july 13-17
Join us for “Exploring the Nature of God” each night from 6:30-8:40 p.m. Campers will rotate to learning stations for that will engage them in a biblical story and theme for each night. This event is open to children from age 4 to 5th grade. See below for more information about the week and our upcoming Children’s Sunday.
first umc graham's summer camp
exploring the nature of god
At Rainforest Falls, kids explore the nature of God—discovering who God is and how much he loves them! Kids participate in memorable Bible-learning activities, sing catchy songs, play teamwork-building games, make and devour yummy treats, experience one-of-a-kind Bible Adventures, collect Bible Memory Buddies, and test out sciency-fun experiments they’ll never forget. Plus, kids will learn to look for evidence of God all around them through something called God Sightings. Each day concludes with a Canopy Closing that gets everyone involved in living what they’ve learned.
july 17 6:30-8:40
closing night
We’ll end the week on Friday, July 17th, with Family Fun Night for parents and siblings! We’ll have a FREE hot dog dinner and an inflatable water slide, so bring swimsuits, towels and a change of clothes. This is a great way to end the week and meet other families!
July 19 @ 10:00 a.m.
On Sunday, July 19, our church has a combined worship service at 10:00 a.m. We walk through much of what was learned over the week. This serves as a really great opportunity for campers to showcase what they've learned at camp and a time for parents to learn what their children have been taught. Expect fun songs and stories from the week.
faq's
Click the + below to find out answers to your commonly asked questions.
Pick up and drop off are in the main sanctuary. Drop off is 6:30 p.m. and pick up is at 8:40 p.m. The sanctuary side of the building is on the corner of Main St. and Albright St. There is parking along Main St., and there is a parking lot on Albright St. as well. There are doors to the sanctuary on Albright St., and multiple entrances on Main St.
After meeting in the sanctuary, the kids will split up into their assigned groups ("crews") for the week. Each crew will have crew leaders and each station will have station leaders. They will then rotate from station to station until they reconvene in the sanctuary for closing time together.
VBS campers include ages 4 through 5th grade graduates. Middle school and high school aged youth are invited to participate by volunteering. Adults can of course assist as well, and many church members from First UMC Graham regularly volunteer each year. Parents are welcome to join us, however we do require a background check for those working with minors. If you want to volunteer, please email your faithful VBS leader, Chris Fulkerson, at: chris@fumcgraham-nc.org.
Folks should wear play clothes they don't mind getting wet. Some of the activities may include some water play. On Friday night, we will have our Family Fun Night, which includes a waterslide, so bathing suits, sandals, towels, and a change of clothes are all ideal.
Each evening, campers and volunteers should arrive having eaten dinner; except on Friday night. On Friday night, Family Fun night, we will provide hot dogs and ice cream. Each evening, there will be a snack time for each individual crew. Drinks will be provided during snack time. If you wish to provide a water bottle for your child, then please send it with them well labeled and instruct them to keep up with it during the station rotations.
Family Fun Night is a VBS staple at First UMC Graham. Each year, we close our week of good ol' fashioned bible learning with a blowout event for the whole crew. We have inflatables, a water slide, ice cream, games. It's a really nice way to end the week.
As is often tradition at the end of a VBS week at church, the following Sunday features lessons learned by the children involved. The same is true here at First UMC Graham. On 7/19/26, we will gather for Children's Sunday for service, and much of what was learned (including songs!) will be the central message given in worship. If you have not had the chance to join us for worship before, this is an excellent opportunity to do so.
get a taste of adventure below...
Watch the following video for more information on the programming you can expect from our VBS curriculum.
