By JOSHUA THOMAS

C-S-E Editor

ST. JOHNSVILLE  —  The St. Johnsville Methodist Church hosted a week-long  Vacation Bible School through Friday, transporting attendees each night to a detailed, colorful island paradise.

Volunteer and church member Evelyn Miles noted that there were 51 kids in attendance last Wednesday. “It’s really blossomed this year,” she said, explaining that attendance expectations are based on previous attendance tallies, so nobody was expecting it to literally double from last year’s average of 25 nightly attendees.

Director Kate Yoder, Miles’ daughter, said of the doubled attendance, “we’ve considered it an overwhelming blessing. It’s a lot more than we anticipated, but we’re glad they’re here.”

Yoder said that the unexpected jump in attendance caused her to scramble a bit to purchase additional supplies, but she said that securing volunteers was an easy task, as numerous mothers “jumped right in to help,” upping the nightly number of  teachers and volunteers to about 20.

“We’re having a grand time,” commented Miles Wednesday evening, showing off the numerous vibrant spaces where attendees (separated into groups by age, including about 20 pre-kindergarten students), learned an overall message of salvation, which was worked into every single game, snack and lesson. “We try to coordinate everything,” said Miles, moving from one room where kids shared “island cupcakes,” to a craft room, where another group created jewelry.

Still on display in the craft room were jars full of seashells and sand, each shell adorned with a bible verse, created by an older age group earlier in the evening.

Many of the volunteers helping throughout the week are church members, although Miles noted that some are just volunteers who have come to learn about the program through various means. For instance, one young volunteer, Rilee McMurray, of Rotterdam, attended as a student the first year, and enjoyed the program so much that she has returned each year as a volunteer.

McMurray, who stays for the week with her grandmother in St. Johnsville, said of the program, “It’s really fun, I like it,” explaining that the most rewarding part is “teaching other kids what I learned,” which is something she hopes to do long into the future.

Yoder said that the help each night is integral to the program’s success, commenting, “We have a blessing in Samantha Carter,” who volunteered her time as a recreation helper. Carter, who works days at the St. Johnsville Park Program, spread the word about the event in that capacity, drawing in numerous kids from the program.

Planning for such a massive event, which is spread throughout the grounds of the church  —  in the sanctuary and sunday school rooms of the church itself, on the lawn, and in numerous rooms of the currently-empty parsonage  —  begins in February, said Yoder, stating that Feb. is when she begins to peruse available vacation bible school programs online. After choosing one, she “plants the bug” in the ear of congregation members in May that volunteers are needed. An interest meeting takes place in June, where volunteers take tasks. Details are finalized in July, and things usually kick into full gear a week or two prior to the program’s start, with volunteers purchasing supplies and decorating.

The program culminated on Friday evening with an ice cream party (with ice cream donated by Stewart’s Shops). The celebration also involved a group sing-a-long, with every attendee also being provided a CD full of songs they heard during the week, which promote the main VBS message, so Yoder says “they can remember all they’ve learned.”

The theme for next year’s event has already been tentatively chosen, with Yoder deciding to employ an “Armor of God” theme featuring knights and castles.