What is Vacation Bible School?

Vacation Bible School, VBS for short, is an innovative, action packed, theme centered program that not only teaches kids about their faith, and their relationship with Jesus, but gets them excited about it too. Each year features a different theme where bible stories are brought to life,  great worship songs are sung, great teamwork-building games are played, delicious treats are made and eaten, and memorable crafts are created to help children remember the lessons learned in VBS.

How does it work?

St. Albert the Great’s VBS experience will be held June 24 – 28 in the parish auditorium. Our VBS experience is designed for children who are entering Kindergarten through 6th grade in September. Children who participate will begin to gather in the auditorium beginning at 8:45 AM.  Our day officially begins at 9:00 AM. Prior to their arrival on the first day, children will be organized into groups, which will serve as their VBS “Crew” for the entire week. Each day they will travel with their “Crew” to several VBS activity sites. The majority of our VBS experience will be held in the auditorium.  Games will be held on the fields (weather permitting of course!). Theme centered snacks and beverages are provided each day to the children. Our VBS experience ends at 12:00 PM each day with parents picking up their children in the auditorium. On our final day (Friday), family and friends are invited to join our VBS participants for a unique, fun-filled (and song-filled!) closing celebration beginning at 11:30 AM.

How do I enroll my child?

To enroll your child in our VBS experience, you need to complete a registration form for each child you enroll. Registration forms will be made available in April.  The cost for participation is $50.00 per child. The registration deadline usually the second Monday in June. After that parents are encouraged to call 215-947-3641 for availability as for planning and ordering purposes we do not accept registrations after the deadline without prior approval. No walk-in registrations will be accepted.

You can submit your completed registration form and fee to the attention of the Director of Religious Education at St. Albert the Great parish center, located at 212 Welsh Rd, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006, via the mail or drop it off in person.

How can I become involved?

There’s plenty of opportunity for parents and teens (7th grade and above) to become involved in our VBS experience. Best of all, we’ve done the work for you! Everything you  need to lead a group or activity site has been planned down to the smallest detail. Volunteering has never been so easy, and let’s not forget FUN!

Here’s a listing of the volunteer opportunities available:

• Group Leader – lead a group of 12-15 children with the assistance of teen helpers. Group Leaders assist the various activity site leaders as needed, make sure that their group stays on schedule, and help maintain a safe and well ordered environment during our VBS experience.
• Activity Site Leader – lead or co-lead one of 5 different activity sites: snacks, games, arts and crafts, bible story, and DVD. Leaders are provided with materials that have each day’s activities planned out to the finest detail.
• Junior Group Leader – an ideal position for teens seeking to fulfill service hours. Jr. Group Leaders, assist the adult Group Leader in managing their VBS group.
• Activity Site Helpers – another ideal position for adults as well as teens seeking to fulfill service hours. Activity Site Helpers assist Activity Site Leaders with the running of the activity site.

Volunteers need to be available from 8:30 AM to 12:15 PM all week long during our VBS experience. If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering for this exciting week-long program, contact the program director at 215-947-3641 or via e-mail at dre@satg1.org.