Tony Overman/The Olympian
Students at the Temple Baptist Church's Vacation Bible Camp join together in the chapel to sing songs of praise.

Communities of faith

Vacation Bible school mixes Gospel and fun

Orginally published August 15, 2001

It's shortly after 12:30 p.m., and about 60 eager second- and third-grade "lions" wait for their vacation Bible school teacher and her assistants to deposit droplets of glue on construction paper with cut-out crosses. Each age group has been assigned an animal mascot.

"We've been eating, playing," says 8-year-old Dominique Thurman while she giggles with other girl "lions" at a table set up on a sports court near the woods. "Our teacher told us a Bible story. It was about who is going to go to heaven."

Dominique is among the 230 to 240 children and adults at the vacation Bible school at Temple Baptist Church on College Street.

The church is one of more than 30 faith communities that call Lacey home.

Not all of the participants -- who range in age from 4-year- olds to sixth-graders -- are from the Temple Baptist Church, Bible school director Gary Yow says.

"The Gospel is for everyone, and so is our vacation Bible school," Yow says.

The lions with glue on their construction paper place wax paper in the middle and refold the paper so that they make a cross-shaped window in the paper. They flatten their crosses by pounding on the paper with both fists.

The teacher and her assistants circulate to each child once again, this time with a pen.

"I love Jesus," they write on the crosses.

Then the lions scurry back to their den in the church basement.

When they're all sitting on metal chairs, teacher Nancy Williams asks, "What's the memory verse for tomorrow?"

"Pray without ceasing. Thessalonians 5:17," the boy lions scream.

Then the girl lions repeat the verse with their own high-pitched roar.

The sound reverberates in the basement until ears ring.

"Oh, the girls win again," Williams says.

The girls erupt again in screams and hop out of their seats. They collect purple happy dollars. Thursday, the children will get to spend it at a camp store.

After a song, more happy dollars and a shower of Tootsie Rolls, the children grab bags, tuck Bibles under their arms and scramble to be near the front of the line.

As they walk upstairs to sing with other participants before heading home, Tiarah Green sums up herself and her day.

"I'm 81/2 years old. My favorite color is blue, and I'm in second grade. I liked it when we got all the Tootsie Rolls."

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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