New Hope Community Church takes vacation bible school outdoors

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- During the summer, many churches in the Valley hold vacation bible schools to provide a fun and spiritual way for kids to enjoy their break.

Upbeat music and dozens of dancing kids filled this Clovis park Wednesday morning. It may sound like church. But it's New Hope Community Church's effort to get vacation bible school outdoors, to reach more kids.

Mark Addis with New Hope Community Church said, "I think a lot of people are intimidated to go to a church and a lot of kids can't get to churches, so we wanted to bring this to downtown Clovis where we know there is a lot of kids in this community."

The church had an indoor VBS weeks ago, but knew it still had the resources and passion to serve, so they did it again, but with a twist.

The two hours was packed with a lot of outdoor fun including bible story time, crafts and games. Church volunteers opened up the event to anyone for free as a way to reach out to their community.

Cheryl Bartley said, "We were just walking along and we saw all the cool stuff and it looked like a birthday party and they said 'no, it's a church activity. They said just come on in, it's going to be fun.'"

Mom Cheryl Bartley said she was pleasantly surprised to see a free activity for kids. Not only was mom happy, but her little girl was also full of smiles.

Addis added, "We hope they leave here with some bible stories in their minds but most of all we want them to realize that church can be really fun for kids, it doesn't have to be a boring event."

This is the first year New Hope has taken their vacation bible school outside. They're hoping to make "New Hope in the Park" an annual event for the community.