But thanks to a new interactive curriculum, this year's participants also received a lesson on local black history.
The church on West 17th Street in Anniston used a curriculum called God's Grace from Place to Place. Released to the public earlier this year, it's published by the Abingdon Press and is the seventh edition of a biblical education series called On the Move.
Marilyn E. Thornton, lead editor of African American Resources for Abingdon Press, said the program "demonstrates the momentum of God's spirit in places and events during the Civil Rights era."
She added, "I believe it's the only one of its kind."
Every day last week, students boarded a parked bus that had been donated by Parker Memorial Baptist Church.
Using their imagination, the students — both adults and children — pretended to travel the country, visiting different lesser-known places that played a part in the Civil Rights movement. Some of those places included Maryland's Eastern Shore, the Low Country of Charleston, S.C. and the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee.
At each stop, students immersed themselves in the culture of the location by learning its civil rights history and eating foods native to that area. They also learned applicable Bible stories, verses, and songs.
On Friday, the students "boarded the bus" for Anniston, their last destination.
William Vereen, director of Haven's Bible school program, said Anniston was not a part of the original curriculum.
