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14 saturday june 29 2002 economist sun stouffville tribune faith summer bible schools expose people of all ages to different faiths students seek summer spirituality by carol cooper special an open tool box a drill a hammer scattered screws these are signs of preparation for bethel christian reformed churchs vacation bible school running this week youth pastor george lubbers and volunteers are constructing five study sites throughout the newmarket church to illustrate the schools theme cruisin the amazing amazon they include a treehouse in the balcony and a waterfall in the sanctuary at each stop on their tour of the amazon guided by one of the programs 20 volunteers the 120 children expected at the school hear a bible story and discuss issues related to their jungle stopover our main goal is to provide an opportunity for our children to learn some of the bible stories dur ing the summer and then for our children to bring along neighbour hood friends and people that wouldnt normally go to church so its an evangelical outreach pastor lubbers said these preparations are mir rored around york region as sum mer day programs associated with churches synagogues mosques and temples prepare to teach reli gious stories traditions and values to their young participants camp lubavitch associated with chabad lubavitch synagogue in thornhill exposes children to judaism we have many secular kids coming here and their parents would like them to have some experience with judaism said camp director rabbi mendel bernstein the program serving 600 chil dren presents an hour each day of integrated activities during the fulltime summerlong program teaching jewish customs tradi tions and laws our goal is obviously to make judaism exciting and meaningful to children from all backgrounds at the same time as they are learn ing theyll also be having a fun time rabbi bernstein said carmel shaw cites exposure to values as the reason she is sending her two daughters to bug safari vacation bible school at mount albert united church values are really important said ms shaw who is also the schools coordinator at the bible school they are learning to get along with others and accept their differences they are also learning to help others and the community and that they should be willing to give not just to receive of her leadership role with the school ms shaw said its a lot of fun and a chance to help out its so they can understand the purpose of life to be a good person kind to all human beings and animals and to fulfill the lives of parents friends and everyone in contact with us as well as receiving religious instruction during summer evenings children associated with the baitul islam mosque in maple also participate in two major events said sheikh abdul hadi national secretary taleem educa tion for the ahmadiyya movement in islam in canada mosques across the country will each hold a gathering for the organization of young ahmadiyya muslims in early august for those aged seven to 40 years including games and competitions the following week canadian mosques will each hold a national talimul quran class an average of 700 people of all ages the majority of children and teenagers will attend at the baitul mosque alone mr hadi said there they will be divided into classes according to their ages its so they can understand the staff photoerin riley youth minister with the bethel christian reformed church pastor george lubbers sits with eric mckenzie 4 in one of the churchs camp stations jungle trek which illustrates the theme of cruisin the amazing amazon purpose of life to be a good per son kind to all human beings and animals and to fulfill the lives of parents friends and everyone in contact with us mr hadi said its also to teach good habits there are so many activities like drinking and smoking we want children to be protected from these things while some parents send their children to religious day camps 11 yearold robert revington of aurora asked to go he missed out last year but is now registered for the vacation bible school held jointly by st andrews presbyterian church in aurora and trinity anglican church just down the street veggie tales the curriculu- mitems are funny he said they the bible school had good things for kids last year puppets and arts and crafts and there is a new veggie tales movie the veggie tales curriculum is the core of the vacation bible school at knox united church in sutton in addition the 25 children in the weeklong halfday pro gram will visit a retirement home and spend a day at the beach according to rev leslie sedore she and seven volunteers will lead the program its traditional and we feel its a see summer page 15 ron csillag god beat really sells in united states your faithful scribe writes from chicago where hes attending northwestern universitys school of journalism to larn how to rite good kidding aside i am the lucky and very honoured recipient of a 10000 us scholarship to study religion writ ing a oneofakind summer course offered jointly by the universitys journalism department and its garrett evangelical seminary the largest supplier of united methodist pastors in the united states when youre a canadian writer specializing in religion faith issues and ethics and you look at your craft through an american prism it does nt take long to feel as though you just got off the bus from dogpatch the craft is a growth industry here more like booming there isnt a single midsized or large us newspaper that does not pay attention to religion the num ber of fulltime religion reporters at papers is nearly 100 while part- timers are approaching 175 the dallas morning news alone has three fulltime people on the beat between the 1980s and 90s the amount of religion news in americas elite media doubled even time mag azine which once famously asked the question is god dead is now devoting cover stories to religion and they tend to sell out god is big news here he has def initely made a comeback i some times wonder whether he has hired a press agent why all the holy ink over the past decade america weve heard is in the grip of a religious revival unseen since the great awakening between see america page 16 tarkham l excellence july 1st w canada day festivities 2002 command join ill the belebfatiohs at iviiih park wear red arid white canadas colours free canada flags f enjoy singers dancers entertainment bands steel drums kung fu demonstrations special hong kong performers old navy contest prizes and giveaways face painting games races prizes clowns refreshments food soft ice cream freezies snacks drinks chinese food booth h prizes for bestdecorated bicycle i decorate to celebrate cahadas birthday peoples parade gather at 330 pm parade starts at heritage rd and mccowan and proceeds south to milne park south of hwy 7 all groups welcome come in national dress upon arrival flag raising and singing of 0 canada entertainment follows fireworks at dusk park your vehicles at markville shopping centre continuous bus shuttle between markville apd milne until after firjewprks a t