A 2025 VBC reflection: On the Sea of Galilee
Vacation Bible Camp is a Herculean Feat. One which requires the collaborative efforts, gifts and time of many, many hands and hearts. In our On the Sea of Galilee week, we explored four stories that happen on or by the Sea the Galilee (calling the disciples, Jesus calms the storm, Jesus walks on water, breakfast on the beach with Jesus) and in addition to our three stations, we spent story time under the Sea of Galilee (see downstairs hallway through NNS). And we had a special story time with our own Rev. Barbara who transfixed and engaged her listeners so beautifully!
First, big movement, as we called it, is always big fun whether it’s fishing blind in the kiddie pool or from the wooden dory in the sandbox; playing stepping stones across the sanctuary because it is fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk hot outside; navigating an obstacle course throughout the entire church building while blindfolded and with a partner who (sometimes) is half your age; playing disciples in the storm to Rock the Boat (yes, you know that song) trying to not fall off of balance equipment borrowed from our NNS friends.
And arts and sciences was a wild wonderful ride of painting a giant mural to be the background for an updated VBC interpreted Jesus in the Storm by Rembrandt; designing and decorating fish for our Under the Sea of Galilee world; playing/creating with oil and water and drops of color; building a boat with the sole instructions: here is the cardboard, tape and scissors (which they did with great success and creativity and a late joiner to VBC hopped right in, adding the essential but missing piece-an operating rudder).
The kitchen too was a holy explosion of cracked eggs, measuring for muffins, decorating hard boiled eggs and trying our hand at homemade goldfish which didn’t turn out as hoped, for so many reasons, but mostly because Those Things happen and we will try our hand at something else tomorrow-an important lesson for us all. It was also resounding with a Great Pounding which was required to soften the cookie dough that we forgot to take out early enough to bring it to room temperature and allow it to be rolled and cut; but what fun that was!
The slideshow that I hope to create will fill in many of the blanks that you may be wondering about. It will show silliness and joy, deep concentration and hard work, wonder and curiosity. And while come the Sunday after, no one in church school remembered what any of the stories were despite our best efforts to emphasize and re-emphasize, to review and incorporate the story and lessons into our work and play; still, I believe the deeper lessons of belonging, of connection and community will live on.
Like being invited to sit with folks you weren’t sure were friends and then finding yourself playing telephone.
Like grabbing tight to someone on a stepping stone who twenty four hours ago was a stranger and now you are each other’s lifelines to not fall into the Sea of Galilee.
Like feeling what it is like to work as a group to create a child-led 3-D version of a famous stolen painting then being a part of enacting the story as whole group before lunch.
Turn taking, collaboration, the value of your creative efforts, leaning into the gifts you have to share, and more than anything learning a little something about what it means to follow Jesus: to see each other, to include each other, to support each other and even to extend all that love to folks in need beyond our walls at L Street Mission in Brockton (the recipients of our from-scratch muffins, hard boiled eggs, quiches and energy bites).
Because in the end, isn’t that what being a community in Christ means?
by jenny Healy, Children + Family Minister
