Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Jackie Trepagnier Comment

Yo Ho, Captain Bob! Thank you for heading up this week's High Seas Adventure and thanks to the Crew Leaders of the Grateful Great Whites. We have some wonderful, grateful, happy and fun members of our group. Some of them are new to us and some are familiar faces, but all are delightful to be with and we are learning from and with them every day. I look forward to the next two days of our great Adventure!


Jackie Trepagnier, Group Leader of the Grateful Great Whites

Debbie Greiner comment

Debbie Greiner, who is helping with the elementary group's Bible Voyage, sent this comment. . .

Ahoy!


Every adventure needs a captain and we are so blessed to have Captain Bob to lead us, arghh! This High Seas Adventure has brought together the most amazing crew. Everywhere you look it is "all hands on deck". Teen crew leaders have jumped into the adventure and are guiding their crews in more ways than one. They are not just gettting them from room to room but leading discussions and leading the way with their enthusiastic, "Let's Go!" Group leaders have become the tour guides, monitoring the groups as they travel through the day. Every ship needs a galley and ours has a busy crew making sure that snacks are there for the hungry sailors. Every station has a First Mate and Ship Mates to help with the activty, whatever that may be.

Basically, everywhere you look, the High Seas are a storm of activity You hear prayer, see smiles, hear children, oops, I mean sailors talking about God, about Peter and Paul and more, singing songs of joy and praise, filling the High Seas with a wave of joy and blessings. All of these ship mates are working together learning how God's Word works in our lives!

Thanks to everyone that is involved in making this High Seas Adventure great, through their work and prayer!! It is a blessing to be involved with this part of our Faith Community!

Look out world because this voyage of God's Word is picking up speed and making waves!

Let's Go!
Ship Mate Debbie

Saturday, June 12, 2010

What a week!

Decorating week has been quite the experience.  Every day -- 35 to 40 young people and adult volunteers -- painting, hanging, taping, designing, inventing.  Epiphany has of course never thrown away a single VBS decoration from previous years, and since we've had other water themes, we had lots of stuff to sort through and pick from.  OK, the Princess and Castle walls not so much, but the pirate and island tiki fit just fine with the present theme.  Well, once we eliminated the skull and crossbones motifs from the pirate ships anyway. 

The "Supply Savenger Hunt" was a great success, and volunteers stepped up to do the final shopping today. 

So I think it has come to pass that we are about ready for Monday morning.

Volunteers -- we'll see you at 830 AM sharp in Bryce Hall.

Students and parents -- we'll see you at 9 AM in Bryce Hall.

Everyone enters at the Family Life Gymnasium entrance on the west side of the church.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Worker Comments. . .

Janelle Martinez: So far we have helped decorate the rooms. It was fun because we got to do it ourselves. It all came from our ideas instead of someone telling us how to do it. I am really excited for VBS to start and can not wait for the week ahead.

Oscar Martinez: decorating was awesome,  it was cool working with other people.

Derrick Nguyen: I've helped decorate some of the rooms and do a little bit of craft work. Meeting all of the volunteers that you're working with is an enlightening experience because it makes it a joyous time. Also, having the knowledge of making a difference also makes me happy. :)

Kevin Nguyen: My life has been changed, not for the worst, but for the best. I have helped to decorate Bryce Hall with beautiful decorations. Meeting the other volunteers while working has made this a much better experience. Especially working with Armando and Derrick.

Armando: Working this past week has been like a near death experience, but not.  I mean that in working this week has caused me to experience an epiphany (no pun intended), in that now I have been showed that working with others can be extremely fun as well as being beneficial to people who are in need of my devout service.  I have enjoyed all I have done this week, it has given me a great feeling of satsifaction and joy.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Change in date for safe environment training.

The safe environment training for VBS volunteers will be given Thursday and Friday, June 10 and 11, at 12 Noon, instead of Wednesday and Thursday.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Day 3 Overview

Day 3:  God's Word is Surprising!
"Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions." Psalm 119:18

Today we learn how Paul survived a bite by a poisonous snake!  Will everyone make it safely to shore?  What do we do about all these snakes?





Here we'll meet Wink, our Bible memory buddy for the day and get a preview of the day's activities.

For fun, we'll do Sprinkle, Sprinkle, Splash and have a SHARK ATTACK!  EEK!


When we get hungry, we'll learn just how tasty Surf-n-Snakes can be.  Yum.






Meanwhile, at Sail Away Cinema, we wonder -- will Captain Bleagh figure out the map to Anderon?




Finally, at the Floating Finale, we'll Guess the Surprise, which is a silly game with a surprise ending; see who is in the SPOTLIGHT today, and sing some of our favorite High Seas songs about the mighty love of God!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Day 2 Overview


Today's theme --God's Word is COMFORTING!  The Bible story is from Acts 27, God comforts Paul in a storm at sea.  The Bible Verse is:
Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles. Psalm 119:50
Here we will load cargo and hoist our sales! There will be a storm! We'll hunker down and learn how Paul share's God's comfort. Meanwhile, we'll prepare to SWIM FOR OUR LIVES!






Here we'll meet Marina, get sneak peaks at the bible story, learn the Bible verse, sing great songs, and watch as Sailor Jack gets his sea legs!



For fun, we'll play Ship Bombardment, go Feet Fishing, and Swab the Decks!



And when we're hungry, we'll learn exactly what a Chipwreck is!



Then it is on to the continuing adventure of Chadder and his crew.  What did they run into in the middle of the ocean?


At the Clipper Ship Crafts, we're going to make pillows!  One to keep, and one to send to poor children in Africa!



Finally, at the Floating Finale. . . we'll see some of our fellow students star in Spotlight VBS, find comfort in God's Word in a noisy storm, and sing more of our favorite High Seas songs!


Day Three Awaits!  What new fun and faith things we will encounter?  Could Surf n' Snakes be good to eat?  Where is that dratted map?  Is there a Booper Popper in your future?  All this and MORE will be revealed in Day Three of High Seas Adventure!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Day 1 -- a quick over-view

On Day 1 -- the theme is -- God's Word is TRUE!  The Bible story is from  Acts 12: 1-19, God frees Peter from prison.  The Bible verse for the day is:
But you are near, O Lord, and all your commands are true. (Psalm 119:151)






Here the children get to know their Crew and Group leaders and the other students they are traveling with. They meet the servant girl Rhoda, and become part of the Bible story. They talk about what it was like for Peter when he saw an angel!



At Sing and Play Splash, the students learn the Day 1 Bible verse, and meet Scully, the Bible Memory Buddy for the day.  They get a sneak peak at the day's Bible story, meet Sailor Jack, and sing 3 songs.





Meanwhile, at Ship Rec Cames, the students learn KABLOOEY, visit Get-to-know-you Island, and answer the question -- Where do I go? 


All this fun will certainly build up an appetite.  Today we feast on Peter's Jail mix -- prepared by the pre-school children under the direction of the Adult and Teen helpers.  At High Seas Adventure, the students learn the importance of serving one another and doing work.

At Sail Away Cinema, they watch Episode 1 of the five part series, each of which ends with a bit of a cliff-hanger.  Today:  Are Chadder and the crew lost at sea?

Day One at Clipper Ship Crafts, features a project to make a Ship Clip Bible Buddy Keeper, where they can keep track of the various cards and saint medallions they receive during the week, and have a place to hang onto the Rosary they will receive.

And Finally, the Floating Finale!  See who stars in today's Spotlight VBS!  Experience how we know AIR exists, EVEN IF WE CAN'T SEE IT!  (Hmmm. . . what could this mean?) And we sing the favorite High Sea's songs we just learned today, about the mighty love of God.


What?  It's already 1230 PM?  Time to go home?  Never fear, Day TWO is another Day of Faith and Fun on our High Seas Adventures!  What will happen with Chadder?  What will the students do for children in Africa on Day 2?  Is there a way to comfort ourselves during a storm?  What exactly is a Chipwreck?  All this, and MORE, on Day Two of High Seas Adventure! 

Epiphany Vacation Bible School -- a High Seas Adventure!

Welcome to the blog that will follow the development and presentation of the 2010 Epiphany Vacation Bible School -- a High Seas Adventure filled with faith and fun!  Swashbuckling, me maties, swashbuckling it is for kids, teenagers and adults!
This year the students will be divided into 5 person Crews, and the Crews will be put together into groups ot 25-30.  High Seas Adventure features seven stations, where the children will learn in different ways about God's word and its relevance to their life:
  • Bible Voyage
  • Sing and Play Splash
  • Ship Rec Games
  • Goodies from the Galley
  • Sail Away Cinema
  • Clipper Ship Crafts
  • The Floating Finale
Each day integrates a different principle about God's Word into all the activities of the day:

  • Day 1:  God's Word is true!
  • Day 2:  God's Word is comforting!
  • Day 3: God's Word is surprising!
  • Day 4: God's Word is life-changing!
  • Day 5: God's Word is for everyone!
Every day, kid's live what they've learned each day!  Through "God Sightings", the kids learn that they can see God everywhere, all around them, every day!

High Seas Adventure features different ways of learning, so each child can learn the way they learn the best.

All activities at the daily Stations are integrated with the theme for the day, so over and over the simple truths we are trying to convey are repeated in different ways.

Now is the time to register your kid for this faith and fun experience -- and if you are an adult or teenager, and can volunteer during the mornings of the week of June 14-18 -- you can sign up to be a volunteer!  Email Bob Waldrop, VBS director, at music@epiphanyokc.com  for more information on volunteering.

Yee-Haw High Seas Adventure!