FARMINGTON – Children mostly dressed in green – the color of the day – scurried around the church lawn prior to registration.

As soon as the deed was done, pre-kindergartners through sixth-graders broke into groups for a short session of outdoor games.

With a clanging of a bell at the Henderson Memorial Baptist Church, it was time to participate in Lighthouse Kids Vacation Bible School.

The pulpit was turned into a huge lighthouse and a makeshift ocean-weathered fence spread across the front of the church. Buoys, nautical flags, lobster pots, fishing poles, a mock anchor and a life jacket added to the lighthouse theme.

The children took their seats in the pews. After counting points to see which group wore the most green, Youth Pastor Shawn Hodgdon awarded the oversized red and white bow tie he wore to a group of boys. It was then time for singing and signing to some upbeat music directed by Heidi Wheeler.

While children and volunteers were doing that, Hodgdon prepared for the next segment of his program. All of a sudden, an old man hand-puppet popped through a door in the lighthouse.

From then on, it was all puppet ministry.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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