Vacation Bible School offers religious education for children Published June 23, 2006 By Staff Sgt. Kelly Ogden 16th SOW Public Affairs H URLBURT FIELD, Fla -- There was singing, dancing, pirates and treasure hunts at the base chapel June 12-16. This was no ordinary gala. The “Treasure Island” themed celebration was geared toward the celebration of Christian fellowship. The Protestant vacation Bible school had an average of 90 children in attendance every night and provided an opportunity for children to explore Christianity and the Bible in fun, innovative ways. “This year’s mission of vacation Bible school was to teach children about God and Jesus,” said Master Sgt. Dexter Coburn, 16th Mission Support Squadron. “The children learned about God’s kindness, caring, forgiveness and his eternal love.” Over the course of one week, children participated in singing Christian music and dancing, said Sergeant Coburn, who served as the VBS program co-coordinator along with his wife, Angela. The children, who made colorful beaded bracelets and paper plate artwork, also acted out a variety of skits that directly related to their Bible studies. “This has been the largest turn-out in our VBS history,” said Chaplain (Maj.) Robert Collins, the chapel’s senior Protestant chaplain. “We owe our success to the great support of all of our wonderful volunteers and are looking forward to continued success in the program next year.” The teachers, who were active-duty servicemembers, family members and civilians, put forth countless hours of planning to guarantee that VBS would be a success. Children, who were between the ages of three to early teenage years, participated in the event.