Immanuel Lutheran-Batavia to 'ROAR!' into summer with Bible school
If you are roaming the hallways of Batavia's Immanuel Lutheran Church and School in the mornings of the week of June 17-21, you may hear a bit of a roar spilling out of the classrooms, the gym, and even the sanctuary. The sound will be coming from several hundred children, adults and volunteers at the "ROAR! Life is Wild, God is Good" vacation Bible school.
The program for children age 3 through fifth grade will be 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Immanuel, 950 Hart Road in Batavia. A staffed nursery is available for the younger children of teachers and volunteers.
The Bible stories deal with the adult life of Moses as he leads the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt to the promised land of Canaan. These stories show the goodness of God as He rescues the Israelites from numerous dangers and catastrophes.
Mary Wert, director of children's ministries, anticipates that several hundred children will attend the weeklong program. In order to have an inviting joyful learning environment for the children, more than 100 volunteers are needed to keep things running smoothly. Volunteers can be junior high students, teenagers and adults from 20 to 100. Men volunteers are always a plus.
These volunteers help guide the children to various activities set up around the Immanuel campus. These activities include age appropriate games, theme-related crafts and nutritious snacks. Volunteers also help with technology tasks, act in short dramas, and assist with the music.
When asked what she wanted the children (and volunteers) to take away from vacation Bible school, Wert said, "The most important thing to take away from VBS is to leave knowing that we have a Savior who loves us so much that He died for us. Jesus wants us to live with Him in heaven forever. We want everyone to be so excited to share the message with others."
For information, call the church office at (630) 879-7163 or visit www.immanuelbatavia.org.