TOWSON – Immaculate Conception Parish in Towson resumed hosting its annual Vacation Bible School, after taking off 2020 due to COVID-19.
While attendance was lower than previous summers with 65 campers during the week of July 26-30, new VBS leader and Coordinator of Religious Education Kristen Mumaw was more excited than ever to help attendees grow in their faith from across a table, rather than through a computer screen.
An Immaculate Conception parishioner for 10 years, Mumaw has taught Sunday school and in sacramental prep programs. She began her new role as coordinator of religious education in November 2020 during the height of COVID-19, and was thrilled to again serve her parish in a face-to-face setting.
“I really pushed to have it (VBS) in person,” said Mumaw, adding that she was willing to follow whatever protocols necessary to give children the opportunity to get out of their homes and share in their faith together.
Many community members shared that desire and were eager to volunteer at VBS.
Among those 36 volunteers was Evan Mumaw, 17, Kristen’s son. He spent two years as a camper. This was his sixth as a volunteer, and he wore his passion for the program on his sleeve.
“It’s special because I’m helping kids learn about God and showing them how important it is to love God,” he said.
Deedy Macdonald, a nine-year volunteer at Immaculate Conception’s VBS, shared that she and her eight children used the absence of VBS last summer as an opportunity, rather than an obstacle. The Macdonald family got creative by attending outdoor adoration and drive-through confession at St. Mary of the Mills in Laurel.
While Macdonald was grateful to expand her family’s faith horizons in different ways, she was glad to return to the halls of Immaculate Conception’s middle school for VBS. Her involvement included four of her children also volunteering.
“VBS was always a way that I could volunteer with them,” she said.
Father Joseph Barr, who served at Immaculate Conception from 1982 to 1988 and returned as pastor in 2010, noted that the children seemed especially hungry to engage with each other this summer.
“There’s more enthusiasm from the children,” Father Barr said. “I think they appreciate even more what they didn’t have.”
Though COVID-19 safety procedures were in place, such as social distancing and smaller group sizes, the usual VBS spirit was still very much alive. The children participated in faith-enrichment activities throughout the days, including interactive Scripture-sharing during Bible Adventures and educational videos during Kid Vid. They also were given time to make their own fun during Imagination Station and play games outside with one another.
Mumaw emphasized that the goal of VBS has always been to bring God into the daily lives of the children and ensure they are having fun while doing so. Though VBS looked slightly different this summer, Mumaw and her team of volunteers made sure that this still held true.
“It’s really important for the kids to be with other kids who believe the same things that they do,” Mumaw said. “And it’s fun, so they’re going to make memories that will last forever.”
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