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Chapel hosts VBS for military children

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Carolyn Viss
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Dyess' chapel staff hosted its annual Vacation Bible School for children ages 5-11 to build awareness of Biblical themes and principles among military families June 4-8. 

The theme of this year's ecumenical (joint Catholic-Protestant) event is "Avalanche Ranch: A wild ride through God's Word." 

"So far, the event's going really well," said Chaplain (Capt.) Marianne Kehoe, one of the coordinators for this year's VBS. "We have 50 kids signed up and 30 volunteers helping, which is a great turnout." 

Activities include singing, drama, crafts and games, and all the events are themed around Bible points each evening, such as "God is With Us." 

Master Sgt. Antonio Forty, 7th Mission Support Squadron first sergeant, and his wife, Vera, volunteered at the event and said their son, little Antonio, 5, loves going even though he tends to be a little shy. They appreciate the opportunity for him to associate with children from similar faiths and said the event puts him in "a different frame of mind" than his normal day-to-day activities. 

"These kinds of events show that Dyess is focused on more than just military activities," Sergeant Forty said. "We're here for the whole family, including children. It's important for families to be spiritually ready for the hard times. Teaching our kids the word of God gives them a strong background of knowledge of the religion they're part of." 

The chapel staff does a lot of work to make the event seamless," Sergeant Forty said. "All we do is show up, and everything's in place." 

The event takes place during summer vacation to give parents a break and get military children into wholesome fun, Chaplain Kehoe said. 

"Some families look forward to this every year."