Calling all Campers age 3 and up for a week of wild games, exciting activities, and rockin’ music at our week-long Vacation Bible Camp!

 
 

Monday, AUG. 26 - Friday, Aug 30 | 9AM-2PM | Age 3 and Up

Vacation Bible Camp at First Congregational Church of Westfield combines fun, engaging activities with classic Bible stories and themes in a way that makes them relevant to Pre-K and elementary school children. With drama, science, music, and cooking as just some of our daily class rotations, kids will discover how fun faith can be!

  • CAMPERS: Age 3 through 5th Grade ($80 for the whole week or any part of it); 3rd & 4th child from the same household is offered a discount for $65/child. Registration fees include all credit card fees. Register campers here.

  • COUNSELORS: 6th grade & up (free); Register Counselors here.

FCC is a welcoming, inclusive, open-minded Christian community that has discovered the freedom and joy a spiritual life offers. Our ministry is committed to sharing God’s love through service to others, thought-provoking worship, and fostering faith among generations. We aspire to nourish the individual on their spiritual journey; explore the intersection of community and faith; and remain faithful to God’s vision in a changing world.

  • Camp is “rotation” style - children will remain with their group and travel to multiple different locations throughout the day, led by their counselors. In each rotation, a dedicated, trained teacher will lead activities (including music, games, science, drama, and cooking classes).

  • Children will be grouped with other campers around their age, typically by the grade they will be entering in September. If there is a special friend they’d like to be in a group with, please be sure to indicate the friend’s name on the registration form - and ask them to sign up for camp! Siblings with more than a year age gap will be in separate groups.

  • Each camper will be assigned a team color on Monday morning of camp. Team colors will remain the same throughout the week, and campers will wear color-coded wristbands and nametags.

  • Snack & Lunch: We provide a healthy snack during the morning hours of VBC. Please send a lunch in an insulated bag with your name on the outside. VBC is NUT-FREE - please be sure to keep lunches nut-free.

  • Cost: $80 per camper. Registration fees are for the whole week or any part of it. Please note: all registration payments are final, and refunds are not offered. The registration fee includes all credit card processing fees.

  • All campers must be potty-trained. VBC Staff & Volunteers do not have the facilities or training to change diapers or pull-ups. If your child exhibits ongoing issues with potty-training, a parent may be asked to remain onsite.

  • Prior to camp, Counselors will receive a Team color assignment. If your student would like to be on a Team with a particular friend, please be sure to let us know in advance!

  • Counselors will be responsible for the campers in their team. They will shepherd campers between rotations, provide an enthusiastic presence, lead team-building activities, and help VBC Teachers in the classroom.

  • Counselors are asked to arrive at 8:30am each day for prep and setup, and leave at 2:30pm to assist with dismissal and cleanup.

  • A mandatory Counselor training session will be held for all Counselors, and each Counselor will be asked to sign a Counselor Covenant outlining expectations for their behavior and leadership.

  • We understand that things come up! If your student isn’t able to volunteer for the whole week, please let us know on the registration form.

  • Snack & Lunch: We provide a healthy snack during the morning hours of VBC. Please send a lunch in an insulated bag with your name on the outside. VBC is NUT-FREE - please be sure to keep lunches nut-free.

  • There is no cost to be a Counselor! In fact, students can receive up to 30 hours of community service credit. If you would like a letter to this effect, please contact us after camp.

Camp Firelight is based on Psalm 56:3: “Whenever I’m afraid, I put my trust in you.” This verse reminds us that we can trust God no matter what challenges we face in life. Camp Firelight invites kids to put their trust in God in every situation, including during times when they might be afraid.

Surrounded by water, trees, and rolling hills, Camp Firelight is the perfect location for every Camper’s favorite summer activities! During each assembly session, Campers join first-time camp Counselor Sam and Lu (short for Lumen) the Lightning Bug, and learn to face their fears while trusting in God. Each day, Campers see Counselor Sam face new challenges—from simple, like leading Campers on a hike, to intimidating, like meeting a new and wise nature expert. With the help of Lu the Lightning Bug and the Camp Counselor Guidebook, Counselor Sam and our Campers explore timeless Bible stories that show how Old and New Testament Campers trusted God in the face of their own fears and went on to do great things in God’s name.

Through these stories, Campers discover people in the Bible who experience the gift of a trusting relationship with God, and this empowers us to trust God to go with us, to lead the way, to share wisdom, to give us peace, and to spark joy as we celebrate the good news of Jesus in our own lives and in the lives of others.

We will also learn ways we can connect with and put our trust in God, whenever we are afraid, challenged, or called to do God’s work in the world and share the good news of God’s love through Jesus Christ.

Here’s how each session highlights the ways we can put our trust in God through Bible Campers who modeled trust in challenging times:

  • We will discover that even as we face fear of the unknown and the possibilities of aloneness like Jacob, we can put our trust in God to go with us on the journeys to where God leads us.

  • Through the story of Ruth choosing to go with Naomi and follow her back to Bethlehem, we will be invited to ponder the ways we can trust and see God leading in our own lives and in the lives of others.

  • We will be invited to consider how we, like young Jesus, can both begin the journey of pursuing God’s wisdom and trust God to share wisdom that will go with us throughout our lives.

  • Through the story of Jesus calming the storm and bringing peace to the disciples, we will learn that, like Jesus, we all can ask God for peace during the storms that crash against our lives and know that God is with us through it all.

  • We will be invited to consider how, like Philip, we can respond to God’s love and grace ourselves, how we can share it with others, and how we can trust God to spark joy in our lives as we live out this key part of our own discipleship.

Questions?

If you have any questions about First Congregational Church, VBC, or registration, please contact:

Rev. Dr. Jennifer Testa Hrynyk, Senior Pastor
Jennifer@fccofwestfield.org

or

Rev. Kyle Reaka, Assistant Pastor
Kyle@fccofwestfield.org