June 17, 2007 VBS the Fun Way to Know JESUS BFHCC BreadCom Kids does a summer kickoff through Vacation Bible School. The 3-day kiddie activity began May 8 and lasted until May 11. Graduation was held at BreadCom Center on May 12, 2007. The fun-filled activity was ushered by the BreadCom Kids Ministry, with the headship of Karen Abaya, Ministry Servant and VBS Director Josephine Frando. Here is a one on one interview with sister Karen Abaya on the festive children activity. How did you handle the VBS Activity this year? First, we recruited volunteers to help out with the activity, then, we trained them and then we advertised. Children had groupings based on age brackets. We start each session with a prayer and praise worship. We had Bible Study based activity, Recreation, snack parlor, crafts cavern, and games. There was a rotation of activities for each age group. Everyone had a chance to enjoy. What is this year's theme? Mt. Extreme, based on the curriculum we bought from Churches Strengthening Ministry. There was never a dull moment from day one where we started with story telling, and for day two we had acting and story telling. For the third day, we presented a magic show that went with preaching, and a puppet show for the last day. How was each grouping called? 4-6 year olds - back packers 7-8 year olds bible pathfinders 9-12 year olds bible trailblazers How was the groupings handled? For every group there is a Lead Teacher, and 3 to 4 assistants What were the challenges that you met while the VBS went on? There was really not much challenge with how the activity was carried through. I think the challenge was more on the personal relationships of the people who took the challenge of making this activity into a reality. I personally saw how the Lord provided for the VBS since day one, for the budget, what was needed and the facilities. It was also more on how we led these kids and how receptive they could be. And I am glad that the children we handled participated and were receptive of the teachings, although lessons were not classroom type. How did you handle the stress? No big stressors, really. It only catered to schedules at the most. There were no big problems during the activity. If anything, the four-day activity was more taxing than stressful. Personally, the stress that I had to cope with is running for time. I have a class from 8-12nn, so I need to hurry for the VBS in the afternoon. What were your blessings for this years VBS? I saw how the Lord has performed during and after the activity. He really prepared, worked and took the lead. We just follow where He had led us. I felt the anointing was really there. I was blessed with the chance to work with volunteers of different age levels, all representatives of the church. It was a humbling experience. The Lord took charge of it all. I really can't accept any credit for the success of the VBS. Just in case, what will be your hopes for the next VBS? That with God's anointing and grace, it will be better than this one. Incidentally, joined in with the BreadCom Kids Ministry during the VBS 2007, the Prayer Ministry played a key role in the activity. Sister Ressie Reyes, who is a Ministry Servant of Prayer Ministry took lead in taking care of the parents and guardians of the children who participated in the VBS. They were gathered in a room to hear devotionals and the good news in general. What did you do during the VBS activities? We took care of the kids' ate's, yaya's, and of course the parents. How did you find the experience? It was a blessing to be able to minister to others. I just hope that we had a chance to have a better promotion on the activity because the goal of this activity is to reach out to children not only in the church but to those who belong to non-Christian families. What were the blessings that you experience during the activity? I was so blessed to minister in prayer, to see people open their hearts and be responsive. It's even more a blessing to hear them say that what they have learned from the devotional pulled through their hearts. Do you plan on doing this again next year? Yes, I want to do this as often as I could. This is part of the Harvest Ministry. photo gallery>>