Why We Do VBS

Why We Do VBS

The following post was written by Kristi Culbreth, our youth ministry director.

Sitting at a dinner a few weeks ago, I met some lovely women who have been faithfully serving in their Baltimore congregation for several decades. After chatting a bit about our ministries, they shared that they first met Jesus when their children brought the Gospel home from a summer Vacation Bible School. Hearing these testimonies helped me remember the reverberations our summer ministries can have in our neighborhood!

Simply, our church’s heart is for everyone in our neighborhood to hear the Good News about what Jesus has done for us, to be transformed, and to experience reconciliation with God and other people! Vacation Bible School plays such an important role in this work! For a whole week, we will be meeting every night as a large group of adults and kids (both from our church and from our neighborhood) for musical worship, games, crafts, and Bible study.

Our theme this year is In the Wild! It focuses on several encounters with Jesus throughout his ministry – leading to an encounter with the risen Christ at the tomb. Our songs, games, and crafts will all focus on these important stories of Jesus, showing God’s plan for reconciliation in our lives.

My favorite parts of VBS are the relationships our volunteers build with the kids and their parents. There’s nothing like seeing kids from VBS at our Youth Night or in Village Kids on Sundays! Also, while some of the kids may not regularly attend our church throughout the year, we are frequently stopped in Giant or on the Avenue by their families who want to make sure that their kids are signed up for the upcoming VBS. These serve as great opportunities for us to see how those families are doing and to keep them in our prayers.

While volunteering for VBS is a big commitment that takes a lot of physical and emotional energy, it helps us to be better neighbors. Serving helps our hearts remember others, loving them as Jesus does. And VBS can remind us of our weaknesses and our own need for a Savior.

We’re still a few volunteers short of our goal of 25. If you’re available, please consider serving with us. You won’t regret it!