Florida Catholic | Vacation Bible camp teaches the ABCs of service

Vacation Bible camp teaches the ABCs of service

Centered on a theme of service to God, family, neighbors, community and Jesus, St. Gregory Parish hosts its first Bible camp for children.

ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FLORIDA CATHOLIC MIAMI BUREAU EDITOR

Published: 08.14.08

Teenage volunteers Diego Rosende, 13, his brother Alberto, 15, and their friend Chris DiFabio, 15, pose with their educational puppet, Jorge.

ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Teenage volunteers Diego Rosende, 13, his brother Alberto, 15, and their friend Chris DiFabio, 15, pose with their educational puppet, Jorge.

PLANTATION | Jennifer Demchar, 14, noticed something missing in her parish.

The eighth-grader at St. Gregory School in Plantation had been both camper and volunteer at summer Bible camps hosted by a nearby Methodist church.

ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Dylan Anthony, left, reacts to a puppet show as Joel Hortelano, right, watches intently.

ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Daniel Rosinski, 6, plays with a marker during art class.

ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Jacob Carsello, 6, enjoys coloring.

ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Samantha Wilson practices a song she and her class would perform before their parents at the conclusion of Bible school.

“I noticed most of the kids were ours (from St. Gregory),” and wondered, “Why don’t we have one?”

With the help of her mother, Deborah Demchar, and the backing of her pastor, Msgr. Noel Fogarty, and ministries director Janet Scarcia, Jennifer organized the parish’s first vacation Bible school, which welcomed 66 children, ages 4-9, July 28-August 1.

“Definitely, there was a big interest,” said Deborah Demchar, adding that Catholic churches seem to lag behind other denominations when it comes to Bible camps. “People pleaded to be on the wait list.”

The five morning sessions centered on a theme of service to God, family, neighbors, community and Jesus. The title of the program is “God’s Big Backyard: Where Kids Have a Blast Serving Jesus.”

“I Googled it,” said Jennifer, referring to how she found the Catholic Bible camp curriculum on the Internet. For $200, she received a how-to kit complete with lesson plans and activities, puppets and music. Extra money bought additional materials, such as workbooks and crafts, as well as T-shirts for all the teachers and campers.

“I call it ‘vacation Bible school for dummies’ because everything is laid out for you,” said Demchar, who admits, “I’ve never done anything like this.”

“It’s really a great program and I’m so happy that it’s a Catholic one,” said Jennifer.

The key to keeping costs low – tuition was $30 for the week – were the volunteers, including more than a dozen adults, most of them religious education teachers at the parish, and about 30 teenagers, many of them eighth-graders or alumni of St. Gregory.

“My friends told their sisters and brothers and the word got around,” said Jennifer.

“If we did not have the teens, this never would have happened,” said her mother.

“I love little kids and I love helping out, and I’m all about serving God,” said eighth-grader Melaina LaSalle. “It’s really fun. It’s a great way to spend your summer.”

“Everybody’s talking about coming back and doing it again next year,” said Jennifer, who does not take full credit for making the Bible camp happen.

“He really did want to start this program,” she said, pointing toward the heavens. “We’re just following what he says.”

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