After an evening of discussion and presentations about searching for God in Cape Elizabeth, the search teams gathered in the sanctuary for a final get-together on Wednesday, at the conclusion of Vacation Bible School 2010.

Searching for God: The Reality

God is clearly alive in Cape Elizabeth!

It didn’t take much of an effort nor stretch of the imagination to reach that conclusion.

After two nights of exploring the beaches, farms, woods, backyards, gathering places, camps and even one’s inner self and each other, search teams from the Cape Elizabeth UMC presented their findings on the final night of Vacation Bible School:

God is clearly alive in Cape Elizabeth!

Through slide and video presentations, poetry, photography, observations of nature and life, camp songs, paintings, and heart-felt creations of terrariums that showcased childrens’ findings of God in the Cape, the search teams told their stories and rejoiced in the results:

God is clearly alive in Cape Elizabeth!

Childrens' presentations of God's presence in the Cape were made through terrariums of shells, rocks, plants, moss, leaves, sticks and included personal stories of love and discovery.

Each of the searches and presentations were based on Bible verses, which were read by all teams before each presentation was made on Wednesday evening. While the immediacy of each of the presentations was a poignant moment of discovery on the final night of Vacation Bible School, similar and other presentations will be made to the entire congregation throughout the coming months:

God is clearly alive in Cape Elizabeth!

At the conclusion of Wednesday’s presentations and observations about God’s presence in Cape Elizabeth, Rick Fontana and Carol Hubbard urged participants to read the Cape Elizabeth Comprehensive plan for 2007-2020 and urged everyone to write to the town council about concerns over diminishing open space. It was a fitting ending to the Vacation Bible School search for God.

Here are some of the poems and observations presented on Wednesday, with the accompanying Bible verse that inspired them:

Random Clouds by Mark Braun

Random clouds suggest

Imaginary windows

Into God’s clear mind.

By Duane Wakefield (Job 37: 14-17)

Today I found God

Attached to the garden shed

As a spider web.

By Bruce Lind (Job 37: 14-17)

Trees sway in the breeze

Whispering to each other

Dancing on God’s breath

Summer Playground by Sue Lind (Mark 4: 26)

Rocky Natureland

forgotten in summer heat

reaps a lace harvest

Thunderstorm by Sue Lind (Job 37: 14-17)

Inside-out leaves twist

to catch the nourishing rain

falling from the clouds

Scarborough Sunset by Sue Lind (Job 37: 14-17)

The sinking red sun

blurred by a cloud of Maine fog

bathes us in Heaven’s gold

Sunset Light by Mark Braun

Sunset light through trees

Danced for me atVBS

Tonight in the woods

I Searched by Mark Braun

I searched for God in

The Church woods tonight.

I kneeled.

Instead, I found dog.

Some images from Wednesday’s Searching for God presentations:

Jasper Fontana explains how he selected each element for his terrarium.

Carol Hubbard reads from C.S. Lewis' "Surprised by Joy" to support her observations of God's presence in Cape Elizabeth.

Eric Higley's presentation about his terrarium, which included a candle in the center, was based on Eric seeing his late grandfather, the Rev. James Underwood, each time he enjoys a sunset or sunrise.

Throughout the final night of Vacation Bible School, search teams presented and then listened to each other's findings of God's presence in Cape Elizabeth.

Megan Connelly immerses herself in the cove at Fort Williams while observing a sunset over Casco Bay on Tuesday evening.

Dana Dufresne documented her her findings on Tuesday by taking a photo at the Tammaro farm.

One group headed out to Kettle Cove on Monday to follow the Bible verse from Genesis: "He named the land Earth, and the water which had come together he named Sea. And God was pleased with what he saw."

The Search for God included a walk through the Community Gardens off Spurwink Ave. on Tuesday against the backdrop of the setting sun.

The peace of the cove at Fort Williams presented an environment for reflection for Ruth Dufresne and Dana.

Mark Braun captured a moment at the Tammaro farm with his digital camera and some prompting of his subjects.

Dana Dufresne looks for evidence in a tidal pool at Kettle Cove on Monday.

Laura Young Connelly and Megan sketch a plan about their findings at Kettle Cove.

It didn't take much of a search to find God's presence in the playful moments of three children in the surf at Fort Williams.

Jake Wilson ponders the cove and its boats during a visit to Kettle Cove.

The solitude of a sun-drenched path at sunset had God's artistry on display in every shadow and every ray of light.

The rocks and tidal pools at Kettle Cove offered plenty of evidence of God's presence in the Cape.

Inspiration for finding God in Cape Elizabeth also came from the outdoor chapel in the woods behind the church.

Jake Wilson had plenty of views to find God's presence at Kettle Cove.

What better place to search for God in Cape Elizabeth than Kettle Cove?