McKeesport, White Oak churches partner to host vacation Bible school

The fourth annual Community Vacation Bible School will be held July 29-Aug. 2 at White Oak Park.

Sampson’s Mills Presbyterian Church in White Oak is partnering with McKeesport Area Shared Ministry UMC and McKeesport Presbyterian Church for its fourth annual Community Vacation Bible School (VBS) in the Park.

From 9 a.m. to noon July 29 to Aug. 2 at White Oak Park’s Blue Spruce and Tulip Tree Pavilions, the event is free and open to anyone of all ages who wants to participate, according to Jo VanMeter.

Children ages 4 and younger will need an adult to accompany them, and the event will be filled with music, crafts, games, snacks and more.

Sampson’s Mills VBS 2020 was done through a series of videos, but in 2021, they decided it was time to make VBS an in-person experience again, according to the program’s website.

“It was an idea that came out of the pandemic because we were still in a situation where we still needed to do things outside,” Sampson’s Mills director of Faith Formation and the director of the event Jo Van-Meter said. “At the time, McKeesport Presbyterian did not have a pastor, and so we asked them to join us and just start working together on this particular project. And it went really well, and it’s grown from there.”

They decided to take the event outside, with VBS in the Park 2021 being a success as well. In 2022, according to the website, both churches brought their pastors together, their volunteers together and their children together along with other children from the community for a second annual week of VBS in the Park.

“This vacation Bible school is different in the fact that it is multi church, multi denominational and it is for the whole community. It is also for all ages, so it is intergenerational,” VanMeter said. “The groups are not in ages. Normally in vacation bible school, it’s called age and stage, where we have the first grade group and the second grade group and that’s not what we do, we do all mixed groups so they are set up almost like families.

“They work really well,” VanMeter added. “It creates a nice dynamic between teenagers and young adults and it gives everyone their place within the group. It helps build comradery, it helps build relationships between generations.”

Since it is a combination of multiple churches, VanMeter said they called the program Community VBS because it is for everyone.

“So it’s very much an even playing field for ev eryone involved. This is just an activity we like to do together because it brings us all together instead of keeping us in our denominations,” VanMeter said. “It doesn’t matter where you came from or if you came from a church at all. We are all human, we are all God’s children and we get to do it together and it’s fun.”

VanMeter said plans started happening in April for the vacation bible school, as her and volunteers have spent the summer planning and reaching out into the community, including the Sampson’s Mill’s Food Truck event earlier in the summer, Good Neighbor Day in McKeesport and various ice cream socials around the area.

“So that was the big thing that we’ve been working on all summer,” VanMeter said. “And it’s just little pop-up outreach opportunities to start building relationships with kids in the area that maybe, you know, have not been to church and maybe a little bit intimidated because they have not had that experience. And so it’s a good way to reach out and just show some love.”

The vacation bible school is a hybrid between bible school and church camp because the event is outside, according to VanMeter, who said they do not include big decorations or “out of the box themes,” like other bible schools have because that is “not the direction” they want to go with.

This year, VanMeter said their theme for the bible study will be to talk about creation and people’s responsibilities to preserve it.

“So, we talk about an element that God created and where it shows up in the bible and then what we can do to keep it healthy,” VanMeter said. “Light, sky. We are talking about animals, trees and plants, we are talking about water and then we are talking about people.

“We wanted to do creation and our responsibility with it as a way of just kind of bringing everybody together and showing, no matter what age you are, you have a responsibility to make sure earth is taken care of,” VanMeter said. “But also you can. Then it’s something everybody can do.”

Every year, the vacation bible school also does a mission project, with this year’s project being pack- ages for firefighters and EMS workers in the area, VanMeter said, who talk- ed with local firefighters and EMS in both White Oak and McKeesport.

The “People who take care of people” mission project will make care packages with bottles of water, snacks, candy and a thank you card. They will distribute the packages to workers on August 2, and will also end the week with a Kona Ice celebration.

Additionally, there is an afternoon teen mission program from noon to 3 p.m., which is the combined churches’ second time doing this program. Buses are free for the program.

“It was very successful last year, so we were glad to bring it back,” VanMeter said. “Our teenagers all have the opportunity to help with vacation bible school in some way if they chose, but also they will ride the bus after vacation bible school to Mckeesport Presbyterian, who will feed them lunch.”

After lunch, teenagers are able to do the local mission project in White Oak or McKeesport for a couple hours, according to VanMeter, who said they are partnering with the City of McKeesport, White Oak Borough, Allegheny Cleanways and CCR Gardens in McKeesport.

VanMeter said teens will go to the White Oak Pool at the end of the week.

She added that she is also looking forward to the event, it has been a success every year, and the participants have grown every year, with VanMeter estimating around 100 people signed up and around 20 to 30 volunteers, who require clearances.

“It has been very successful every year, and it’s only grown a little bit every year,” VanMeter said. “So we’ve really got some good momentum building up this year. This isn’t just for grownups. And so, everybody has something to offer.”

What VanMeter said she loves about the vacation bible study is that it’s outside, but it’s not congested, which she said isn’t something people have in the White Oak area often. She said it was her favorite thing to plan every year.

“It’s a fun week. It’s fun to see people who are here for the first time and it’s their first year doing it and they are in awe of how this program runs,” Van-Meter said. “It has come together so well. I am really proud of it and all the volunteers who have put so much work into it and executing it. They have done a really good job.”

Those looking to sign up for the vacation bible study can sign up at https://vbspark.org/ and can check out church Facebook pages.

“I love playing games and I love doing crafts and I love playing with kids. I love how the week flows outside, I love seeing the kids getting to know each other and getting to work with one another on things and trying things they never had tried before,” VanMeter said. “It’s such a fun environment. It’s absolutely my favorite week of the year. If you have a pulse, you should be there. It’s a good time for everybody. I’ve never found anybody that didn’t like it. It’s really a good week.”