BAY MINETTE, Ala. — Scriptural education and summer fun are on the agenda for two Vacation Bible Schools that will begin Monday.

First Baptist Church of Bay Minette and Stockton Presbyterian Church will hold Vacation Bible school Monday-June 10 from 8:30-11:30 a.m. for kindergarten- to sixth-grade students.

The Baptist church will also offer vacation bible school for youth 4:30-9 p.m. each day next week.

According to First Baptist Church of Bay Minette VBS Director Paula Owen,  the week’s theme, “Big Apple Adventure” will feature New York City-style mission sites and snacks. One such item will be a Statue of Liberty torch cupcake, she said during a phone interview.

The event attracts 300-340 Bay Minette children each year, according to Owen, and many return year after year, attending each year they are eligible to do so.

“We see them growing in their more Bible-based lives and gaining a relationship with God,” she said.

According to Owen, the annual event has a single goal.

“It’s a great opportunity for them (participants) to focus more on Scriptural studies, and it involves other kids that don’t come to Sunday school,” she said. “They learn Scriptural lessons that help them in life.”

Owen explained that the goal is accomplished once children are motivated to attend Vacation Bible School.

“They come for the fact that their friends are going to be there and it’s a lot of fun,” she said. “It’s a lot of kids that are having a lot of fun and learning at the same time.”

The week will end with a play at 6 p.m. Friday and a pool party afterward, Owen said.

At Stockton Presbyterian Church, VBS volunteer Nancy Self explained that the VBS theme will be “Hometown Nazareth: Where Jesus was a Kid.”

“The kids will be visiting a marketplace every day, where there’s a pottery shop, synagogue school, wool-making shop, carpentry shop and food like Jesus ate when He was a boy,” she said in a telephone interview. “They will divide into tribes each day and visit Mary’s house to learn how He was as a boy. They will have Bible points each day like what Jesus’ family was like and how we have a family too, plus what Jesus’ name means and about the tribal names.”

Self explained that a returning activity at this year’s Vacation Bible School is one that personally touched her in previous years.

“We will teach them (participants) to serve each other by washing each others’ feet,” she said. “I almost cried, it was so moving and so impactful.”

Self believes the subject matter and timing of the church’ Vacation Bible School are critical.

“For one, it’s important for children to get as much Bible education as possible at any time in their lives,” she said. “It  keeps kids focused and participating in healthy activities in a safe atmosphere with people who love them.”

First Baptist Church is located at 1201 Hand Ave., in Bay Minette. For more information, call 937-9536.

Stockton Presbyterian Church is located at 53320 Alabama Highway 59 in Stockton. For more information, call 937-7584.