Vacation Bible School

"School's out for summer....." No sooner did we get out of school at Jasper # 2 (aka Humbert School), than Vacation Bible School started at Fairview Congregational Christian Church. Sometimes that was as early as the last week (or part of) in May, but generally encompassed the first week of June.
Some churches held VBS later in the summer; perhaps the people who decided when to hold ours thought we'd still be in 'learning mode' if they got us before we'd become accustomed to summer freedoms.

Some things I remember about VBS: lining up according to grades (youngest to oldest) outside the church; marching into the sanctuary while singing Onward Christian Soldiers; filing into the pews while the standard bearers placed the flags in the holders on either side at the front of the church, then repeating both the Pledge of Allegiance and the Pledge to the Christian Flag. It was a big deal to be one of the flag bearers - something almost all the older kids wanted to do. I know I did.

One of my earlier memories was wanting to take a bouquet of roses to the Superintendent of Bible School. For most of my years of attendance that was Genevieve, "Jenny" Mitchell. She was the nicest, sweetest, kindest woman. I dearly loved her then and for the rest of her life. She and her husband, Henry, lived about a half mile north of the church. She had a yard full of her own flowers, but I wanted to take her some of ours, anyway. Of course these old-fashioned, single roses didn't last long when cut, but their smell was heavenly.

We have a similar rose bush where we now live, and though these are more red than pink, their perfume is just as delightful as I remember our pink roses being.

Not all of my memories of Bible School are good ones. One especially was traumatic for me. I was probably in third grade. One of our crafts that year was to make a honeycomb of Bible verses. First we constructed a box then each time we learned a new Bible verse we wrote it down, rolled it into a scroll and placed it in the box. The idea was that at the end of VBS, we would have a honeycomb. Did the idea come from the Bible?: "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."

Most of the verses were short and easy to memorize and write down: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right." "Children, obey your parents in all things." "Do to others as you would have them do to you." "Love one another." But some of the verses were longer and harder to memorize and to write on the little scrolls. I got behind everyone else. Was it suggested I stay in during recess and catch up? I don't remember. If it was suggested, I didn't do it. I wasn't going to give up going outside to play.

So, while I was outside playing, two of the older girls who where helping our class completed all my scrolls for me. When I got back after recess and they showed me what they'd done, I was hurt, mad, embarrassed, incensed. Their attitude was, "look what we did for you", while my attitude was, "how dare you touch my project!" I would have walked out of Bible School right then and never gone back if I could have.

I never forgot the incident and how I felt. I used to think that was the impetus for my life-long dislike of having anyone do anything for me unless I asked for help - especially if it is something I've already started or something I consider my job. Now I wonder if I was born with my independent streak and the trauma of the honeycomb was just the first time I remember the I prefer to do it myself! attitude coming out.

Seventh grade was the last time I attended Vacation Bible School as a student. After eighth grade I decided I was too old to go. After my first year of high school I was asked to help with the primary class. Mom's cousin, Esther Travis was the teacher of these third graders and I was the proud helper. (1958)

To my left in the back is Jimmy Harvey, then in the back row from the left, Shirley Travis, Barbara D'Anne Shuler, Nancy Blaine, Sharon Jackson (partially hidden) and Nancy Septer. Middle row, Jeannine Ingram, Nancy Peterson and Danny Jackson. Kneeling in front are Leota Smejdir, Steve Johnson and Marcia Anderson.

I had a lot more fun helping teach Bible School than I ever did attending it. I was Esther's helper one more year and then the summer after my junior year of high school, I taught 4-5-6 grades and Esther was my helper!

One of our crafts was to make a wastepaper basket using empty retail size ice cream containers. After coating with glue and rolling in fine sand, the containers were spray-painted then further embellished with flowers, shells, etc.

I made one for myself right along with the kids and one thing is for certain - I may have helped some of them with their project if they asked, but I never did it for them while they were outside playing Flying Dutchman during recess!!