Thursday, Jul. 03, 2008

VBS students learn about service to others

By Christy Mullins

Enquirer Herald

Rachel Ann Flemming, a disaster relief volunteer from Clover, will tote an extra load when she makes her next mission to help flood victims in Iowa meet their basic needs.

She'll be lugging 70 paper journals, all handmade and decorated from scratch by Vacation Bible School students at Clover's Oakdale Presbyterian Church.

Last week, the students spent four afternoons in the sanctuary, which was decorated as a tree house for the theme "God's Big Backyard." They split into age groups and learned about service. First, the students spent time serving family, friends, neighbors and community, which director Debbie Faulkner says helped them learn about serving Jesus.

"Service isn't as important as it used to be for today's children," said Faulkner, who helped with crafts for the past two years at the church's summer Bible school program before becoming director this year.

Faulkner said she suggested the theme "God's Big Backyard" because it was service-oriented.

The same students also assembled 100 diabetic testing kits and 50 nursing home kits and sent them away with nurse Tamara Thompson, who works in a local free clinic. Each kit contained either a 10-day supply of testing materials for diabetes patients or a stash of body wash, lotion and tissue for elderly patients. A handwritten note from a student was sent along with each package.

The students, who ranged in age from 3 years old to high school seniors, were also given a prompt each night; when they returned the next day, VBS teachers would ask how they served their assigned groups.

Faulkner's daughter Catherine, who is in first grade, has been in vacation Bible school programs for years. She said she picked up her shoes to serve her family on Sunday, and on Wednesday she invited her cousins over to play with dolls as a way to serve her neighbors.

Her journal, sent off with Flemming early last week, was purple and blue with beads and buttons. On the front, she wrote "love each other."

Flemming said the Bible school students were attentive and excited about helping.

"The littlest group was wide-eyed and interested," she said. "The older kids were respectful and asked really good questions."

About 2,000 people may need housing assistance in Iowa, the Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates, after flooding has continued there all month and in other riverside states.

VBS students also made place mats and picture frames on craft nights and donated $289 in offerings to the Clover Biblical Release Time Program.