Vocational Bible Study, (VBS) or Vacation Bible School as it is sometimes called, is an outreach event and the purpose is to incorporate themed activities that entertain children with the chance also to learn about God.  VBS is a popular end of term activity for Christians and non-Christians alike. Churches generally run VBS for a week, and each program has its own theme that children can explore. A week of VBS usually includes games, crafts, snacks and, of course, Bible lessons.

 

On  Monday 6th – Friday 10th November, 2023 the second of the bi-annual Vacation Bible Study (VBS) events took place at Patmos Cottage School.  Each day had a set of activities planned with different facilitators and the aim was to make it fun and meaningful and  for the pupils to draw as many lessons as possible from the relevant stories and topics that were drawn from the Bible. The theme for the November VBS was “Be doers  of the word and not just hearers”.

 

In August Pupils from Patmos Cottage School attended a Vocational Bible Study event (VBS).  The VBS activities ran for five days from 14th -to 18th August, 2023. VBS is a week-long fun-filled program that many churches offer usually  during school breaks, to connect with the children and families in their communities.  Relevant stories and topics were drawn from the Bible to enable the children to understand the theme for the August VBS, “How God Hears and answers prayers”.  In total 255 children attended this event.

 

The below report of the August VBS gives more insight into what activities are incorporated into a VBS event.   ​

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"Each day of this five day event held in August had a set of activities planned with different facilitators and the aim was to make it fun and meaningful for the pupils.  

 

Day one started with songs and dances which focused on the theme of the event.  This was followed by group games. The children played games that helped them to learn about teamwork, cooperation, and problem-solving. These games were also a lot of fun and helped the children to bond with each other.  The pupils were then divided into groups based on their grades for the learning sessions, crafts and other activities.

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The following days commenced with a recap first thing of the previous day's tuition sessions to ensure that the pupils had understood the meaning behind the Bible stories and the lessons learnt.  There then followed games activities and craft sessions.  Each day a lunch was also provided for all the children and the staff.

 

At the end of each day the teachers, social workers, Sponsorship Officer, and Coordinator reviewed the day to discuss what went well and what could be improved. This helped to ensure that the children were getting the most out of their time at the VBS event."

 

Orphan Outreach/Yatima Outreach and Patmos Cottage School  are passionate about conscious living and spirituality.  Pupils from Patmos Cottage School have attended the VBS consistently since 2016.

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