JBER youth get together at Chapel One for a week

  • Published
  • By Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Barnett
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  The Chapel Center conducted Vacation Bible School at Chapel One on JBER from July 30 through Aug. 3.

The event combined Protestant and Catholic denominations for the week-long vacation.
"We had 70 volunteers," said Heidi Ayers, volunteer director of VBS. "That doesn't include the chaplains that come daily to pray with the kids. And we had 180 registered children."

The program was offered to all school- age children, kindergarten through sixth grade.
Older children, teenagers and adults volunteered their time and services to help make the event a success.

The volunteer positions included teachers, team leaders, mentors, musicians, choir, actors and more.

"The theme this year was 'Fly, Everything Is Possible With God,'" she said. "The idea is to teach children that they can trust God no matter who they are, how they feel, or whatever circumstances they face."

The program also raised funds to provide mosquito bed-netting to Mali, a country in Africa afflicted with malaria.

"Not only are we teaching the children to look for God-sightings in the creation around us," she said, "but we are teaching them that they can be God-sightings for the Mali children by raising money to buy the mosquito nets."

The event was considered a success, due largely to the number of people that participated, she said.

"We have been hugely blessed with the number of volunteers and their dedication," she said. " We couldn't run this without the volunteers."