdom of God is Me!’ We learned that God is King and that we, who serve God and one another, are in reality that Kingdom.”

St. Dominic Pastor, Fr. Ronald P. May was one of the morning storytellers who told the children a story each day about Queen Esther, King Josiah and King David. I was at first somewhat non-plussed by the story I was to tell to kids aged 4 to 10: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. How could I, a person who is a lifetime senior to these young children, tell them this glorious story that is the crown jewel of our faith? It would have to be simple, clear and include sound, tone and word images that were at once beautiful and appealing to the young creative imagination. An Internet Search took me to Amazon's children stories of faith where I was able to order and instantly delivered to my Kindle a story of Easter for only $2.99. Pushing my creative instincts I managed to tell the story of the Resurrection, omitting the Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies and marshmallow chicks; after all it's August not Easter. With a few exaggerated vocal sound effects representing the rain, wind and lightning after the crucifixion and the rolling back of the great stone of the tomb, I was able to avoid my concern of frightening the children who seemed, instead, to be attentively entranced. Whew!

Religious Ed Director Terry Kamradt
welcomes Chadder and Iggy the Dragon.

Getting back to other Kingdom activities, our Camp mascot, Chadder the Chipmunk, learned the lesson that spending time with people is more fun than spending time with his electronics. Scatter was joined by Iggy the Dragon and a special appearance by Boomer the Panda after an absence from camp of 2 years.

Kamradt said, “The kids had a great time but the junior helpers are the key to success.” The mostly teens youth are valued role models, forming relationships with campers, rising to the great responsibility they are given while developing leadership training. "It’s a total win adventure for all, including those who attended the Sunday 10:00 am liturgy when the Campers offered a musical presentation of what they had learned.

In writing the story of this spiritual junket I decided to do a bit of research about Vacation Bible Schools in America adding to what I have discovered about their being common in the northeast.

Turns out, the Barna Research Group, a noted private, non-partisan, for-profit research organization in Ventura, CA., indicates that two-thirds, (68%), of churches in America offered VBS last summer, a level that has been quite stable in recent decades with a notable high of 81% participation of churches in 1997. The Barna Group has been conducting and analyzing primary research for nearly 30 years to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors.

Not the least of many reasons for the popularity and parental interest in Vacation Bible Schools in America is the all-consuming, fun learning nature of the experience for children. Meanwhile, the trend in participation points, hopefully, to a conclusion that there is an enduring commitment in the United States to the faith and spiritual development of children that correlates to the aspired purpose of their becoming spiritually developed adults, ready to take a meaningful place in their parishes and congregations in service to God and one another.

With roots going back to the antebellum period of the 1870s, summer bible schools continue to do their part in sustaining a valued culture for Americans of diverse faith traditions.

Frankly, I feel privileged to have taken part, albeit a very small part, in this year's VBS at my church. Moreover, the research and writing of this story has been equally pleasurable.

More photos after the jump.