UEAB ENGLISH CHURCH
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL 2017
About VBS
Vacation Bible School, or VBS, is a fun-filled program many churches offer, usually during the summer (“vacation”) months, to connect with the children and families in their communities. Vacation Bible School is an outreach meant to organize children and young adults who may not even be regular church members, for the purpose of teaching them the gospel truth, through interactive ways that appeal to their minds. It is one of the ways to help churches fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19).
Vacation Bible School began in the 1870s. The first VBS antecedent to be held as a summer church-run activity however took place starting in 1877 in Montreal, Canada. D. T. Miles credited with originating the concept of Vacation Bible School in Hopedale, Illinois, in 1894. Miles, who was both a Sunday School teacher and a public school teacher, started a daily Bible school for children during the summer months. Her first effort in 1894 lasted four weeks, and classes were held at a nearby school.
An “Everyday Bible School” was organized four years later at New York City’s Epiphany Baptist Church by Eliza Hawes. The New York doctor’s wife wanted to find a way to keep children off the streets in the summertime, and so she rented a large beer hall in the East Side in order to conduct what she called “Everyday Bible School”, primarily developed for underprivileged children. Her idea expanded, and eventually the New York City Baptist Mission Society established several of these Bible schools around the city.
A man named Dr. Robert G. Boville, formerly of the Baptist Mission Society, was key in the program’s expansion to other cities around the country. By 1907, he had established a national committee for Vacation Bible Schools. In 1922, Dr. Robert Boville of the Baptist founded the World Association of Daily Vacation Bible School. In 1923, Standard Publishing began printing VBS curricula, with enough lessons for five weeks and written on three different age levels: kindergarten, primary, and junior.
Today, Vacation Bible School is a popular summer activity for Christians and non-Christians alike. Churches generally run Vacation Bible School for a week, with differet themes each time. A week of VBS usually includes games, snacks, crafts, skits, and, of course, Bible lessons, which is the major reason for the program. There is always a connection between God and the theme, allowing kids to discover God in a creative way. Many Christian publishing companies offer curricula to guide churches in setting up and running a VBS program, but some churches choose to write their own curricula.
Those first efforts, dating back 117 years, have resulted in a ministry approach utilized by churches all over the world each year. Over the years, many churches have used Vacation Bible School as a fun, low-pressure evangelism tool. Many adults today can attest to the fact that VBS was where they first learned about Jesus Christ, resulting in their salvation. Vacation Bible School is a good way to reaffirm the commitment of God’s people through the centuries: “We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord” (Psalm 78:4).
We today are continuing in the steps of these "Heroes for Changes". Most of these efforts (advanced by women) have brought many into the realisation of the Saving Grace of Jesus Christ, whom we preach. It is time once again for our abled men and women who can do so, to dedicatd their time and effort into the teaching of our children. Help a growing mind to know Jesus today.
