EVANS CITY — Usually vacation Bible school involves a church buying a kit with a specific theme to teach young participants about a certain aspect of Christianity during one week in the summer.

But three churches in Evans City are skipping that format and focusing on serving others in their community.

Diane Iman has organized “Batter Up! Playing on God's Team” for St. John's United Church of Christ's vacation Bible School, which started Monday and wraps up Friday at the church on East Main Street.

Because their congregations are small, St. John's UCC, Westminster United Presbyterian and St. Peter's Lutheran churches join together each summer to stage a single vacation Bible school.

Iman said the program is for participants age 4 and up, including adults. Participants need not be a member of one of the three churches.

She said the traditional stories and games held during the program focus on mission, or how to be helpful to people who need it.

“All three churches have been trying to do something involving mission,” Iman said.

The vacation Bible school participants both young and old also are working on three community service projects.

Those age 12 through adult are working at EDCO Park to remove grass and weeds from the sand volleyball court. They also are adding new sand and building two donated picnic tables.

“The multichurch vacation Bible school project demonstrates how vital the park is and how important it is to the residents of this community,” said John Rogers, president of the EDCO Park Authority and EDCO Foundation. “We are honored that these people have made the park a priority in our community.”

Iman said adults who want to participate but have children younger than 4 just bring their children along to the park.

Students age 4 to 11 are creating and filling 70 “birthday bags” for the Evans City Community Food Cupboard.

The bags contain a cake mix, icing, plates, napkins and candles so clients of the food cupboard can have birthday celebrations for their family members.

“The kids are going to decorate the bags and also make cards that they'll put inside,” Iman said.

The finished bags will be delivered to the food cupboard, which has about 70 clients.

Marilyn McElhinney, the volunteer director at the food cupboard, said the clients always appreciate any surprise items they get with their monthly supply of food.

“It's nice when people come up with different ideas like that for the clients who come into the food cupboard,” McElhinney said.

She was shocked to learn that all 70 clients will receive a birthday bag.

“I think that is really nice,” McElhinney said.

The 4- to 11-year-olds also will make and fill 40 emergency comfort boxes for the county's Victims Outreach Intervention Center, known as VOICe.

The boxes will contain hygiene items, as well as stuffed animals for children.

Iman said she hopes the children who work on the three projects will learn a valuable lesson.

“The idea is that you can work together and accomplish a lot and reach beyond yourself to help others,” she said.

About 40 people were signed up for the vacation Bible school program.

The culmination of the weeklong program will be a mini-worship service Friday at EDCO Park, where the comfort kits and bags, as well as the newly refurbished sand volleyball court, will be dedicated, Iman said.

The three churches also paid for lifeguards to work at the pool on Friday evening so attendees can swim.

The Rev. Jane Duffield, pastor at St. John's UCC, said the total focus on mission is a “wonderful, creative idea.”

“It's important because we are all playing on God's team, which means we are called to serve others,” Duffield said.