Because of its versatility, its mass appeal and its sheer dramatic value, the Bible is the greatest selling book of all time. The Bible2School program of Conestoga Valley Christian Community Services (CVCCS) uses it as a story book, as a textbook and as an instruction manual for life.

"We feel that the Bible is the guidebook that God has given us to live our lives by," said Lisa Horst, who's been the president of CVCCS for 14 years. "The Bible teaches us how to relate to others, how to know right from wrong, how to treat others and how the greatest sacrifice that could ever be made saves our souls for eternity."

CVCCS recently kicked off this year's version of its Bible2School program. The program is an elective Bible study class for students in the Conestoga Valley School District's Smoketown Elementary School and Leola Elementary School.

For an hour, once a week on Tuesdays, Smoketown students are transported to CVCCS, 2420 Gehman Lane, Lancaster, and Leola students are bussed to Leola United Methodist Church, 7 W. Main St., Leola. There the students eat lunch, enjoy fellowship and learn things not taught in public school settings.

Participating students must receive permission from their parents to register for the free program.

"The program starts with the basics of the Old Testament, then the New Testament, and this year in the fourth grade we are talking about discipleship," said Horst. "The atmosphere is always fun and engaging. It is so great to see the kids ask questions and learn. Some of our kids have never heard of Jesus."

The participating children are broken into small groups of five students per instructor. A Bible story and lesson is shared with the students, and they are encouraged to dig deeper into the subject material through crafts and games.

"The name reflects the mission of teaching the Bible to children during their public school day," said Horst. "The mission of Bible2School is to teach truth and inspire hope to children."

CVCCS has been providing its Bible2School program to Smoketown Elementary School students since 2024, and 2026-27 is the first school year that it is being offered at Leola Elementary. A total of more than 30 students is involved with the religious course.

"The Bible2School program continues to evolve every year," said Horst. "Bible2School provides us with a curriculum, visual aids and craft projects which make teaching easy. (The Bible2School program) takes great care to update curriculum, and this year they developed another one for the fifth grade."

A social service agency that addresses needs in the Conestoga Valley School District, CVCCS operates a food bank and a clothing bank and offers programs that feed underserved children on weekends, provide children with school supplies and connect individuals with mentors or churches. Last year, CVCCS served a total of 7,758 people across all of its programs.

"Our mission is to sow compassion and empower our clients to lead self-sufficient lives," said Horst. "We believe that effective charity provides those in need with the opportunity to thrive through healthy relationships and accountability. We aim to focus our ministries and programs on individualized, holistic and transformative charity."

From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, CVCCS is conducting a True Charity Workshop.

For additional information, go to http://www.cvccs.org.