Wanted: KMC children to be special agents

Photos and story by Christine June
U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern


Children’s mission – if they chose to accept it – is to have a great adventure as God’s special agents at the 2007 Kaiserslautern Military Community Vacation Bible School.

***image1***Themed as SonForce Kids Special Agents, the week-long Bible school is 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 6 to 10 at Ramstein American Elementary School, Bldg. 996 on Ramstein.

“The kids are going on a mission for God as special agents and each day we are training them to live for God,” said Christie Stanislaw, one of the two coordinators for this year’s Bible school.

This nondenominational Christian youth ministry is for children ages 4 to 12. These special agents will be trained following the Bible’s Old Testament – Joshua 1:9.

“It’s (the Bible verse) just saying that wherever you are, God can be your strength,” said Ms. Stanislaw. “You just need to rely on him – to be strong and courageous – a special agent.”

The three-hour training will be blocked into 20-minute sections, featuring games, stories, snacks, and arts and crafts. These sections will follow the training requirements for the day as SonForce Kids Special Agents.

On the first day of training, the agents will learn to trust in God’s plans. Unite with God’s people is on the agenda for the second day. The third day shows the agents how to train for God’s service, and they will learn how to follow in God’s path on the fourth day. The last day will have them learning how to lead others to God’s promises.

So far, 150 children and 75 volunteers have signed up, said Jennifer Peterson, the other Bible school coordinator. She added that they can accommodate up to 275 children with the current number of volunteers.

Ms. Peterson recommends for parents to show up early on the first day, about 8:30 a.m., for follow-up registration. As for clothing requirements, she suggests that children be dressed for the weather, playing games and making arts-and-crafts projects. She also reminds parents that transportation to and from school is their responsibility.

For at least 20 years, Bible school has been sponsored by the KMC Army and Air Force community chaplains. This year’s program is from Gospel Light, a publisher of Sunday school curriculum since 1933 and based out of Ventura, Calif.

Registration deadline is July 30. The pre-registration form can be filled out online at www.kaiserslautern.army.mil/sites/installation/religious.asp, but it will need to be hand-carried to either the U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern Chaplain’s Office, Bldg. 2919 on Pulaski Barracks or North Chapel, Bldg. 1201 on Ramstein Air Base. For more information on the Bible school, e-mail sonforce07@yahoo.com. For more information on the curriculum, visit the Gospel Light’s official Web site at www.gospellightvbs.com/sonforce/.