The Tribune

By Christine Clarke

WHAT do James Bond and the children of the First Baptist Church’s Vacation Bible School have in common? Secret agents!

Campers attending Agency D3 Vacation Bible School at First Baptist Church all became secret agents.

The Bible school was held from Monday, July 21, to Friday, July 25, and parents and campers agreed that next year it should be held for two weeks.

The theme was “Discover, Decide, Defend”, derived from 1 Peter 3:15: “But honour the Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defence to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is in you.”

As secret agents, campers were encouraged to discover, decide and defend if Jesus was really God’s son, if He was more than just a good man, if Jesus’ death was real and if He is alive. Campers learned what to do with the evidence about Jesus. With their Agency D3 badge and secret code name, campers moved on rotation through five stations. One of the stations was their individual classes (Bible study), where they were debriefed, deciphered the evidence and placed it in the evidence vault. Classes included three age categories: three to six; seven to nine and 10-13. Teenagers over the age of 13 assisted teachers as helpers.

Students rotated from their individual classes to other stations.

The first station was ‘Missions’ (the map room). Here students were taught that a missionary is someone who tells others about Jesus Christ. During this missions segment, students aged seven and up learned how missionaries in Canada, the United States and Europe shared Jesus Christ with others.

The second station was ‘Dance’. This is where students moved to the beat of various songs and lyrics around the theme “Discover, Decide, Defend.”

At the third station, ‘Craft’, students designed and constructed art and craft pieces. Then at the fourth station, ‘Outdoor Activities’, campers played games and enjoyed fun and recreational activities. The fifth and final station was ‘Snacks/Lunch’, where students received sandwiches, chicken wings, home-made spaghetti and other pasta, as well as pastries and fruit.

The maximum attendance totalled 72 campers. The Vacation Bible School closed out with a dance-a-thon, party bag distribution, a bouncing castle and other fun activities.

Sister Leah Donowa, First Baptist’s Sunday School superintendent, coordinated this year’s Vacation Bible School. She was assisted by Deidre Gibson, the church’s Children’s Ministry director, and Sister Joan Knowles. Other excited teachers, teen helpers and workers taught and worked passionately and guided the campers in their quest to discover, decide and defend. According to Sister Donowa, next year’s Vacation Bible School will be even greater than this year’s.