Friday, April 14, 2007 A prayer safari By Janette Huang Teves Mom About Town
IF YOU think P50 has no value these days, well, think again. With this minimal fee, kids can have five enjoyable days learning about the Bible through catchy action songs, imaginative craft activities, thrilling games, exhilarating story-telling sessions and a whole lot more!
Since 1955, the Davao Evangelical Church (DEC) has been conducting the Daily Vacation Bible School (DVBS) for kids ages four to 12 years old. The DEC subsidizes this annual summer program.
Around 400-500 children from various schools in the city with diverse religious backgrounds have participated in the DVBS every year. Past themes include "Treasures of the Nile" (2004); "Power Up" (2005); and "Construction Zone" (2006).
This year's DVBS was held last March 27-31 at the DEC with a record-breaking 553 registrants. Volunteer teachers came from different backgrounds and professions such as bankers, teachers, doctors, housewives, businessmen, college and high school students, among others. Most of the volunteers were church members who willingly gave their time and talents serving the Lord.
Gospel Light
"Previously, we got our materials and ideas for the themes from a Christian organization in Manila. But, for the past few years, we got them from Gospel Light," shares Pastor Aris Blas.
Gospel Light is a Christian publishing house in the US, which produces Christian literature like Sunday School and DVBS (Check out its website at www.gospellightvbs.com).
Since publishing their first Vacation Bible School curriculum in 1952, Gospel Light has become the leader in this exciting ministry, producing the most artistic and enjoyable VBS courses available.
"Kingdom of the Son--A Prayer Safari"
"For 2007's theme, we chose "Kingdom of the Son-A Prayer Safari," reveals Pastor Aris. The African safari theme was an effective way to capture the attention of young explorers. Music, materials, decorations and activities all conveyed the essence of the theme.
At "Kingdom of the Son," students embarked on a journey into God's Word and discovered the greatest adventure of all, getting to know God. Through exploring the Lord's Prayer, children learned to talk to God and were encouraged to develop a personal relationship with Him.
Exploring the Lord's Prayer
"The Lord's Prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13 is one of the well-known passages in the Bible. In fact, many churches recite it on a weekly basis. Jesus used this to teach his disciples as a model for communicating with our Heavenly Father," explains Pastor Aris.
In DVBS, children learned a memorable phrase that emphasized what Jesus has taught about God through the Lord's Prayer. Stories from Jesus' life and parables illustrated each aspect.
Children discovered that "God Listens" -- when they heard about the two parables that Jesus told about prayer; "God Provides," in Jesus' feeding of the 5,000; "God Forgives" -- in the parable of the unforgiving servant; "God Protects," through the story of Jesus' temptation in the desert and finally, "God Rules!" in the story of Jesus' death, resurrection and God's awesome power.
Here are the pictures of the successful event taken by Florence Te of Imagine Digital Portrait Studio.
For your comments and suggestions, you may e-mail me at mom.about.town.dvo@gmail.com.
