Firefighters in Christ VBS held at First Baptist Church of Matlacha
When Pastor Mark Holland of the First Baptist Church of Matlacha sought a program for his church’s second year of Vacation Bible School, he decided on one called Firefighters for Christ produced by TruthQuest Ministries. This was a natural since Holland is himself a retired firefighter originally from South Carolina.
“We’re trying to get the kids to learn to fight spiritual fires in themselves and then to save others,” Holland said. “Real firefighting is temporal but spiritual firefighting is for eternal rescue.”
Holland borrowed a jacket, hat and boots from the Matlacha-Pine Island Fire Department and constructed the front end of a replica firetruck on the altar of the church. A second set of gear displayed during the week long program that ran from July 18-22 was actually retired from the New York City Fire Department right after Sept. 11, 2001.
Several adults from the congregation helped with the program. Among those were Lynn Holland, Nancy and Jim Davis, Marlene Milam, Eileen Rhoads, Esther Howze, and Darrell Bryant.
In addition to printed materials and music, the firefighters program included skits to bring the message home.
“Darrell is the star of the show,” Holland said. “He plays Bernie, a bungling rookie firefighter.”
The program drew 19 children ranging in age from 6 to 16.
First Baptist Church of Matlacha is located at 3310 SW Pine Island Rd. For more information visit www.fbcmatlacha.org or call 283-2446.