"I almost felt like I was back at the Red Sea, right after the Lord miraculously saved his people from the Egyptians," director Sarah Hahm says of the first Christian theater camp production at Zion, Hartland, Wis. "Our three- to five-year-olds held hands and danced in a circle while our older boys line-danced (Fiddler on the Roof style) and our older girls paired off, dancing with tambourines."

In both 2008 and 2009, Zion members turned their vacation Bible school (VBS) into a Christian theater camp. Since Zion's VBS attendance had dropped in previous years and few children outside the church attended, the camp was an attempt to stand out among the summer programs of many larger churches in the community. "We live in an area where people are very interested in music and arts," Stephen Ristow, pastor at Zion, explains. "Parents want their children to participate in them. This is one way to open our doors to that portion of society."

The idea for the theater camp came from member Sarah Hahm, who had written a VBS closing service for her church in New Jersey a few years earlier. She had used the prayers, Bible stories, and music suggested by the VBS kit, adding narration, drama, costumes, and props.
Zion's camp took this concept a bit further, using all the VBS time to prepare for the production. The dance, music, stagecraft, and drama sessions all centered on the Bible stories that the children acted out for their friends and family. The final performance was held Thursday evening to encourage more people to come.

"The skills needed to offer such a camp are much the same as needed to offer a VBS: organizational skills, musical ability, ability to teach and work with children, knowledge of the Bible, and arts and crafts skills," Hahm explains.

Ristow adds, "[The camp] has allowed God"s people in our congregation to join their individual talents to put together a unique production that proclaims the good news of Jesus."

The camp has been a success in that it has attracted more children to learn about the Bible and in turn share what they learned with others. "My mother told me once that to learn something well, teach it to someone else," Hahm reflects. "On performance night the kids teach their friends and family what they have learned about their Savior Jesus all week. I believe they go home knowing the gospel story better because they had to teach it."

For more information about Christian theater camps, contact Sarah Hahm by calling Zion Lutheran School at 262-367-3617.