I never went to Vacation Bible School as a child. I did not even really know about VBS until I was an adult and my girlfriend (and now beloved wife) volunteered at her church. Naturally I was “roped” into service.

VBS brings up different thoughts in me. I always wonder if it does any good. Are we reaching children for Christ or are we just entertaining kids for a week? The truth is many of the children who attend our program are churched – they attend worship at various churches in the community, and attend some of the other VBS programs as well. But this year, as a group leader, I got to see a different perspective. While many of the children are members of a congregation, many are not always involved in real, solid Christian formation. They may attend church and Sunday school, but are they actually being nurtured? Are they an important part of the community of faith?

Being a group leader I had the opportunity to get to know some of the children from our community (and our own congregation) in a different way. I could interact with closer than during the children’s sermon. I had a chance to speak with them about faith and life. And I will admit my ego was boosted a bit when the Apostle Paul (one of our faithful VBS volunteers) asked the group who told them about Jesus and one of the boys answered “my pastor”!

One of the best things about VBS is the children themselves. They invited their friends to attend and hear about Christ’s love. It was important for some of them to get their friends to come. Imagine if the adults did the same thing for every Sunday service. We might actually reach some of those unchurched in our neighborhoods after all.