At most vacation Bible schools, children in elementary and middle school are grouped according to age or grade to sing songs, play games and make crafts. However, at the Methodist church in downtown Napa, this summer's Vacation Bible School brings together people of all ages and diverse generations.

Fifteen children and 17 adults, most of them elderly, gathered in the Kagawa Room on a Thursday evening. After Associate Pastor Jennifer Murdock said the "Johnny Appleseed prayer" thanking God for creation, the people feasted on cornbread, black beans, salsa and homemade cinnamon ice cream.

In contrast to vacation Bible schools that use fantasy themes such as searching for treasure on an imaginary tropical island with a scuba-diving chipmunk or looking for a lost temple, Murdock said that the following weeks would explore Sudan's refugee crisis and the issue of Mexican immigration to the U.S.

Since the theme that day was Bolivia, a little boy read the hymn, "Lord, You have come to the lakeshore" in Spanish. Susan Edenborough, head of children's ministry, said that Bolivian Methodists clap their hands three times after each verse when singing hymns; she went on to relate that there are 40 types of potatoes in Bolivia, and led the people in saying "Cochabamba" in unison. Next, Edenborough showed slides of her travels in Bolivia to help build a brick house for schoolteachers. She described how the Heifer Project is aiding Bolivians in becoming economically self-sufficient. The evening ended with the assembled coloring in pictures of a map of Bolivia as well as writing prayers on paper fish.

Edenborough, who has been with the Methodist church's children's ministry for three years, said that the all-ages Vacation Bible School was inspired by the fact that she was "increasingly aware that there are families that don't have kids at home. It's a richer experience for all of us, to have all ages … in our culture, there are more working mothers. The whole church family can be part of it."

Over the course of the Thursday evenings in July, the Bible School is focusing on the Sudan, the U.S./Mexican border, and is concluding with Afghanistan and Pakistan. Edenborough said that the countries come from the curriculum of Church World Service. She commented, "It's to expose us all to information about each country. We're collecting money and collecting materials to assemble school kits to send to Church World Service. It's about how families don't have what we take for granted, and that we're all connected."

Edenborough added that the Vacation Bible School "provides another opportunity for gathering at church, celebrating with the church family, and connecting with brothers and sisters around the world. It's to engage people, and enhance their daily lives."

In terms of the children, she said, "GRAPE Express begins the week after Labor Day, for children ages 1 to the fifth-grade. It involves a lot of teachers; it's an ongoing thing. All kids (at Vacation Bible School) are regular Sunday school-goers. This (Vacation Bible School) reaches out to kids who don't go to Sunday school."

Finally, Edenborough described how Vacation Bible School enhances the children's relationship with Jesus. She said, "Every time they come to church, they see people loving one another, sharing with others, as Jesus taught. This modeling opportunity for kids to see is awesome."

Anna Abbott is a freelance writer living in Napa. She can be reached at Religion_News@hotmail.com.