BAY MINETTE, Ala. — If children are like sponges, absorbing knowledge every chance they get, then two women at First United Methodist Church in Bay Minette are like pitchers — holding information about God, life and learning made fun. They pour this living water out over children during church day camps and after-school programs; they live to see children soak up their offerings.

Cheryl Mothershed and Jane Snell said they enjoy working to educate children.

“I love to teach children and to see them learn,” Mothershed said with excitement in her voice. “I see them learn a song and see their faces light up when they’ve learned something — I like a challenge.”

She’s held the position of children’s director in the church for the past three years. She worked with about 20 kids during a six-week day camp held during the summer, she said.

But Mothershed has spent many more years serving young people.

She’s been a volunteer camp music leader at Blue Lake in Andalusia for 28 years. She also teaches hand bell classes for adults and children.

“I love children and I love connecting children with where they can be of service in the church,” Mothershed said. “I feel like I’m where I need to be for once.”

 Snell said she has ended up in the right place, too.

Originally from Indiana, she worked as an elementary school teacher and in children’s programs at her church there, she explained. She has taught preschoolers and fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders throughout her career.

In 2005, she came to work with children in the Mowa Choctaw Friends Center in Washington County.

“The church we belong to in Indiana sponsor this school and center, and that’s how we got involved,” she said.

“I’ve worked with children all my life so it kind of comes natural to me,” she said with an inspired tone.

Children and education have consumed most the years of her life, she said — a blaze she hopes to keep burning for some time. She said the children, especially at the sixth-grade level, are a joy to teach.

“They’re old enough to be independent in some things but young enough that they still listen to you,” she divulged. “It’s a challenge to keep them involved in wanting to learn, but when it came to novels, you could really discuss it with them, and things like that were interesting.”

Both women said they’re past experience has helped them fill children’s days with fun and educational activities during programs at First United Methodist.

“We do things like tell them a Bible story, act it out and use something that the kids can get involved with,” Snell shared. “We have a theme — we do a science experiment of some sort and use it as an object lesson on how God made all things and how they involve us.”

She explained that the programs teach children about the world outside of Bay Minette.

“We had a mission segment this summer where children can become involved with real children. They collect toys for kids in natural disasters or money for families with children with cancer. We did arts and crafts and had free and organized play.

“We had lots of volunteers so the kids got to choose an activity: singing, basketball, art, drama, puppets …”

But that’s not all. Children at the church summer program had more activities to keep them occupied, and to keep them learning during summer months.

“We read story to them, not necessarily a religious story, just good literature to keep them interested in reading themselves or being read to,” she said, indicating much involvement in the children‘s academic lives. “We cooked — we used crescent rolls and rubbed butter and cinnamon and sugar on them; we made pudding.

“Just something simple that kids could help with and then have that for their snack.”

But Mothershed explained that they worked beyond the kitchen and with more than children during church events.

 “We have a good volunteer staff that comes in on a regular basis to help us,” she said. “We have a good network right here.

“We’re very fortunate to have these volunteers who give their time — I feel so blessed to have them.”