VBS 2009 was the best ever!
With 105 children registered it was our biggest turnout ever. The week was a huge success thanks to all the many wonderful volunteers and especially our great VBS Director, Mary Poteet. Look for her note with more exciting details in this August Bell Ringer. Check out photos online at http://www.flickr.com/photos/40674441@N03/


Camp E.D.G.E = Experience + Discover God Everywhere

ODEC Campers have had an Xtreme-ly X-citing week at Vacation Bible School. We learned that God guides us, teaches us, loves us, sends us and is with us. And as good campers we will follow Him. We X-perienced the X-treme sports of whitewater rafting, caving, rock climbing and rappelling, zip riding a line, and mountain climbing – belay on! Our camp director, Blaze (aka Pastor Elizabeth), and her adventurous mascot, SparX (aka Ashley Scruggs), set the stage every morning for each of our daily X-treme treks.

VBS this year increased the number of participants by 20% so that on average we had 106 campers trekking through the halls and grounds of ODEC with smiles and laughter in anticipation of what was coming next. We even had a inaugural program for our 3-year-olds that proved to be very successful. We invite everyone to participate in our outreach project which is to help the kids at the Mission of the Holy Spirit with school supplies. A box for the supplies will be in Tucker Hall.

Our X-treme-ly successful camp would not have been possible without the help and dedication of many many people. Please give the following volunteers your X-treme thanks for making our program – dare I say – the best around!!

Station leaders: Leslie Fenter – music; Barb Schweiger, Pam Campbell, Meredith Guzman, and Elizabeth Campbell – crafts; Denise Wilkinson-bible stories; Sam and Jon Belka – games; Bill Boyll – science; David King – decorations, Joyce Barry - pictures and April Improta – snacks. Assisting the station leaders were Carrie Sims, Marcia Torres, Marti Jones, Georgia Hronek, Taylor Whitworth, Steven Moore, Matt VecerKauskas, Jonathan Sims, Elizabeth Sims, Joan Crockett, and DeeDee Foberg. Supporting and guiding our campers were the “bestest” group of “camp counselors” anyone could ask for- (3's) Megan Wilson, Ashlee MacDonald, Kaylyn MacDonald, Lauren Belka, Amy Buckius, Becca Schweiger, Matthew Improta; (PreK/K) Yvette Ghormley, Sam Ghormley, Corey Schweiger, April Improta, Ellie Kreassig, Pat Wilson, and Rhiannon Spainhour; (1st grade) Liane Long, Sheila Durkin, Riva Heron, Don Wilson, Isabella Galvez, Lily Burroughs and Darden Purrington; (2nd) Paige Martin, Kendall Stevens, Darlene Castellano, Jack Barry, Elizabeth Wainer, and Christian Ullman (3rd-5th) Sue Wilson and Carolyn Gerace.

Finally thanks to Bob Reneau, who was always ready to help and to Father Bob who has a great deal of trust in us when we tell him we are filling Tucker Hall with mulch!!

The standard is set high for a better and better program each year – so look out next year when we will again rock your world with VBS!!!