April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
OUR LADY OF THE ASSUMPTION, LATHAM
Kids conquer Everest at vacation Bible school
The VBS was especially fun, said Kristi Pegarella, pastoral associate for elementary faith formation, because it had a winter theme in the summer: Mount Everest.
The VBS was a week of songs and adventures each morning, as 84 children and 50 teen helpers learned how to "conquer challenges with God's mighty power."
The Everest theme was prominent, from cardboard cutouts to a model Everest in the middle of a room. Ms. Pegarella explained that, each day, there was a theme such as forgiveness, healing or comfort.
Smashing sins
Even the snacks tied in with the theme of the day, she noted: "We gave the kids blueberries and strawberries to mush. This symbolized all of their sins. We also gave them angel food cake, which symbolized the cleaning of their sins. Then the kids [got] to put the mushed blueberries and strawberries on their angel food cake and eat it!"
Rosemary Gavin, who calls herself "the story lady," read stories from the Bible to the children, who then acted out the stories. Smiling kids were everywhere, excited about their faith and learning more about it.
Mackenzie Hunter, for example, is a third-grader at Sand Creek Middle School in Albany. She told The Evangelist about the different groups into which participants were divided, based on their ages. Each group was named for an animal relating to the Everest theme.
"I'm in the 'Leaping Snow Leopard' group," Mackenzie informed visitors.
Mary Kate McGurik, an eighth-grader at Shaker Junior High in Latham, had attended the VBS every year since she was in kindergarten.
"I like the games and seeing all the kids," she said. "We play tag games that try to relate to the Bible story of the day."
This VBS session was Mary Kate's second year as a counselor. "I meet a lot of new kids through this camp. It's a fun experience. It's a fun theme and a good lesson altogether," she noted.
Volunteers' views
Faith is an important part of Catholics' lives, but Brooke Greco, a music teacher at Blue Creek Elementary School in Latham, said that, because she works at a public school, she can't incorporate God into her lessons. So, she volunteers at the VBS.
"It's nice for me to talk about God here," Ms. Greco said. When she goes home, she remembers the VBS message of the day and applies it to her own life: "It grounds my faith in God."
Creating a VBS is a team effort. The teen volunteers were each assigned a group or station; one was Abby Rys, an eighth-grader at Shaker who was part of the "Climbing Crew."
Abby has been coming to this camp since she was five. "I teach kids about God, which is important. I had a great experience when I was a kid here, so I wanted to give back."
Steven Pardo, a junior at Shaker, has been a counselor for four years. "It makes me feel good and the kids get to know me and recognize me," he said. "I remember, when I first started, I looked up to the counselors, and now the younger kids want to do what I do."
At the end of one day, the kids sang a song called, "My God is Powerful." Steven said that, when he hears the word "Everest," he thinks of "strength, power, domination and the highest point," just as God is the highest point in people's lives.[[In-content Ad]]
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