VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL AT BETHEL A.M.E. ZION, ELIZABETH CITY, N.C.

Elizabeth City, NC, July 24…, 4 MILES PER HOUR: WALKING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS!  Bethel A.M.E. Zion Church, Elizabeth City, NC hosted a spirit-filled Vacation Bible School from July 9-12, 2024. It was 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 dialogue for every age group.

Each day, we opened with worship and devotion, which included the song of the day found in the “1263 Moment” section, 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 which had the names of the cities where Jesus walked: 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. When they reached the city, they received a star hole punch on their passports! 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 in unison during the individual group sessions and discussed. The “Cultural Pride” section was read and discussed in the individual group sessions which really provided interesting conversations. Additional thought-provoking questions were devised to aid in the discussion 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” which had the daily link included in the curriculum of the children’s movie to watch and 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 different crafts and work on different projects for the day. Each night there was a different activity which gave the students a chance to practice their creative skills!

We truly appreciated 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. 

(INSERT BETHEL VBS PHOTOS)

* Harambee is a Kenyan tradition of community self-help events, e.g. fundraising or development activities. The word means "all pull together" in Swahili, and is the official motto of Kenya, appearing on its coat of arms.

**Kuumba, celebrated on the sixth day of Kwanzaa, December 31st, is a Swahili term that translates to “Creativity.”