BALLWIN – Christy Nance is confident that Vacation Bible School (VBS) is helping churches as she spearheads the Missouri Baptist Convention’s (MBC) efforts to train church VBS leaders. She said this is the 100th year of Southern Baptist Convention VBS ministry, and she believes it is still a strong tool for churches to use to reach kids and their parents for Christ.
She is the MBC’s VBS consultant, leading a team of trainers to provide annual training for church leaders in the spring of the year. She also hosts a VBS Expo in the fall which will be held Nov. 15 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Baptist building in Jefferson City.
Nance said, “We will be introducing three main curriculums and discussing ways to improve how we do VBS and reach our communities. She is also open to people sending her questions about VBS or training opportunities. To contact her with questions regarding VBS, they can phone her at 314-795-0676. She can be e-mailed at: cdnance@swbell.net
The back story for this 100th year of VBS is that it began originally in New York City. There was a lady named Virginia Hawes, who started a Bible club for children on the east side of the city. That was in 1898. She was a Baptist and the sister in law of John Broadus, the founder and later president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.
Hawes’ VBS was started in a beer hall because she knew most of the NYC Eastside children would not come across town to a church building. It was called “Daily Vacation Bible School.” Later the New York City Baptist Mission Society assumed responsibility for the Bible schools, employing college students to teach the children.
A Southern Baptist pastor, Homer Grice, picked up on the method and began holding vacation Bible schools at his church in Georgia. The schools were successful, and the Baptist Sunday School Board (now LifeWay Christian Resources) employed Grice in 1924 to promote VBS across the convention.
Ben Mandrell, LifeWay Christian Resources president, says now 25,000 SBC churches do VBS each summer, and 2.5 million children attend VBS.
So VBS continues to be a proven strategy to reach children and their families for Christ. Even if communities have year-round schools, there are times when there are breaks and VBS curriculum is flexible enough to be used any time of the year.
At The Rock Church, in Ballwin, Amy Vineyard, children’s ministry leader, used VBS curriculum during the church’s youth camp this summer. They had traveled from the St. Louis area to have their camp in a state park in northeast Missouri. The “Breaker Rock Beach” student curriculum was used for the Bible study track. She said she had an hour with the teens each day so she would teach the Bible story, and then they would do crafts or fun recreation activities to supplement and drive home the lessons.
“The Bible stories really engaged the teens,” she said. “If I had just stood up and told the story in the lesson, I am not sure they would have listened as well,” she added.
Vineyard had 12 teens, and they had a couple of them make spiritual decisions to follow the Lord. One young man had been staying away from church, but he made a recommitment of his faith and said he wanted to get back on track.
Another church in Southwest Missouri got back on track with having VBS after several years of not attempting to hold the summertime ministry. Tom Renfro, the pastor of Harbor Fellowship Baptist Church (formerly First Baptist Church) in Warsaw, said they wanted to get back into the routine of VBS every summer. They have a church with a lot of senior adults—with an attendance of about 50. The church leadership was tentative about diving in and having VBS again after not doing it for the last 10 years. But they participated in a training event last year. The idea of holding VBS in the summer just wouldn’t go away.
Their director of missions, Randy Festervand, connected them with First Baptist Church, Reavisville, near the Arkansas/Missouri border. The Reavisville church brought a team of teachers to lead the VBS for the Warsaw church. They also did some repairs and maintenance on the church building and they brought some children and teens with them to help there be a “crowd” for the VBS. There were 24 kids at the VBS, including some new ones from the community.
Renfro said it really encouraged their church to have a mission VBS team come and help them. He said they have reached out to at least one new family for the church who is now open to attending Harbor Fellowship. He said, “VBS was worth doing. Our people were inspired to do this again next year.”
Another church in northwest Missouri was helped out by a VBS team from Texas. The New Hope Baptist Church in McFall was in a similar situation, only having three children attending church regularly.
The Texas church brought up a team of 20, with a mix of teens and children in the group. They helped the New Hope church have a 3-day VBS and also worked on the church building. They went out into the community and did some outreach and service projects. Director of Missions for Harrison Baptist Association, John Mohler, said, “Our church needed this. We needed to see people putting love in action. This wasn’t just a vacation for these people. This was a mission effort.”
Nance said, “VBS began with Virginia Hawes’ mission to help kids have a positive experience during the summer. Homer Grice brought a strong biblical focus to VBS. LifeWay has extended this concept….What began so long ago is still relevant today.”
She continued, “VBS is one of the best methods of reaching your community. Church members are willing to commit to a week of VBS versus long-term commitments….Kids love VBS!”
For more information, Nance invited Pathway readers to join the Missouri Baptist VBS Facebook page MBC VBS.
(This article has been supplemented with reporting by Ann Lovell of the Tennessee Baptist and Reflector, Aug. 14, 2024, edition.)