Mulling over VBS

Friends have asked me to teach a 3 day class of Vacation Bible School and since it takes place in my village and these children are on my heart, I said, yes. Now I'm sitting here looking over this teaching material and wondering what on earth we are doing. I taught VBS before and everyone who has is probably familiar with the programs who are out there, one fancier than the next but weak on the spiritual side. There is a whole industry(as for Sunday School)pumping these things out.

To be sure, I can (and will) adapt what I'm teaching but I'm wondering about the whole concept of attracting children with the promise of fun and games to get a few morsels of scripture down their throats. Can we throw out all preconceived ideas of children's ministry and start with a blank slate, letting God build something that will glorify Him?

In my head and heart is an image of children, gathered regularly in true worship, with their hands raised up in awe of the Almighty, singing and praising Him. Children, praying on their knees, praying for each other, children being transformed in the power of the Spirit. I don't see this happening anywhere I go and it grieves my heart. Is it happening? If so please share!!!

When I was a kid I was a regular Sunday school and VBS goer. I enjoyed the songs, stories, skits, Bible Study, Missionary biographies, games etc.
In fact, I can still recollect clearly all these things.

Now I am an adult, and when thinking about those days, from one angle, I feel they were all only harmless amusements. They were there just to keep me occupied with something harmless if not good. If I was not in the VBS/Sunday school class at 9 'o clock on sundays, I might have been in some wrong place that time. Nevertheless, I still am not too satisfied by it, as by itself it never helped me overcome temptations or put the fear of God in me.

But at the same time, there is a good side. At that point (as a child/youth), it kept me occupied. It sowed good seeds in my heart. It made me read and study the Bible (even if I did not really apply it at that time). It gave me a theoretical knowledge about God, sin, salvation etc. Even though the Word of God might not have dwelt richly in my heart, it dwelt to some extent in my head. I knew at least theoretically that I can go the "Rock of Ages" in the darkest times. It put a kind of child like faith on God into me. And I think for this, it was worth it.

Children are children. I am not sure if we can expect them to really understand and mean it with all their hearts when they sing "All to Jesus I surrender" or "This world is not my home" or "I have decided to follow Jesus.. no turning back". Why.. even as adults, how many times we fail to live by what we say or sing. But, these songs taught to them at an early age, the Bible verses we make them by heart at early age, the challenging Missionary stories we tell them, the love of Jesus we share with them, will take a deep root in them. And if not immediately, at least a little later, they will bear fruits.

So, what I would say is, ask God for His wisdom and power, and go ahead and give it your best to the Lord and kids. You never know how He will make use of it.

Thank you.

I agree with you about the VBS/SS lesson industry out there - it does not focus on teaching Bible stories to children. One time in teaching juniors in SS I got so upset with the current quarterly - I ditched it and taught something else! Later I talked to other SS teachers from other communities who used the same material and we all agreed!

I find it upsetting when the lessons concentrate on teaching doctrine, morals with no story to illustrate it. Children need stores because they will remember a story: tell it! When you tell the story, emphasize the lesson it teaches! They will remember it much better. Consider how much of the WORD consists of stories! Stories teach us how people understood God and failure to do so resulted in serious consequences. Adults still love stories - we are still children whose bodies aged...

(I love to tell Bible stories. I will not read them one, but tell it in the vernacular, engaging their minds, imagination - making constant eye contact. I loved stories as a child and never did outgrow that love!! lol)

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Can we throw out all preconceived ideas of children's ministry and start with a blank slate, letting God build something that will glorify Him?
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Go for it.

Many years ago after being upset with the curriculum of children's SS lessons I dreamed of heading such a project. After sharing it with others they said, "hey! I want to help" but it never got further then that. (I was too busy raising my own children.) My dream was that all the major Bible Stories would be taught in a four (?) year rotation. At the end of the rotation it would begin all over again. All the lessons should be taught with the child's level of understanding in mind: don't use words or concepts above their comprehension..

Anyhow, your post touched a raw nerve with me..

God bless. And if you do proceed keep us informed! I would love to hear of someone undertaking such a project!! Go for it!!!!! (And be sure to include Revelation somewhere...:-) )

ginnyrose

One more thing - you got me on a roll here, for sure!

Years ago I had the job of teaching juniors on Wednesday evenings and it was up to me to choose the lessons. FINE! I was happy! So I chose to teach Revelation using the inductive method of Bible Study but greatly modified to suit young children and time limits.

I taught them to see in their mind EXACTLY what John saw as recorded in Revelation. This is not hard to do at all since John is very thorough, very descriptive. We did not do much comparing of one scene with another in a later/earlier chapter - just took it as it came. Interpretation was not on the agenda - understanding what John saw was of paramount importance. (Once again, I did tell the story in the vernacular but also using the WORD to fill in the blanks to the lessons I had written.)

And...would you believe the children understood??!! They comprehended - I think their imagination is purer then adult's which is contaminated by too much logic!

God bless.

You guys get it, that's an encouragement. Wow, Ginnyrose, teaching Revelation to the little ones, that takes guts but I believe you that they understood. Thanks for sharing this.

Some years ago, when teaching a Grades 1-2 SS class, I was so disgusted when I saw the Easter lesson, I made up my own. No kids showed up that Sunday, nor the next. Now this was very weird but I promised myself I would teach my lesson and if it was going to be at Christmas.

Four full weeks later I finally had my class back, plus a few younger siblings, and I led them to three tables. On the first table was a red cloth and underneath a crown of thorns and a whip and we spoke of how the red represented blood, why the shedding of blood was necessary, and how the Son of God willingly suffered for us. On the second table was a black cloth and we discussed the colour as representing sin and death, underneath were a hammer and large nails and we discussed how our sins were placed on Christ on the cross, and then He died.

On the third table was a white cloth with nothing underneath, representing Christ's resurrection from the dead and our purified hearts if we are in Christ Jesus. I read a few scripture verses at all tables and prayed with them at the end, and had the most quiet and attentive children of the entire semester. They asked intelligent questions and, as you said, they comprehended!!

I praise God for inspiring this lesson and for His presence that day. but I don't want it to be just a once in a while thing.

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I praise God for inspiring this lesson and for His presence that day. but I don't want it to be just a once in a while thing.
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Beautiful! Keep it up!

Your post forced me to take a trip down memory lane...it is forcing me to consider volunteering for a children's class again his fall....I know this does not sound all that spiritual, but I love to teach and it does not matter if it is children or adults. But with children I can be more creative.

One time I had a boy with a severe reading disability. He would scoot down in his chair, hide behind the book...he was so embarrassed with is failure to read. Teaching a child who was dyslexic was beyond my responsibility ... what I did was tell the story in the vernacular using gestures, involving their imagination. For once the boy sat up and listened. If he was absent we read the book.

Challenging to teach children...

It is also said the R.C. Sproul loves to teach five year olds!

God bless you much!

May the Lord bless you and your ministry, too!

I have been reminded this week of how important it is to reach these children early! One thirteen year old showed me an abusive text from another girl that was so evil and perverse that it required the police to be informed. I am not easily shocked and not from a protected background but I was speechless that this could come out of the mind of a child! I am deeply grieved over the emotional damage to the victim of this bullying event and the disturbed condition of the girl who sent this, but most of all by realizing that this is common now and we see only the tip of the iceberg. God help us!

Sola,

I can believe exactly what you are saying...and I could add to it as well from my observation but it would be inappropriate on this forum.

The mental, emotional condition of children raised by single moms who have an entitlement mentality, who live in perversion is something else. Completely. It is as though these children are demon possessed. I have taught these children in VBS and Kids Clubs. It is a literal "Lord! have mercy!" situation.

Our neighbor, who is a black pastor and whose wife is a public school teacher, laments this as well. Children in school are uncontrollable. If you call a child down its mom will come to you and threaten you with a lawsuit! It is a completely different ball game. Now we are talking about adults, the children's mother. These adults are being consumed by covetousness and we see this driving politics on the local level as well as the federal one.

How to reach people who know very well what they are doing is SIN but have no motivation to repent leaves one shaking their head. Maybe you have ideas? We are yankee transplants - as the locals call us - have been here for over 50 years, but very few converts from the community. We have had Bible Schools for the public's children for years... Dumb thing is many think we a different race!

The devil is alive and well in our county, for sure! Yet, in face of it, the LORD is much more so..maybe it will take another 50 years for people to learn that??

ginnyrose

Discipline and love have to go hand in hand. That's the Bible way. Spare the rod and spoil the child. I am from India, and gone are the days when our teachers had the liberty to discipline the children (with occasional corporal punishment if needed). But now the laws are different. The teachers cannot scold/correct the child even verbally freely.
The more we go away from the Bible, the more dangerous are going to be the consequences.

Angelin

Hi SolaVeritas,

I teach Sunday school too, and it is a challenge with the young ones, it's hard to tell if they are grasping it or not. But then I ask them questions about what I said, and many are able to repeat it back to me. I love your idea about the different colored cloths. Children do need visual aids to understand better. I love the wordless book, and last year they made a necklace with the different colors, with a teaching of what each meant.

I am motivated to teach because of a few testimonies from adults who while in the deepest, darkest place, remembered maybe one thing that they were told in sunday school. That "seed" led them out of a destructive lifestyle to eventually accept Jesus.

My wife and I have been in child evangelism for many years. It is worth every trial, trouble, and problem. We just closed out our annual vbs with the blessing of God. What ever is taught must be Christ centered and Bible centered: for it is the message of the Gospel that changes life. Yes, it is sad to see all the gimmicks and entertainment that is pushed in todays church. Sad, however the time tried methods of teaching the Bible never fail. God's Word will not return to Him void.

Used4Him, and JB1968 you have a positive outlook on this, may the Lord bless you in your teaching ministry!

It is harder for me to keep up my motivation. In Kids Clubs and Sunday School I regularly see children coming a couple of times and then lose interest or call it boring. The dilemma is this: Do we want to try and offer as much entertainment as the world? Does Jesus have to compete with video games and MTV?

I so much want them to be drawn and fascinated by our glorious Lord himself. Nothing in this world can compare to His marvelous beauty and awesomeness. Why does it seem hard to bring this across to them? I walk out of Sunday School/Kids' Club or VBS many times feeling like I failed in helping them to truly see who God is, failed to pray with enough perseverance that God would reveal Himself in the power of His Holy Spirit to these children.

Perhaps the above is not surprising if we consider how in our churches we have filled the void left by the absence of the Presence of God with music, effects, programs and dynamic speakers to still draw the people and evoke a feeling of "having been touched." It's not good enough! It's not good enough!! Only He will do! We are like the Israelites, offering sacrifices on the altar long after God's glory had departed and no more fire fell. Yet they continued on as if nothing had changed. Oh that His fire of revival would fall down on us!