Children attending Vacation Bible School at Fairview Baptist Church No. 1 enjoyed the music and all the motions that went with it.
Campbell Grace Adams sings one of the songs and is demonstrating the sign language for the word Jesus.
One church in Ragland, although small, had 50 boys and girls participate in its VBS last week.
Fairview Baptist Church No. 1 went all out to teach these children about Jesus.
The pastor at Fairview is Larry Johnson, who said the main objective is to help the kids.
“We have a Children’s Church here and one of the main things I keep stressing is that kids are not being raised like they used to be,” Johnson said. “We definitely need to put a lot of emphasis on these kids.”
The VBS director at Fairview is Tammy Phillips, who has worked in Bible school the past nine years. She also teaches music to go along with the VBS theme.
“The music entertains the kids, and it is very upbeat and energetic,” Phillips said. “The children love it, and they remember the music. What is special is there is always a song we learn that teaches the children the ABCs to salvation.”
Phillips said she is very pleased with the turnout, considering all the summer activities that are ongoing.
Johnson said children are wonderful and people God holds special.
“He intends for us to hold that same criteria, that we hold these children special in our lives and the things we do for them,” Johnson said. “We want them to understand that Christ is the No. 1 thing in their life.”
Throughout the week, children learned about faith, love, trust, life and connecting with others. Johnson said the teachers are excellent and come down to the level of the children so the kids can understand what the lessons are about.
Johnson said they provide a meal while the children are at VBS. “We want to make sure they do not go away hungry,” he said. “
There was a contest between the girls and boys to see who could raise the most money during the week. By the end of the week, the girls had raised more than boys. The children raised $273.78 total.
Johnson said the contest has made it interesting for the girls and boys, and they look forward to it.
“Some of the money raised goes to The Children’s Home in Oxford,” Johnson said.
Each night as VBS came to a close, everyone met in the sanctuary and Johnson shared a mission story.
“One little girl gave her heart to Jesus Tuesday night and that’s what it’s all about,” Johnson said.
Contact Gary Hanner at ghanner@stclairtimes.com.
