VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL GOES TO PARKS AROUND EDMOND
EDMOND — A local church is taking an untraditional approach to a popular summertime custom.
First Baptist Church of Edmond, 1300 SE 33 St., has taken its vacation Bible school outside the four walls of the church and into neighborhood parks across Edmond.
The Rev. Charles Scheffe, an associate pastor of children’s ministries at the church, said church leaders gained permission from the homeowners associations of several neighborhoods to host the Bible school gatherings for youths in their housing additions. He said the city of Edmond gave permission for the church to host one of the gatherings in a city park.
Scheffe said the first “Everywhere Fun Fair”themed vacation Bible school gatherings were held at Pebble Creek Park in the Pebble Creek neighborhood in northwest Edmond and Meadow Lakes Park, a city park in central Edmond, when the program launched in June.
On June 22, the gatherings were held at Spring Hill Park in east Edmond and neighborhood parks in the Auburn Meadows and Cheyenne Crossing housing additions in west Edmond.
He said the gatherings have been held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and several are planned for Saturday at Thomas Trails Park in northwest Edmond, Wellington Park in east Edmond and the south lawn of First Baptist-Edmond.
Scheffe said that the untraditional vacation Bible school concept is a way to carry out the vision of the church’s senior pastor, the Rev. Blake Gideon. He said Gideon told church leaders that his new vision for the church is to share Christ, His Word, His church and His mission with the rest of the world.
“We began to look at how we could best live out those four principles and when it came to vacation Bible school, we could think of no better way than for us to get outside the walls of our church,” Scheffe said.
He said the summer program has a twopronged approach, with the Bible school gatherings at the parks as the first phase. He said the second phase of the program is the establishment of front yard Bible clubs. Scheffe said several church members who live in the neighborhoods where vacation Bible school gatherings are being held will host Bible club gatherings for young people on the lawns of their homes.
“We basically commissioned all of our people to be missionaries in their own neighborhoods,” he said. Scheffe said along those lines, the theme of the vacation Bible school gatherings was intentionally chosen because the curriculum and activities explore the concept of what it means to be a good neighbor.
Guy Hammond, a team leader at the recent vacation Bible school event at Auburn Meadows, said the gatherings have drawn many neighborhood children and their parents. Hammond said he and other church members had spread out into the west Edmond neighborhood to distribute fliers and door hangers inviting residents to Bible school activities.
Hammond and other church members set up their tent, tables and Bible school equipment in the large median area near the Auburn Meadows club house and swimming pool. Church members helped young visitors create colorful name tags and then performed a skit that shared the Bible school’s theme. The youths played sports games, created sand art, snow and boomerangs as part of the Bible school activities.
“God wants us to serve in an introductory role so we’re planting seeds,” Hammond said.
“Really, it’s all about fun and sharing His word.”