The Importance of Bible Camp
Bible Camp…Why it is Important and a Blessing to our Children
From the Heart of Our Pastoral Associate, Dr. Kathie Amidei...
“Another week of Bible Camp in the books!” said Tasha Baures, who capably led our Bible Camp this year, with our dedicated Faith Formation staff Lea Boyd, Ann Grunwaldt, Debbie Kusch, Michelle Lukas and incredibly wonderful volunteers, especially Ann Fons, Jack and Maribeth Blankenheim, as well as many fabulous leaders of every age from middle school through our retired gifted pros.
A parishioner, whose children are in their 40’s, said to me that she sent her children to Vacation Bible School as it was known at the time, the only place it was offered, at the Lutheran Church.VBS has been a tradition in Protestant churches for decades. We Catholics are latecomers to this model of catechesis. But we are catching up quite well.
Often as Catholics, we gave prayer books, statues and medals as gifts. While these were, and are, great gifts, children were rarely gifted a Bible, and certainly Scripture was an afterthought in a catechetical lesson. We weren’t taught this is a library, preserving a legacy of our ancestors in faith and how it is a chronicle of Salvation History. We weren’t shown the beauty of the poetry of God’s Word. The biggest compliment I hear about a homily is “Father made it sound like the readings related to my life.” When actually everything in Scripture relates to our life! I believe that was the point of God’s Holy Spirit inspiring the writers.
So, why is Bible Camp, as we call it today, valuable and important?
1.) It presents the narratives in Scripture as accounts that give us lessons for life today; the importance of being brave for our faith like in David and Goliath, reminding us how to listen to God and do hard things as Moses and of learning from the Master Teacher, Jesus, that the bonds of death are broken by his Resurrection.
2.) It presents these lessons of our faith through a joyful, vibrant methodology.
3.) If a child participates in most years of childhood, they have 50 Scripture stores in their minds and in their hearts laced with memories of warm relationships.
4.) It is an intergenerational experience, where all ages are learning and teaching, from preschoolers to octogenarians.
5.) It vitalizes our spirituality by combining song, story, art, games, memorization, beauty, nature, and snacks into a summer experience of learning and fun.
6.) It creates community. Relationships are formed between our Catholic school children and Family Program children, between new parishioners and longstanding members and between staff and volunteers.
7.) It is a leadership development program where middle school, high school and all ages of adults work side by side to catechize and share our faith.
8.) It deepens the knowledge, understanding and inspiration found in the Bible, God’s Living Word, meant to inspire us each and every day.
9.) It helps our children come to know our God who loves them dearly.
Bible Camp is something every parish should support, and every family should prioritize.
My 1st grade granddaughter was talking to her mom after Bible camp and asked, “Mom, are we Israelites?”
It was a great week. We all learned a lot. But I guess we have more work to do.😉 Hope to see you part of this wonderful week next year!
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