St. James Church holds VBS Fun Factory

Around 70 children gathered at St. James Parish Hall this week for the Vacation Bible School “Maker Fun Factory” program.

St. James Faith Formation Coordinator Lori Fritz said the parish holds the program every summer. The weeklong day camp includes various activities, including songs, teamwork exercises and crafts.

Fritz said this year’s program was designed to help kids “discover that God made them — and for a purpose,” and teach them to “look for evidence of God all around them.”

While the content is designed for children ages 5-12, Fritz said it was a valuable experience for teenage volunteers involved in the activities.

“Kids travel station to station in these mixed age groups, so they really get to connect to each other and learn from each other,” Fritz said. “Kids develop these relationships with the older kids that are lifelong … and the older kids, it’s great for them as well because you can just see that compassion and those caregiving skills coming out.”

Fritz said the event’s community-building value was its greatest strength.

“I like it because of the connections,” she said. “A lot of the parish gets involved with this. The adults serve as station leaders and help with the different stations that the kids go to. The teenagers each handle a crew of the younger kids. It’s a team effort for the whole parish.”