Northwest student oversees local VBS program
CHRIS ROUSH/DAILY FORUM
First Presbyterian Church Youth Director Cayla Maynes talks with kids during the weeklong Vacation Bible School camp Tuesday morning. The Presbyterian Church and the First United Methodist Church collaborated this year for VBS with Heartland Camps, based out of Kansas City, running the program.
Cayla Maynes was looking for jobs one day and stumbled upon an opening as a youth director at the First Presbyterian Church in Maryville. Maynes, an education major at Northwest Missouri State University, knew that she wanted to find a job where she could work with kids and express her faith.
“It was a job posted on the Northwest website and I came in for an interview in December and got the job in January,” Maynes said. “We’ve been trying to strengthen our youth program and grow it because our numbers are small and this camp is a great way to grow the numbers.”
This week, the Presbyterian Church partnered with the First United Methodist Church in Maryville for the annual Vacation Bible School program. But the VBS program has a different twist.
“It’s called a traveling day camp and they come from Heartland Camps in Kansas City and they put on the program for us,” Maynes said. “They bring everything in a box and we find the volunteers, get everything ready and they host it for us.”
The weeklong day camp runs everyday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church at the corner of Main Street and East Jenkins. Maynes said the program is open to kids K-6 and the program has a wide variety of activities.
“We have a lot of activities for the kids this week including four square, water games, a slip-n-slide, making crafts and it’s different everyday,” Maynes said. “There are 20 different activities for them to choose from everyday.”
This year’s program has had more than 70 kids show up each day through the first three days and Maynes said that it’s great to have all of the kids show up, but it’s important to retain them after this week.
“The hardest thing is to keep the kids coming back and we can get them to come once, but after that if their friends aren’t there, they are less likely to come again,” Maynes said. “We have Sunday School starting Aug. 23 and we have our Fall Kickoff with a bouncy house and food, basically a fun evening at the church from 6-8 p.m. It’s for any kids in the community because we want them to just be involved.”
The theme of the VBS program is “Love Never Fails” and Maynes said the Presbyterian Church did the same program through the Heartland Camp last year, but didn’t have quite the same turnout.
“The last time we did it, we had 30 kids, so this time around, we really reached out to the community,” Maynes said. “Anyone can come and we teamed up with the Methodist church to get their kids involved because they aren’t having their VBS because of their construction.”
With more than 70 kids running around, it takes quite a few volunteers to make the program successful. Maynes said there are 30 volunteers including several junior volunteers which are teenagers 16 and under.
Along with the day camp this week, there will be a “Youth Night” Thursday night from 6:30-8:30 for middle school and high school students.
Maynes said being the youth director has been a great experience and she’s enjoyed the opportunity.
“Kids are really important to me and this ties in with my major and fit my faith,” Maynes said. “This is a great experience and really ties into my future.”
CHRIS ROUSH/DAILY FORUM
During the Vacation Bible School program, the First Presbyterian Church and the First United Methodist church hosted more than 70 kids Monday afternoon at First Presbyterian Church, located on the corner of Main and Jenkins streets in Maryville. VBS participant Lindsey takes part in the activities and goes down the slip-n-slide.
CHRIS ROUSH/DAILY FORUM
After the rain left the area Monday afternoon, more than 70 kids gathered for Vacation Bible School at the First Presbyterian Church in Maryville. The Presbyterian Church hosted VBS in conjunction with First United Methodist Church and one of the day’s activities included a slip-n-slide which VBS camper, Isaiah, seemed to enjoy.
