Vacation Bible School 2006

On June 26th – 28th, our Church School sponsored the Fiesta! Vacation Bible School program. A total of 25 children attended this very fun-filled experience where students grew in their knowledge of the Bible, their faith, and the teachings and practices of the Armenian Church. The program ran from 9am to Noon and the children will agree that there was so much to do, the three hours simply flew by!

Each day’s activities included learning and singing lots of songs which related to the lesson of the day, the Bible story/lesson, craft-making activities, games, and of course, snack time! Another very important part of each day included taking the lesson and applying it to our everyday lives. Children left each day with their “Daily Challenge” bracelets – reminding them of things they could do at home which showed an understanding of that session’s Bible point. Children learned the importance of sharing, helping others, being proud of their Christianity, and much more! Each morning the children would gather together and share what they had done the day before to fulfill their daily challenge.

Another special part of the program was the time spent with Hayr Simeon. On the first day, Hayr Soorp took the children into the sanctuary where he taught them about baptism, showed them the new baptismal font and explained the process of baptizing a child. They gave Hayr Soorp their undivided attention and were able to share all their knowledge at a later time in the morning. On the second day, Hayr Soorp took the children into the kitchen where they made nushkhars! Each child was given an opportunity to make a nushkhar, which they later were able to take home. As they prepared these nushkhars, Hayr Soorp led them in singing many of our beautiful sharagans. At one point he asked if anyone had any special requests, to which Garen Megrdichian responded with “Der Vorghormya”. It was truly wonderful to hear and see all the children singing along with Hayr Soorp. I’m sure one day we’ll hear their voices in our church choir!

Our teachers this year were Mrs. Debbie Artinian and Mrs. Lisa Harootunian who did an absolutely amazing job putting the program together. The children truly loved the lessons and activities presented by these two very dedicated individuals. Our church and children thank both of you very much –Vacation Bible School would not have been possible without you!

Also, among the 25 attendees were a number of students in grades 7 through 11 who acted as helpers to the teachers. These young ladies were truly invaluable as they helped to prepare the craft activities for each day, as well as the snacks, and worked with the children on a one to one basis. In the three days we spent together, everyone truly became a family and it goes without saying that we were all a bit sad when the program ended on Wednesday afternoon.

We enjoyed such a great success this year that without question, the Church School will sponsor Vacation Bible School again in 2007!

Click here for a vacation bible school slide show.