Churches opting for virtual vacation Bible schools this summer

Like sports and art camps, vacation Bible schools are a big draw for children during the summer.

“It’s a major program for us,” says Rachel King, youth coordinator at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Hempfield’s West Point section. “Most churches do a vacation Bible school, and a lot of kids hop from VBS to VBS all through the summer.”

Like many other activities, Bible schools are taking a new form this year due to covid-19 restrictions on gathering sizes and other factors.

Parishes within the Diocese of Greensburg that intend to offer VBS this year must do them virtually, says Jerry Zufelt, senior writer and editor for the diocese.

Member churches of Redstone Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (USA), covering Westmoreland, Fayette, Somerset and Cambria counties, can decide individually how to conduct their programs.

“The sessions and pastors have the ultimate responsibility over their own programs,” says executive presbyter the Rev. Richard “Skip” Noftzger. “We have heard that some churches haven’t committed to going virtual and are pushing their programs to later in the summer.

“Certainly some churches are opting for revised ways of doing VBS,” he says.

Too many unknowns

“We are canceling our typical week long VBS. We are hoping to have a day vacation Bible school sometime in August,” says Heather Wygonik, faith formation director for the Upper Allegheny Valley Catholic Churches. “We will invite all of our kids who have attended in previous years and post on our parish website for all who feel comfortable to attend.

“We feel that kids need something, even if it’s just for one day,” she says.

Before the pandemic hit, Bible school had been scheduled for the week of June 8 at Good Shepherd. Coordinators waited until they couldn’t wait any longer to go to plan B, King says.

“We delayed as long as we could in hopes of having normal VBS, but we decided there were just too many unknowns,” she says.

Instead, the church will offer a packet of activities that families can pick up on July 26 for children to complete at home.

A similar drive-through program is planned for June 20 at Harrold Zion Lutheran Church, also in Hempfield, says family ministry coordinator Sheri Anderson.

Families will pick up goodie bags and take-home materials at a series of stations. The program also will include videos that can be viewed on the church’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

“I thought the drive-through experience was important to give the kids something exciting to look forward to,” Anderson says.

Convenience

Volunteers at Holy Cross Church in Youngwood will deliver materials to the homes of VBS participants, who then will meet via Zoom during the week of July 20.

Nightly sessions will start with group time, and then children will rotate through a series of breakout sessions for crafts, Bible verses and story time, according to faith formation coordinator Brian Lohr.

King says she decided against involving screen time in the Good Shepherd program.

“I didn’t want to do anything on the computer, because we have a lot of pre-K kids and it’s hard holding their attention on the computer,” she says. “And not all kids have access to a computer.”

King created a bingo-style sheet with each square containing an activity for the day that incorporates a Bible lesson. Every child who completes the sheet will be entered into a grand prize drawing.

She hopes that having the Kona Ice truck on site for the pickup date also will be a draw. Kona Ice is on hand annually for the Bible school’s closing session.

Lohr says he expects to have about 20 to 25 participants, about the usual number, for the virtual VBS.

“My hope is that it will be a little more convenient for the families, since they can do it at home,” he says.

Better understanding

At Heritage United Methodist Church in Ligonier, there’s still hope for an in-person program, with VBS scheduled for Aug. 3-7.

Churches in the Ligonier Valley coordinate their VBS schedules so that programs don’t overlap and area children can attend multiple sessions, says Heritage youth director Zach Sierocki. The church typically hosts 75 participants, along with volunteer helpers.

“(The churches) know their dates and they stick to their dates,” he says. “We’ve always done the first week of August.”

A final determination will be made by late June.

“By then, we should come to a better understanding of what we can do,” Sierocki says. “Even if the governor says it’s OK, we are fully under the order of our bishop for what we can do.” The church is a member of Western PA Conference of the United Methodist Church.

The logistics of an on-site program at Harrold Zion, which could have included masks, taking temperatures and maintaining distance in such a large group became too daunting, Anderson says.

“I hate to say it, but (VBS) is a kind of a babysitter. Some churches limit it to their own members, but we don’t,” she says. “I’d rather see them in a safe environment learning about God and not wasting time on video games.

“It was a struggle to decide the right thing to do for the safety of the kids,” she says. “We’ll have upward of 160 kids, including our youth helpers, so it’s a large undertaking.”

“This is all brand new, so we’re doing the best that we can to reach everyone,” Lohr says. “Our Sunday school and youth groups have still been willing to meet together (virtually) in this unusual time. I’m thankful that they haven’t fallen off.”