Building Community Through Song: VBS/Summer Music Camp3 min read

During the month of July, Emmanuel, Dearborn hosted two weeks of VBS/Music Camps for children. The curriculum was produced in house. The theme was “Behold the Lamb,” and each day we featured a different Bible lesson that points to Christ as the Lamb of God.

Both weeks utilized the same framework for the theme, Bible lessons, and music. However, each week had vastly different additional rotations based on the age of the children participating. The children were also taught sign language for Bible memory verse songs, which provided another avenue for remembering the Bible texts and connected the children with their friends from St. Martin School for the Deaf, who also attended.

A Typical Day: Week 1 [age 3 to 1st grade]

Each morning began with an opening in the sanctuary, singing simple Bible motion songs, hymns, and learning a Bible memory verse song. From here, the children split into three groups for rotations of crafts, games, and music. They also received a snack mid-morning.

During the music rotation, I went through a different Kloria Hymn Board Book with the children. As I sang the hymn, I would stop after each verse and ask the children questions about the pictures in the books. Throughout the week, this allowed me to discuss a number of different topics from Baptism, Creation, the Fall, the Trinity, Salvation, Sin, Death, Christ’s Birth/Death/Resurrection, the Ten Commandments, and Communion.

Next, we came back together for instrument demonstrations. Each day I presented musical instruments from a different family: brass, strings, woodwinds, percussion, and finally the pipe organ, which can make different sounds from three of those families.

On the final day, parents were invited to attend our last closing. The children shared their Bible memory verse song (with sign language) for each lesson, sang a few hymns, and we sang “Lamb of God” with a trio of instruments (flute, clarinet, and French horn).

A Typical Day: Week 2 [1st to 8th Grade]

Each morning began with an opening in the sanctuary, which included the Matins liturgy, a hymn that fit the theme of each day, the Bible passage for each day’s Bible lesson, and a short message from Pastor Walworth. After Matins, the children shifted to choir rehearsal, where they learned the Bible memory verse with sign language, as well as an anthem with Latin/English text.

Next, the children split into three groups, based on age, for rotations of Bible lesson, Orff xylophones, or stained-glass window art/appreciation.

In the late morning, the activity incorporated classical music with movements to the flow of the music. After lunch, the children had a second musical movement opportunity in the form of folk dancing. Then they again split into three groups for the afternoon rotations of science, games, and handbells.

On the last day, parents were invited to attend the final closing, where the children presented a number of the hymns and anthems they had learned during the week.

The average attendance was 17 children in Week 1 and 19 in Week 2. It was a joy teaching the children over those two weeks, and I’m looking forward to next year already.

_{Photos courtesy of Rev. Paul Wolff and Zachary Zieschang}

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