Beach party bible school teaches the Beatitudes

Intermountain Catholic

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Playing in the sand at Vacation Bible School goes along with the beach party theme. The students said it was just as fun as playing in the sand outside.

SANDY — "Pow, wham, Jesus loves me, shazam," sang the children as they danced to music at Vacation Bible School at Saint Thomas More Church July 16.

One hundred and seven children attended "Beach Party: Surfin Through the Scriptures," Vacation Bible School from July 14-18. It was held from 9 a.m. to noon, and the theme was the Beatitudes. The scripture that went along with the theme was from 1 John 3:18, "Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action."

The children learned a theme word each day to go along with each lesson and the Beatitude they were studying. The words were: be obedient, be kind, be forgiving, be bold, and believe.

Each day the students participated in a craft, a science or culture project, music and dance, recreation, and snacks. The crafts included making bottles with messages inside, a beach mobile, beach photo frame, a surfboard book mark, a tote bag, a bracelet, and footprints in the sand.

Along with the beach theme, the science projects included making an ocean mural, experimenting with sand and shells, making an ocean in a bottle, and an experiment with floating, sinking, and erosion.

The students were grouped according to their age and grade levels and given a special beach name. The pre-kindergarten children were the Starfish, kindergarten children were the Turtles, a kindergarten and first grade mix group were the Crabs, the first-graders were the Flamingos, the second-graders were the Parrots, the third-graders were the Dolphins, and the fourth-graders were the Sharks.

Lisa Sa’u, a guest speaker from the Island Touch, taught the students about the Samoan culture and some Samoan dances.

Most important, the students learned about the Catholic faith, made new friends, and had fun. One kindergarten student said to another, "I don’t know what’s your name?" The other little girl told her, and they exchanged smiles.

Rhea Eggert and Lorraine Rojas Rogers were the co-leaders of the Saint Thomas More Vacation Bible School. The students practiced two songs throughout the week to perform after Communion at Mass July 20. The songs were "Beach Beatitudes," and "I Believe."

"Each day the children rotated through music, arts and crafts, science projects, games, and story telling," said Eggert. "We had a group of five teenagers who have been helping all week, who acted out a story each day. The students also spent time in class to review the story of the day and do an activity based on the story.

"Each year for Vacation Bible School, we choose a mission project," said Eggert. "We raised money by asking the children to do extra chores at home to earn money to bring in.

"We raised money for study hour for the boys and girls at The Sandy Club," said Rogers. "The boys and girls at The Sandy Club come in after school to do their homework as well as receive tutoring. The bible study children donated school supplies and back packs as well as extra change to assist The Sandy Club. The money and supplies were presented to Linda Martinez-Saville, director of The Sandy Club.

Vacation Bible School has been part of Saint Thomas More Parish since 1999. Each day closed with the traditional Papa Joe cheer. Joe Dorsett, a Saint Thomas More parishioner, was a part of Vacation Bible School from 1999 until 2004, when he died. He would always cheer, "I love Jesus, how ‘bout you?" The children would cheer back, "I love Jesus, yes I do." They all know its Papa Joe’s cheer, and some of them fondly remember him.