Bradenton churches kick off summer with vacation bible school

It’s the first week of June and kids out of school are already bored. Parents can turn to one of the following: hire a babysitter, send the kids to summer camp or send them to vacation bible school.

First Baptist Church Bradenton, 1306 Manatee Ave. W., and Trinity United Methodist Church, 3200 Manatee Ave. W., are just two area churches kicking off the summer with vacation bible school programs during the first week of June.

“We wanted to catch them before families went on summer vacation,” said Mike Wilder, children’s director at First Baptist Church Bradenton.

This year, he decided on a galaxy-themed vacation bible school program. It fits with the church’s “out of this world” summer theme.

Wilder said he and other churches have a variety of curricula to choose from for vacation bible school. The program he chose, Galactic Starveyors, is made by the LifeWay Christian Resources company.

“In my personal opinion, their VBS is always the best,” Wilder said. “The theme, music, content, everything is fabulous.”

The curriculum includes large group activities and crafts that will help kids find “who the God of the universe is.”

Wilder also planned bounce houses in the church’s gym for recreation time and received a donation of 200 moon pies from a factory in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Wilder encourages those interested in First Baptist Church Bradenton’s vacation bible school, which is 9 a.m. to noon June 5-8, to register online at fbcbradenton.org/summer/vbs. First Baptist Church will host a family night at 6:30 p.m. June 8. Children age 4 through fifth grade are welcome. The Galactic Starveyors program is free and Wilder is prepared for up to 200 kids.

For more information, call the church at 941-746-2149.

Fun for everyone

Interactive and timely themes help kids break out of the monotony they’re used to in school and help keep them interested in going back to vacation bible school. Bonnie Goodman, the christian education director at Trinity United Methodist Church, searches for a vacation bible school theme that’s relevant to current trends.

“There’s a new superhero movie coming out and the kids identify with those type of themes they see in the entertainment world,” Goodman said. “It’s really well-written and I think the whole volunteer team is excited about presenting it.”

The goal of Trinity’s program, called Hero Central, is to show each child how they can “be a superhero for God.”

Trinity’s chosen curriculum includes group activities such as puppet shows, classes, crafts, games and bible stories. The program should be fun for kids, but it will be fun for Goodman and the volunteers, too.

“We all get to wear capes,” Goodman said. “And if you get to wear a cape, you’re a superhero.”

Parents can register kids for Hero Central online at trinitybradenton.com/children. The program runs 9 a.m.-noon June 5-9. Kids who have completed pre-kindergarten to those starting fifth grade next year are welcome at $25 per child and $10 per each additional child in the family.

For more information, call Trinity United Methodist Church in Bradenton at 941-747-3704.

This story was originally published May 26, 2017 at 1:47 PM with the headline "Bradenton churches kick off summer with vacation bible school."