Hartselle Church of Christ has ‘Greatest Showman’ VBS

Children throughout the community entered into the big top last week for Vacation Bible School at Hartselle church of Christ. The week was “The Greatest Showman” themed and centered on the miracles of God.

Hartselle church of Christ welcomed the largest crowd yet, about 100 children each day. Todd Barrier, director of the VBS program, said he was excited to have so many students visiting.

“I think almost half of the kids don’t attend here and are visiting from the community. Everyone has been responding great to it,” he said. “They love it. I think that movie is still fresh on their minds, and most age groups have probably seen it.”

Barrier said he decided on the circus theme for the VBS as a way to keep children interested in the lessons each day. He said he felt the circus was an easy way to tie in the miracles found in the Bible.

“The first thing that I think about (when choosing the theme) is what the kids will like. If they like something, they will pay attention to what you are talking about,” he explained. “Kids just love the circus, and I knew if they liked the theme, they would listen to the stories.”

Throughout the week the church welcomed special guests, including a gymnast, weight lifter and “bearded” lady. Attendees also got to enjoy special circus-themed snacks, such as shaved ice, popcorn and ice cream. Barrier said the circus theme was a fun way to talk about some of the miracles that take place in the Bible.

“We decided on it last year because of the popularity of ‘The Greatest Showman,’” Barrier said. “Each day had a different miracle. We learned about feeding the 5,000, healing the leper, calming the storm, and the last day was the greatest miracle of all: the resurrection.”

Barrier said his favorite part of the week was seeing so many children from the community enjoying their week together. “They have been excited to bring friends, and everybody has had fun. I have seen tons of smiles,” Barrier said. “I think the overall experience has been my best memory because we didn’t expect to have as many people, but when God sends you something like that, it is going to work out because you know you are doing it for the right reasons.”

Hartselle church of Christ will hold a Crossfit games theme next year for VBS, June 8-11.