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Where God mingles with sports, secret agents

Vacation Bible schools around the county offer Christian lessons with fun twists.

By GAIL HOLLENBECK
Published June 2, 2007

Hey, kids. Would you like to find out what it's like to be a secret agent? Maybe you'd rather dig for buried treasure in the Caribbean, look for valuable artifacts in the Holy Land or become a real hero.

Children will have those opportunities and others as Hernando County churches gear up for vacation Bible school -- a time for summertime fun while learning more about the Bible and Christian values. Most churches' programs are free; some will collect daily offerings.

On Sunday, Grace World Outreach Church in Brooksville will begin its "Prophets of the Caribbean" vacation Bible school. The Gospel Light program being used will teach children that the true treasure is God's love.

"The kids can come and have an awesome time with God," children's pastor Jim Markham said. "We're on a treasure hunt at SonTreasure Island to find the true treasure in God's word."

There will be stories, songs, crafts, games, prizes, skits, puppets and videos. Refreshments will include cotton candy, popcorn and snow cones.

Children will make a craft to take home each night, such as a treasure chest, a prophet ship pencil box and a nail cross necklace.

Kids should wear play clothes for this indoor event.

"The kids will be in classes with their peers and meet many new friends," Markham said. "There will be lots of exciting activities."

An offering will be taken each evening.

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SonForce Kids is the theme of the vacation Bible school program being hosted next week at DaySpring Presbyterian Church in Spring Hill. Beginning Monday, children will become "special agents."

"It's a 007 agent kind of thing," children's ministry leader Darlene Reid said. "They'll be able to dress up and make crafts like binoculars and little pouches for flashlights."

Children will play games, have a Bible story lesson and enjoy snacks, all relating to the special agent theme.

"The lessons are based on Joshua 1:9," Reid said. "They'll learn about people like Moses, Esther, Daniel, Jeremiah and Joshua. Lessons will cover 'Trusting God's Plan,' 'Unite With God's People,' 'Train for God's Service ' 'Follow in God's Path' and 'Lead Others to God's Promise.' "

Each day as they go through a lesson, the children will receive a sticker on their badges.

"By the time they're done, they'll be up to a Level 5 agent," Reid said. "They progress so it makes them feel like they're actually doing something cool. We give them reward tickets each night for helping out or being extra nice to someone. Then we'll have prizes for them - some are special-agent type things. It gives them incentive to be good through the week, and they can win things, too."

Reid said she hopes that through the program children will be able to better understand what the Bible is about.

"My biggest hope is that they are touched by what we are teaching," she said, "that they're able to learn from it and that we're able to help them in some way."

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A Family Fun Day will kick off the activities at First Baptist Church of Brooksville from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 9. Church deacons will sponsor the event, with carnival-type games, slides, a dunking booth, snow cones, hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks.

About 60 adults will help Alice LaPlaca and Kay Seale "coach" children through a week of fun beginning June 11. Using a sports theme, "Game Day Central: Where Heroes Are Made" will teach children about becoming real heroes both on and off the field.

The church will be transformed into a sports field with a snack concession stand, Bible study locker room, recreation field house, missions press box and a worship rally arena.

"They're going to learn how to play the game of life with the different stories," Seale said. "They'll learn that true heroes obey God even when it's not easy and that they always do their best. They'll learn about following God's plan, putting others first, telling others about Jesus. Those are some of the challenges they're going to face."

Weather permitting, the recreation time will be outdoors.

An offering taken each day will be given to the Florida Baptist Children's Home.

"We usually have a contest between the girls and boys," Seale said. "We have a weighted scale with buckets. Girls put their money in one bucket and boys put their money in the other bucket. We see who has the most at the end of the morning."

"We're presenting the Gospel to the children," Seale said of the church's Bible school program. "A lot of them come from homes where maybe they don't attend church regularly. We're just trying to show that church is a good place to come and meet new people and just have a lot of fun learning about the Bible and about stories in the Bible and how they relate to their own lives personally."

Christian Church in the Wildwood north of Weeki Wachee will also be using the "Game Day Central" theme for its vacation Bible school beginning June 11, and Community Bible Church south of Brooksville will present that theme beginning July 16.

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Children will go on a "Quest for Truth" at Nativity Lutheran Church in Weeki Wachee beginning June 18.

"We will meet Dakota Joe and his dog, Digger," Sandra Conti said. Conti, along with Pat and Bill Yoos, is in charge of the event.

Dakota Joe is an archaeologist working in Costa Rica. The quest is to find a valuable artifact called the "Keeper of the Truth." He needs evidence from the Holy Land and asks the children to help him find it. As they help, children collect "Gospel Glyphs" and learn about Jesus.

Events will include "Amazing Truth Bible Stories," "Dakota Joe's Bible Challenge" and "Real Deal Games."

"Digger's Treats" and "Artifact Crafts" are snacks and crafts that are geared to the theme.

"There is a wonderful fellowship that develops within all the ages," Conti said. "My hope is for the vacation Bible school program to continue to grow as a community outreach. A lot of these kids do not get to attend church on a regular basis, and our vacation Bible school is the only chance we have to teach them about Jesus and his love."

Fast Facts:

To learn more about available programs

For details about specific churches' vacation Bible schools and summer camps, see today's Religion Calendar. Page 6

For more information on each program, visit these Web sites:

SonForce http://gospellightvbs.com/sonforce

Game Day Central http://vbs.lifeway.com/vbs2007/yourVBS

Quest for Truth http://vbs.cph.org/2007/index.asp

SonTreasure Island http://gospellightvbs.com/main-630_content.html

[Last modified June 1, 2007, 21:08:36]