While driving around town, you probably have noticed the many Vacation Bible School (VBS) signs taking up residency on church lawns. Yes, summer vacation is here, and many churches have prepared all year for its weeklong outreach. In short, VBS focuses on teaching the gospel to children in a fun, themed and interactive environment. The following listing contains VBS dates and times from some of the area churches.
Bay Life Chapel
Bay Life presents its annual KIDAPALOOZA with the theme G.O.S.P.E.L. (Greatest Official Story People Ever Lived). The VBS is free and runs from Monday, June 12 through Friday, June 16 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The doors open at 6 p.m. Bay Life’s slime filled, super funny, high-energy VBS will feature bouncy houses, obstacle courses, tons of indoor and outdoor games, live music and crazy dancing. KIDAPALOOZA is for children entering kindergarten through those entering 6th grade. Bay Life is located at 1017 Kingsway Rd. in Brandon. To register, visit baylife.org/kpa. For questions, contact 661-3696 or kids@baylife.org.
Bell Shoals Baptist Church
Bell Shoals presents Galactic Starveyors where kids will focus their telescopes on the marvels painted in the sky by the Creator and discover that God wants a personal relationship with them. VBS will be held at its Brandon campus from Monday, July 17 through Friday, July 21 from 8:45 a.m. to 12 Noon, located at 2102 Bell Shoals Rd. Registration is free for all children age 4 (by Sept. 1) through completed 6th grade. Also, VBS will be held at its Apollo Beach campus, from Monday, June 12 through Friday, June 16 from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon, located at 408 Apollo Beach Blvd. Registration is free for all children who will be 5 (before Sept. 1) through completed 5th grade. To register for the Brandon or Apollo Beach VBS, visit bellshoals.com/vbs.
Cornerstone Baptist Church
Cornerstone presents Hero Central where children will discover their strength in God on awesome adventures alongside some of their favorite Bible heroes. Children will discover the qualities that make us truly heroic in God. VBS is free and will operate from Monday, July 10 through Friday, July 14 from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon. For grades kindergarten through completed 5th grade. To register, visit cornerstonebrandon.org. The church is located at 818 N. Parsons Ave. in Brandon. For questions, call 689-3325.
First Baptist Brandon
First Baptist Brandon presents Galactic Starveyors where kids focus their telescopes on the marvels painted in the sky by the Creator to discover that the God who created everything wants a personal relationship with them. The free VBS operates from Monday, June 19 through Friday, June 23, from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The church is located at 216 N. Parsons Ave. in Brandon. The VBS is for children age 4 (by Sept. 1) through completed 5th grade. To register, visit fbcbrandon.org/vbs. For questions, call 689-1204.
First Presbyterian of Brandon
First Presbyterian presents Traveling Day Camp, a VBS that brings classic camp activities and faith-building experiences to the church. The program is from Monday, June 26 through Friday, June 30 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for children that have completed kindergarten through completed 5th grade. Lunch and snacks are provided. Children ages 3 and 4 may attend the same week from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon. The cost for K-5 is $60.00 per child for members and affiliates and $90.00 per child for non-members. The cost for ages 3 and 4 is $20 per child. The church is located at 121 Carver Ave. in Brandon. For more information, visit fpcbrandon.org or call 689-4597.
FishHawk Fellowship Church
FishHawk Fellowship presents Gadgets and Gizmos where children learn they are uniquely wired and wonderfully made. The VBS will run from Monday, June 12 through Friday, June 16 from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon at 15326 FishHawk Blvd. in Lithia. The program is designed for children that have completed kindergarten through completed 5th grade. The fee is $10 per child. To register, visit fishhawkfc.org. For questions, contact Amy Tate at atate@fishhawkfc.org.
Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church
Holy Innocents’ presents Maker Fun Factory where curious kids become hands-on inventors and discover God lovingly created them. The free VBS will run from Monday, June 5 through Friday, June 9 from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon at 604 N. Valrico Rd. in Valrico. Participation is for age 3 (must be potty-trained) through rising 5th graders. To register, visit hiepiscopal.org. For questions, contact Ashley Routh at 689-3130.
Immanuel Lutheran Church
Immanuel Lutheran presents Conquerors in Christ featuring clever crafts, yummy snacks and lively games. The free VBS will run from Monday, July 10 through Friday, July 14 from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon at 2913 John Moore Rd. in Brandon. Participation is for ages 3 (toilet trained) to entering 5th grade. For more information, call 689-1787 or visit GodSoLoved.org.
Journey Church of Brandon
Journey Church presents JourneyJam 2017 with its VBS theme to be revealed at the event. The VBS will run from Sunday, July 16 through Thursday, July 20 from 5:45 p.m. to 9 p.m. The free event is for children that have completed kindergarten through completed 5th grade. Every night, the evening kicks off with a free dinner followed by skits, high-energy worship music, fun games, crafts and more. JourneyJam 2017 shirts are available for purchase at $11 per child, though not required. For more information or to register, visit Journey7.com.
Limona Village Chapel United Methodist Church
Limona Village presents Maker Fun Factory where curious kids become hands-on inventors and discover they are crafted by God. The free VBS will run from Monday, June 5 through Friday, June 9 from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. with dinner and snack provided. For more information or to register, visit limonavillagechapel.com. The church is located at 408 Limona Rd. in Brandon.
Redeemer Church
Redeemer presents Deep Sea Discovery: God Is With Me Wherever I Go. Children will dive into God’s presence by delving deep into His Word. The free VBS will run from Monday, June 26 to Friday, June 30 from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon at 12404 Boyette Rd. in Riverview. The program is for age 4 through completed 5th grade. To register, visit redeemerriverview.org. For more information, contact Steven Hansen at 741-1776.
Riverview First United Methodist Church
Riverview First UMC presents Hero Central: Discover your strength in God! The free VBS will run from Monday, July 10 through Friday, July 14 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. with a performance during the church service on Sunday, July 16 at 10:30 a.m. The church is located on 8002 US Hwy. 301 S. in Riverview. For more information, contact Rolinda Smoak at 453-0190.
Shiloh Baptist Church
Shiloh Baptist presents Galactic Starveyors where kids will discover that the God who created everything wants a personal relationship with them. The free VBS will run from Sunday, June 11 through Thursday, June 15 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 905 W. Terrace Dr. in Plant City. Participation is for age 2 through completed 5th grade. To register, visit shilohkids.org. For questions, call 752-8345.
South Shore United Methodist Church
South Shore presents Maker Fun Factory where kids discover they are created by God and are built for a purpose. The VBS will run from Monday, July 17 through Friday, July 21 from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon at 11525 Big Bend Rd. in Riverview. Participation is for rising kindergarten up to rising 5th grade. The cost is $20 per child for the week and $5 for each additional child in the same family. To register, visit southshoreumuc.com. For more information, contact Jeanie Cofer at Jeanie@southshoreumc.com.
Southside Baptist Church
Southside Baptist is doing VBS differently. Instead of bringing the community to their campus, the church is taking VBS to the community through VBS at The Park. The VBS theme is Galactic Starveyors where children discover the God of the universe. There are two different weeks of VBS. The first week will be held from Thursday, June 29 through Saturday, July 1 at Heather Lakes Park, located at 1850 Windingwood Ave. in Brandon. The second week will be held from Thursday, July 27 through Saturday, July 29 at Bertha and Tony Sandino Park, located at 1705 Bryan Rd. in Brandon. The time of VBS is to be determined. For more information, visit southsidebrandon.org or contact Pastor Ricky at 689-6049.
St. Anne Catholic Church
St. Anne presents Maker Fun Factory where children learn they are created by God and are built for a purpose. The VBS dates are from Monday, June 12 to Friday, June 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The fee is $30 per child for the week and includes lunch. The VBS is for ages 5, (or starting kindergarten) to 12 years old. The church is located at 106 11th Ave NE in Ruskin. For more information, contact the Faith Formation office at 645-1714.
The Chapel At FishHawk
The Chapel At FishHawk presents Maker Fun Factory from Monday, June 12 through Friday, June 16 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 6026 Churchside Dr. in Lithia. During this interactive VBS, kids will explore their abilities in exciting ways and discover that God created each of them as a masterpiece. Participation is for rising kindergarten through rising 5th grade. Cost is $30 per child for the week. To register, visit thechapelfh.org. For questions, contact Donna at donna@thechapelfh.org or 644-2787.
