10 Reasons Our Church Does Vacation Bible School
Outreach: VBS is one of the best outreach tools available to churches. When marketed well, it has the potential to bring new children and families into our church like nothing else. Parents want their children to have a fun and engaging summer. Sunnyside wants to welcome new families into the congregation. VBS is one of those unique opportunities that can bring both church and community together. It’s a win/win!
Unity: Vacation Bible School is an all-hands-on-deck event. To do it right requires a strong team of volunteers, such as: greeters to welcome families as they drop off kids, crafters to help assemble a week’s worth of activities, small group leaders, and many, many more! VBS is a unique opportunity where church members, young and old, can partner with a church’s children’s ministry. A healthy church must be reaching the next generation, VBS is an opportunity for our church to unite in this mission.
Gospel: While it is great to welcome visitors and unite volunteers, the heart and soul of VBS is the Gospel. VBS gives our church the opportunity to present the Gospel to children who normally wouldn’t hear it in a venue that is distinct from our Sabbath service. It is a chance to take a fresh approach in fresh surroundings and teach kids about the Good News of Jesus Christ. This fresh take can be a wonderful blessing to our Children’s Ministry team, who can often grow bored of the repetition of weekly ministry.
Creativity: Creativity is essential when teaching kiddos. They need to hear, see, smell, taste and touch the teaching! Stirring their imagination is the first step to stirring their heart. Granted, packing all of these elements into a Sabbath service is a lot to ask. However, VBS is a time where you can plan ahead and build the service you’ve always wanted to try with your children! Play games, create crafts, watch videos, share in small groups…VBS lets you do it all.
Recruiting Volunteers: Let’s face it. Sabbath School is usually one of the most undermanned departments in any church. And while weekend announcements for volunteer help is great, nothing recruits volunteers better than a chance to let them experience the very best our ministry has to offer, firsthand. Vacation Bible School is a one-of-a-kind event where a volunteer can get to meet other volunteers, have an immediate impact, and really get to know your kiddos! It make take some extra work, but in the long run, it only benefits our team.
Fun: Having fun may not be on the top of your ministry to-do list…but it should be! Nothing fills our lives with silliness and laughter like spending time with kids, and VBS blocks out a week of action-packed fun for our church. When was the last time you took a ride on a zipline, dressed up like foreign royalty, or led a game of ‘Simon Says?’ The Bible teaches us that a joyful heart is good medicine. A week spent laughing, playing and singing with kids will be good for our entire ministry team!
Community: One of the challenges of any ministry is building a strong and vibrant body of believers, when this community usually only gathers once a week for a Sabbath service. VBS provides a week for leaders and kids to really spend some time together. It is a perfect environment for making lasting friendships that will continue on long after VBS has ended. If you have been looking for a way to strengthen the community of your church, VBS should be at the top of your list.
Faith: You can do your best to plan out every detail of VBS, but the scope of this event is something that requires us to place our faith in God’s goodness and His ability to provide. Where will you get the volunteers? How will you fund the event? What will you do with the kids all day? What if key members of our team get sick or can’t make it? It is good in ministry to find ourselves in a position where we don’t have all the answers. It is good to attempt things that will fail if God doesn’t come through. VBS is a great opportunity to stretch and strengthen the faith of our children’s ministry!
Growing Volunteers: In every ministry, there are volunteers who are ready to go to the next level; they just need an opportunity to shine. VBS is a great time to challenge some of your core volunteers to take a step of growth. This may mean letting them oversee a certain day, activity, or age group of kids. Give them some extra responsibility; stretch them outside of their comfort zone! When our volunteers grow in experience and leadership, our entire children’s ministry will benefit all year long.
Dreaming Big: Far too often, our ministries get defined by the way we’ve always done things. We make assumptions about what is (and is not) possible based on what happens every weekend. If we are not careful, the weekly routine can limit our ministry’s vision. We serve a big God and, with Him, nothing is impossible! VBS is a time to set aside what we always do, and dare to dream: What does God want to do?! Perhaps tedium and monotony have settled into our Sabbath school. There is nothing like VBS to remind and re-energize your team with a fresh vision of why you serve.
Outreach: VBS is one of the best outreach tools available to churches. When marketed well, it has the potential to bring new children and families into our church like nothing else. Parents want their children to have a fun and engaging summer. Sunnyside wants to welcome new families into the congregation. VBS is one of those unique opportunities that can bring both church and community together. It’s a win/win!
Unity: Vacation Bible School is an all-hands-on-deck event. To do it right requires a strong team of volunteers, such as: greeters to welcome families as they drop off kids, crafters to help assemble a week’s worth of activities, small group leaders, and many, many more! VBS is a unique opportunity where church members, young and old, can partner with a church’s children’s ministry. A healthy church must be reaching the next generation, VBS is an opportunity for our church to unite in this mission.
Gospel: While it is great to welcome visitors and unite volunteers, the heart and soul of VBS is the Gospel. VBS gives our church the opportunity to present the Gospel to children who normally wouldn’t hear it in a venue that is distinct from our Sabbath service. It is a chance to take a fresh approach in fresh surroundings and teach kids about the Good News of Jesus Christ. This fresh take can be a wonderful blessing to our Children’s Ministry team, who can often grow bored of the repetition of weekly ministry.
Creativity: Creativity is essential when teaching kiddos. They need to hear, see, smell, taste and touch the teaching! Stirring their imagination is the first step to stirring their heart. Granted, packing all of these elements into a Sabbath service is a lot to ask. However, VBS is a time where you can plan ahead and build the service you’ve always wanted to try with your children! Play games, create crafts, watch videos, share in small groups…VBS lets you do it all.
Recruiting Volunteers: Let’s face it. Sabbath School is usually one of the most undermanned departments in any church. And while weekend announcements for volunteer help is great, nothing recruits volunteers better than a chance to let them experience the very best our ministry has to offer, firsthand. Vacation Bible School is a one-of-a-kind event where a volunteer can get to meet other volunteers, have an immediate impact, and really get to know your kiddos! It make take some extra work, but in the long run, it only benefits our team.
Fun: Having fun may not be on the top of your ministry to-do list…but it should be! Nothing fills our lives with silliness and laughter like spending time with kids, and VBS blocks out a week of action-packed fun for our church. When was the last time you took a ride on a zipline, dressed up like foreign royalty, or led a game of ‘Simon Says?’ The Bible teaches us that a joyful heart is good medicine. A week spent laughing, playing and singing with kids will be good for our entire ministry team!
Community: One of the challenges of any ministry is building a strong and vibrant body of believers, when this community usually only gathers once a week for a Sabbath service. VBS provides a week for leaders and kids to really spend some time together. It is a perfect environment for making lasting friendships that will continue on long after VBS has ended. If you have been looking for a way to strengthen the community of your church, VBS should be at the top of your list.
Faith: You can do your best to plan out every detail of VBS, but the scope of this event is something that requires us to place our faith in God’s goodness and His ability to provide. Where will you get the volunteers? How will you fund the event? What will you do with the kids all day? What if key members of our team get sick or can’t make it? It is good in ministry to find ourselves in a position where we don’t have all the answers. It is good to attempt things that will fail if God doesn’t come through. VBS is a great opportunity to stretch and strengthen the faith of our children’s ministry!
Growing Volunteers: In every ministry, there are volunteers who are ready to go to the next level; they just need an opportunity to shine. VBS is a great time to challenge some of your core volunteers to take a step of growth. This may mean letting them oversee a certain day, activity, or age group of kids. Give them some extra responsibility; stretch them outside of their comfort zone! When our volunteers grow in experience and leadership, our entire children’s ministry will benefit all year long.
Dreaming Big: Far too often, our ministries get defined by the way we’ve always done things. We make assumptions about what is (and is not) possible based on what happens every weekend. If we are not careful, the weekly routine can limit our ministry’s vision. We serve a big God and, with Him, nothing is impossible! VBS is a time to set aside what we always do, and dare to dream: What does God want to do?! Perhaps tedium and monotony have settled into our Sabbath school. There is nothing like VBS to remind and re-energize your team with a fresh vision of why you serve.