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Vacation Bible School 2010
 | Dates: June 21 - June 25 Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM 2010 VBS Coordinators: Dennis & Julie Whalen and Leslie & Chip DuPont |
Vacation Bible School 2010: On June 21st through June 25th, 2010 Rehoboth along with Concord Presbyterian hosted Vacation Bible School. Here at Rehoboth, we anticipated our building expansion project to be in full swing during the summer and because of safety issues with children being near a construction site, we decided to team up with our friendly Christian neighboring church, Concord Presbyterian. So we combined our talents with Concord and they hosted VBS at their location which is just down the road from Rehoboth. This year’s VBS theme was Egypt: Joseph’s Journey from Prison to Palace from Group Publishing. We anticipated the experience to be huge and very exciting, but were still surprised at a total of 125 participants who registered for this event! We divided all the children into 10 different Egyptian families whose leaders wore a white tunic and colored Egyptian collar with the members of their family wearing matching colored sashes. The children found various ways to wear their sashes such as a belt, a headband, an armband, or a legband. We had 3 preschool groups (Giza, Asyut, and Memphis), 4 kindergarten & first grade groups (Sais, Pithom, Zoan, and Amarna) , 1 second grade group (Per Bastet), 1 third and fourth grade group (Rosetta), and 1 fifth and sixth grade group (Medinet El Fayum). Each family had “family time” twice each night where our leaders taught the children about the bible point and bible story and interacted with the children on how it affects them in their daily lives. A tasty snack was delivered to each family during family time with the help of Michelle Judt and Dale Alsing. Our opening/closing team spent time at the beginning and ending of each evening sharing the bible point, bible verse, and multiple praise songs all surrounding the story of Joseph. We learned that God gives us HOPE, SPECIAL ABILITIES, WISDOM, FORGIVENESS, and A FAMILY. Stacey and Chele from Concord did a great job teaching the kids the songs and motions, interacting with the kids, and having each family recall their daily God sightings as well as make up their own family cheer. In story time, Joseph (portrayed by Dennis Whalen) told the children of his life in Egypt. He told them of his interpretation of dreams in prison (Genesis 40:1-23), how Pharoah put him in charge (Genesis 41:1-40), how he lead Egypt through the famine (Genesis 41:41-42.5), how he forgave his brothers (Genesis 42:6-45:15), and how he settled his family in Egypt (Genesis 45:16-47:27). His guard, Rameses (portrayed by Darrion Clouse) also interacted with the kids each night and helped to tell Joseph’s story. Joseph really got the kids’ attention when he transformed from a dirty hairy prisoner on Day 1 to a clean-cut, shaven, gold-adorned leader – second in command only to Pharoah. In lieu of a science station, a craft station, and a music/rhythm time, this year we hosted a marketplace. Each day two to four booths were setup for the children to visit each day. Various booths manned by talented volunteers included: barbershop & salon, toy shop, brickmaking (hosted by Don Ayers), embalmer’s workshop (hosted by Don Ayers), jewelry shop, linen shop, hieroglyphic artist’s shop, basket weaver’s shop, animal courtyard (hosted in part by Jim Hoffman and his beehive), and food shop (hosted by Pastor Eric). Many adult and teen helpers assisted in getting all the children through the booths each night. Pyramid Playground (Games) was hosted each night by Chip DuPont and Julian Whalen with some help from Sam Goncz. They wrapped each other up in toilet paper, lassoed stuffed animals, tried to pick up slippery watermelons, played Egyptian tug-of-war, and tried to balance sponges on their heads!
This year’s mission project supported CAST (Churches Are Serving Together) and 2 local food pantries. We collected approximately $350 to be given to CAST and we collected boxes of cereal and jars of peanut butter which will be split between The Ladle in Ambridge and the We Care Food Pantry in Baden. Our success greatly depends on the vast number of volunteers who gave so willingly of their time and talents to not only nurture these children but to help spread God’s word. Thank you so much to each and every volunteer for helping to make our outreach ministry event such a phenomenal success again this year!    
Dennis & Julie Whalen Chip & Leslie DuPont
Vacation Bible School 2009
 | Dates: August 3 - August 7, 2009 Time: 6:00 pm - 8:45 pm 2009 VBS Coordinators: Eileen Ford-Sloppy and Missy Steines-Wolfson |
Registration is closed! Check back next year for our 2010 VBS and to register online. For more information about Discovery Canyon, contact one of our 2009 VBS Coordinators: Eileen Ford-Sloppy and Missy Steines-Wolfson.   Summer was here at Rehoboth, and we hosted an exciting VBS Adventure: Discovery Canyon. The adventure began Monday, Aug. 3rd and continued through Friday, Aug. 7th and ran from 6:00 pm to 8:45 pm every day. Children climbed into our canyon setting of rock formations in a thrilling southwest environment. Kids discovered God's word and learned more about the Navajo Nation through our mission project. Kid-friendly bible stories that emphasized evangelism challenged the children to share the good news of Jesus' love with everyone. Kids learned to Rejoice, Pray, Ask, Tell, and Seek. A fun and exciting time was had by all. Thank you to all of the volunteers and helpers who made this community outreach a great success. Would you like to be a part of this exciting ministry? If you missed out this year and want to help out next year, please let us know. We’re always looking for helpers with games, crafts, snacks, storytelling, leaders, registration, decorating, etc. Your help is needed!! Please prayerfully consider how you can help in this marvelous outreach to youngsters in our community. Contact our pastor, our Sunday School Superintendent or our VBS co-directors to let us know your strengths and where you would like to help.
Vacation Bible School 2008
Summer 2008:   | Dates: August 4 - August 8, 2008 Time: 6:00 pm - 8:45 pm 2008 VBS Coordinators: Dennis & Julie Whalen and Lorrie Kuny |
Summer arrived at Rehoboth Evangelical Lutheran Church we planned an exciting Vacation Bible School adventure for your kids! This fun-filled vacation Bible school was for children who have completed at least one year of preschool through 6th grade. The adventure began Monday, August 4th and continued through Friday, August 8th. Sessions ran from 6:00 PM to 8:45 PM each day. Set in the canopy of a vibrant and exciting rainforest environment, this lively VBS program engaged your kids as they discovered that everyone can do their part to care for God’s creation. Through kid-friendly Bible stories that emphasize stewardship, combined with a jungle of hands-on, fun-filled activities, at Rainforest Adventure kids learned that it is fun and faithful to share the good news of Jesus’ love with everyone! At Rainforest Adventure kids heard stories about Jesus, made cool crafts, learned catchy rainforest tunes, played zany games, ate yummy snacks, and made lots of new friends! Registration had ended for this year, but stay tuned for next year! For more information about Rainforest Adventure, contact one of our 2008 VBS Coordinators: Lorrie Kuny and Dennis and Julie Whalen.   
Would you like to be a part of this exciting ministry? If you missed out this year and want to help out next year, please let us know. We’re always looking for helpers with games, crafts, snacks, storytelling, leaders, registration, decorating, etc. If you'd like to help out in any way, please contact one of our VBS coordinators.
VBS Summary 2008
A Tree Top Bible Blast! Although our Vacation Bible School event was slated for the first week in August; months before, Julie Whalen began brainstorming ideas and pouring over websites for ideas to create the look and feel of a tropical rainforest found in the Amazon. And for those who stopped by on any given night can attest – you were not disappointed! A couple dozen youth/adult volunteers spent part of their summer outlining and painting a dozen or so theme related murals which hung throughout the church. And what would a rainforest be without an overhead canopy draped high above the ceilings with vines crisscrossing the length of the narthex and fellowship hall? Yet another transformation took place on the stage area where a 12’ tiki hut appeared, along with a cascading lit waterfall and a cot protected by an important sleeping area netting called a bed net. A total of 79 adventurers registered for this year’s VBS event with over 50 + strong volunteers from Rehoboth as well as relatives, friends and parents from our community. Children entered the narthex area to see a live butterfly display created and maintained throughout the week. A variety of Monarchs, Painted Ladies, Hummingbird Bird Moths, a Polyphemus Moth, and Black and Yellow Swallowtails and lots of Cabbage Whites were captured and released every other day. Kids then bounced along the authentic handmade rope bridge measuring 15’ in length in the sanctuary aisle. . . quite a challenge for some of our younger pre-schoolers . . . to join their designated groups. Our opening/closing team spent time at the beginning and ending of each evening sharing the phrase of the day – We Share, We Give, We Grow, We Love and We Praise – simple yet powerful words for all to understand, along with a short Bible story. A number of new characters were introduced this year including Mickey the flying monkey; P.J. the talking Parrot and Tiny and Henry, tree frogs. Each day Tiny, a lime green tree frog and brother, Henry somehow attached themselves to a different volunteer each day. Kids enjoyed being the first to spot either one. This year’s mission project supported Global health ministries’ effort to save lives in Malaria infested countries. At a cost of $10.00, each bed net provides mosquito-free sleeping for an entire family and greatly reduces their risk of contracting this life-threatening disease. We’re thrilled to announce 85 bed nets will be ordered and sent to Madagascar because of the generosity of our adventurers. At week’s end, parents, grandparents, friends and family members were invited to celebrate the last night of VBS. Following a brief program, about 80 guests joined us downstairs for a reception hosted by our Coconut Café crew. Our success greatly depends on the vast number of volunteers who gave so willingly of their time and talents to not only nurture these children but to help spread God’s word. Group Leaders and Helpers led the Red/Blue/Yellow Butterflies (pre-school); Frogs (kindergarteners); Parrots (1st grade); Monkeys (2nd/3rd grades) and Toucans (4th/5th grades). Each group rotated to various areas including Canopy Crafts, Coconut Café, Green Tree Games, Swing Vine Storytelling and Sky High Science. On Friday evening, our very own resident bee keeper, Jim Hoffman, transported his honey bee hive observation to our church. He shared his immense knowledge of beekeeping and stressed the importance of honey bee survival to all participants. Thank you so much to each and every volunteer for helping to make our outreach ministry event such a phenomenal success again this year!
 
Vacation Bible School 2007
Dive into THE GREAT BIBLE REEF! Dates: Monday July 23, 2007 - Friday July 27th, 2007 Times: 6:00 PM - 8:45 PM each evening Kids experienced Bible stories through an interactive combination of music, art, science, games, worship, and drama in an underwater adventure. We dove deep into God's Word and took the plunge into a fun, faith-filled week that had kids flipping their fins about God's love. Summer arrived at Rehoboth Evangelical Lutheran Church and we had an exciting VBS adventure with your kids! This fun-filled vacation Bible school was for everyone between preschool age and 6th grade. The adventure began Monday, July 23rd and continued through Friday, July 27th. Sessions ran from 6:00 PM to 8:45 PM each day. Set in an exciting and fun underwater environment, this lively VBS program engaged your kids in discovering how we can live each and every day as God’s disciples. Through kid-friendly Bible stories that emphasize discipleship, combined with fathoms of hands-on, fun-filled activities, at Great Bible Reef kids learned that it is fun and faithful to share the good news of Jesus’ love with everyone!
At Great Bible Reef kids heard stories about Jesus, made cool crafts, learned catchy reef tunes, played zany games, ate yummy snacks, and made lots of new friends!
For more information from our Lutheran Publisher (Augsburg Fortress) on this year's theme, click here. Our 2007 VBS Coordinators were: Sam and Heather Goncz and Dennis and Julie Whalen. 
We're always looking for help and volunteers. If you missed out this year and want to help out next year, we are always in need of the following help: group leaders, game coordinators, kitchen help for snacks, story time, crafts, registration, publicity, decorating, etc. If you'd like to help out in any way, please contact one of our VBS coordinators.
VBS Summary 2007
Rehoboth had another phenomenal Vacation Bible School this past July 23rd – 27th. Our theme was the Great Bible Reef and we had 89 kids registered this year, which is the highest number thus far! VBS continues to be such a great youth outreach ministry for Rehoboth. 24 (27%) of the children attending came from within our own congregation while 45 (51%) came as friends, relations, or members of the community. We were also happy to see 20 children (22%) from Bright Beginnings attend this year’s VBS. This really was the best VBS ever with Shelly, Bugbert, Agnes, Vin, Dr. Bugenstein, and Captain Whalen teaching us all about God’s Word and how to be disciples. Each night had a specific theme and these colorful characters introduced it to the children with flair (ask Pastor about how he did this with his bright yellow hair!). God's people care; God's people help; God's people trust; God's people believe; and, God's people listen. This showed the children that one can be God's disciple not just by spreading the good news through words, but also through actions towards others as well. Our VBS mission project this year was collecting money to provide and train the needy in fish farming through the ELCA’s Global Barnyard program. Every $20 collected will stock and build a fish farm for a needy family (mostly in Africa). Fish farming will provide needed nutrition as well as generate income for families. By the end of the week, we collected $700 which is enough to purchase 35 fish farms. We also collected school supplies to help out our local school children in need of these supplies. Each year our outreach into the community grows. Children that attend VBS are excited to come back each year. These children are dropped off by their moms, dads, grandmothers and grandfathers. Several of these families have asked questions about our pastor, our church, and our denomination. Many have even worshipped with us weeks after VBS. Our success is due to the hand of the Holy Spirit and the help offered by over 50 volunteers. 11 of our volunteers came from outside this congregation. To the cooks, ship’s captains, helpers, storytellers, coordinators, decorating crew, crafters, games liaisons, mad scientists, and everyone that provided financial, physical, or prayerful assistance…THANK YOU!
Rehoboth Evangelical Lutheran Church 2800 Conway Wallrose Road Baden, PA 15005 724.869.2806 church-office@rehobothlutheran.com
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