FORT IRWIN, Calif. — The National Training Center/Fort Irwin Religious Support Office (RSO) held its annual Vacation Bible School (VBS) from June 3-7, welcoming dozens of children and volunteers. This year’s theme was “Roar: Life is Wild but God is Good.”
NTC Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Ric Brown said, “The greatest challenge in holding VBS in the military, is finding the best time to hold it. You want to have VBS after school has let out, but not too late that you have lost your volunteer base due to permanent change of station moves.”
The RSO’s purpose for VBS is to not just minister to those who regularly attend the chapel services, but to be an outreach to the Fort Irwin Community. Under the senior leadership of Stefanie Cole and her trusty side kick Katie Coghill, the VBS program was a Roaring success. Chaplain Brown VBS is not just about caring for the kids who attend chapel programs regularly, it is about reaching out to the community and ministering to all of Fort Irwin. There were 219 kids that attended the week-long program with an amazing 97 volunteers to help minister to those kids. The chapel program is dependent upon their volunteers to ensure the success of their programs and Brown said the volunteers did an amazing job with the kids. The main tenet the youth learned during the week is “When life is…unfair, scary, sad, good, or changes…God is good.”