Bethel A.M.E. Zion Church hosted a Spirit-filled Vacation Bible School from July 9-12, 2024, from 6:00-8:00 p.m., and had an awesome experience! Pastor L. Shawni Basnight, the Bethel Christian Education Department, and church members shared The A.M.E. Zion VBS Curriculum developed by The A.M.E. Zion Church Christian Education Department Church School Literature. It was packed with information about Biblical and social events to invoke interesting dialog for each age group.
Each day, we opened with worship and devotion, which included the song of the day found in the “1263 Moment” section. This was followed by the daily scripture and Key Affirmation found in the “Faith Formation” section. Our prayer was centered on the Generation for that night found in the “Harambee Circle “section of the curriculum.
After worship, and while wearing foot coverings over our shoes, we went outside and walked around in the parking lot, locating various flags that had the names of cities where Jesus walked, such as Bethlehem, Egypt, Nazareth, Jerusalem, Bethany, Samaria, and six others to represent the Holy Land. Everyone was given a Passport with the names of all the cities on it, and when we reached the city, they received a star hole punch on their passport! While outside, we also used the “Rhythm and Flow” section to practice our praise dance to the song, “Lord I Lift Your Name on High,” found in the curriculum. This was also the performance we shared with the parents on our final night of VBS!
The “Affirmation Litany” found in the “Gathering” section was read and discussed in unison during the individual group sessions. The “Cultural Pride” section was read and discussed in the individual group sessions, which also provided interesting conversations. Additional thought-provoking questions were devised to aid in the discussion in order to promote “thinking outside of the box.”
The ”No Desecration Zone” had a “Tip of the Day,” which was affixed to the dinner bags for everyone to take home, along with a movie ticket that had the daily link included in the curriculum of the children’s movie to watch, which corresponded with the lesson taught for that day. Each dinner consisted of nutritious foods and low-sugar fruit drinks.
The “Kuumba Station” was a wonderful opportunity for the students to make crafts and work on projects during the day. Each night included a different activity, which gave the students a chance to practice their creative skills!
We truly appreciate our wonderful volunteers and teachers. The Adult Group was led by Rev. Gladys Griffin, the Teens were led by Pastor Basnight and Mrs. Deborah McPherson, and the Children were led by Mrs. Lucy Beamon, Mrs. Valerie McPherson, and Ms. Natoya Williams. Our wonderful cooks were Mrs. Gwen Herring and Mrs. Lillie Elliott. Our photographer was Mr. Antonio Malakia. Rev. Dr. Donald Jones is the Presiding Elder of the Elizabeth City District, which is a part of the Albemarle Conference.
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