First Presbyterian Church Fort Dodge

Vacation Bible School was incredible this year! All week long we explored stories in Scripture of people who were called to do hard things with God’s help. Kids had a blast, and our leaders made meaningful connections with kids from our church, our daycare, and new kids we had not met before.

I’d like a take this month’s article to thank those who were involved. I’d like to thank our middle and high school students who helped throughout the week. Mina DeJong, Joscelyn Kahler, Jillian Cook, Kate Parker, Abby Tofilon, Peyton Walstrom, Carson Kahler, Luke Royster, Owen Recker, David Vraj, and Lilly Johnson. Each of these students helped to lead small groups, set up games, serve snacks, and create our daily videos. These students stepped up and made the difference for the whole week. It was so fun to see the elementary school students look up to these older students as examples and leaders.

I also want to thank our adult volunteer leaders: Barb Birkett, Marlene Barnes, Jill Yriarte, Molly Nelson, Samantha Lennon, Karen Peterson, Fernando Salazar, and Alex Gully. They helped to prepare meals, participate in games, and lead small groups.

And I’d also like to thank our paid staff for all the hard work they put in. Sara Hill, Chris Helton, Gabriel Alves, Mary Alves, Linda Ruge, Amy Conlon, Abee Kelleher, Augusta Cook, Joe Gunderson, Paula Shultz, Richard Banks, Bernadette Ricke, Jessica Fiebig, Erica Averette, Emily McCarville, Allison Dailey, Alexis Wade, Kaylynn McGriff and Sharen Ring. They all worked so hard in preparing for the week and executing the event each day.

            As you can see, this is quite a list of people who helped make an incredible week happen. If you see any of these people, please let them know how much we appreciate their efforts. It was an unforgettable week for our elementary school students and for us leaders.