Vacation Bible School - Bahamian Style!

Hello again - Well let me tell you what's been keeping us busy this week - Vacation Bible School.

For the past 25 years the AUTEC Navy Base has been hosting a Vacation Bible School (VBS) for all the grade 1-6 Bahamian children. This has been done in collaboration with an evangelican church from the US who has been planning the entire program, gathering up volunteers, equipment, supplies ... Then coming to Andros to lead the Bible Study. On the Bahamian side there is a complex network of volunteers to register kids, and coordinate transportation.

Historically, the volunteers have conducted fundraisers in their local churches to fund this mission trip which includes them chartering 2 planes to get here and AUTEC has provided housing and food for the team of volunteers once they are here. This year, however, with Navy budget cuts and economic stress, the policies have changed and this year the volunteers have to pay AUTEC for on-base housing and food, which may mean this is the last year for this program.

Later on tonight I will be talking with some of the other ministers, and possibly a government official, to see if we can continue the program using the Crabfest Fairgrounds. Clearly the team that comes from the US wants to keep coming, they just can't afford the added expense and there isn't anything the Navy can do with current Navy budget constraints. If we can pull this off using Bahamian resources we just might keep this program alive. Keep this one in your prayers because this program is a winner!

Last year Ginni and I were travelling off island and missed VBS, this year we made a point of being here and you cannot believe how valuable this program is for the local children. During the school year the kids are all in school doing what you do in the school year. In the summer there is NOTHING for them to do. There is no mall, no movie house, no bowling alley, no youth center, not a thing - until Vacation Bible School. So the kids come in droves, from everywhere. This year there were over 200!

Ginni and I get to the gate at the Base a little before 8AM where there are already a crowd of kids waiting to get signed in. Signing the kids in is a MAJOR project. This is, after all, a secure US Navy Base. Every day Security requires each child is signed in, gets a guest badge, and is chaperoned while on Base. So I drop Ginni off on one side of the gate, where she works with the Chapel Staff to sign in kids and pass them off to the Security Guards. The Guards sign in the kids and give them their Navy badges, then they are passed through the gate in blocks of 10-12 and given to me. They pile into our Church van and we drive off through the Base to the beach where the volunteers are waiting. They climb out of the van and the guitars and song time begin to kick off the day as I shuttle back to the gate to get another load.

After 4 or 5 van loads of those kids that have been dropped off early, the buses begin to arrive. Two school buses of kids from the far reaches of the island arrive and the check in process continues until they are all done and the bus loads of kids hit the beach where Ginni and I are now traffic cops directing the kids towards bleachers that had been set up under a pavilion the Navy has at the beach.

One thing that happens to me since I let the beard go longer is that the Bahamians want to know if I am really Santa Claus. So of course I say I am and explain that I always come to the Bahamas for the summer and tell them all about my riendeer and the elves working away at the North Pole. These two just couldn't get enough of it.

Camp songs from my youth are still in vogue, we used to get our kids out of bed with "Rise and Shine and Give God Your Glory Glory", and here it was again - complete with hand motions and weaving back and forth in your seats. A guitarist that was just fantastic with the kids, and a crew of 20-something volunteers that were the most energenic, positive, upbeat crew you can imagine. The kids ate it up. Older songs like "Amazing Grace" become new when sung to the tune of "The Gilligan's Island Theme Song". The song leader was an incredibly talented guy, he had the kids in the palm of his hand in no time - singing, clapping, and making all the hand motions to each song, including the Deacon!

After "song time" there was a skit the volunteers put on depicting a bible story such as Daniel in the Lion's Den, or the birth of Christ, or Noah. Hillarious stuff and very well done. Then the kids would go to small groups. On the first day each block of about 10 kids were given a colored sticker and they had picnic tables with the same colored flag. When in was time to break the volunteers would shout, "OK, purple team come with me". "Green team, over here", "Yellow team, follow me" and in minutes all 200 kids were off doing their individual projects with 2 team leaders. The organization was amazing.

Once they broke up into small groups it was time for us to head back to Fresh Creek and get back to work on our own programs. We haven't had a priest since Easter (does that give you a new perspective on the priest shortage) and we have lots to do. Last week Ginni led "A Ladies Renewal Night" for the women of all 3 churches. We had a great turn out and Ginni's reflection was as big a hit as my barbequed chicken fresh off the grill. We hope that this might become a monthly event and help bring our 3 churches closer together.

Well there is always more to tell, but I need to go meet one of the contractors about restoring the church in Calabash Bay we want to re-open, so until next time - Peace.