What is the "purpose" of VBS? Obviously CC here...

[athomeontheprairie]

This question is for Christians who are actively participating (however you want to define that).

 

I help with and the kids attend two VBS programs every summer. They are very different. In one (that we didn't go to this year) a friend said the "goal" was obviously salvation. That's not my goal in VBS. In the town I help with, the goal is.... to make church seem fun? Child care for the parents? Something to break up summer boredom? Get kids off the street? I'm not really sure, but it certainly wasn't salvation! To be fair, I was only in the classes with the littlest ones, so perhaps the older kids covered salvation?

 

What is the purpose of your church VBS program? There is no wrong answer, I'm just curious. And the answers are likely dependent on your community.

 

 

[Mama Geek]

To share the love of Jesus with them.

[Mom22ns]

I'm not a fan of VBS and never was, but I have helped with it many years in several churches. I think most churches have two main goals, one of salvation and one of serving the community. VBS as a community service is all the things you mentioned, free child care, breaking up summer boredom, free food, a positive introduction to church, etc. The churches I've been in have always had a salvation message for all school aged kids. 

 

That said, I am very happy to be in a church that doesn't do VBS now. 

[abba12]

To make church a fun and interesting thing for kids, like extended sunday school

And to give an opportunity for prolonged social interaction and friend-making. The kids at our church are spread out across 7 or 8 different schools (we live in an odd school area with lots of small schools close together) so having a week of solid interaction jumpstarts friendships with other christian kids. 

 

Salvation is not covered directly, however, inviting of non-christians is very encouraged, the idea being an eventual salvation by going from VBS to wanting to come to sunday school or continue being friends with the christian kids. 

[Bluegoat]

I think it can vary.

 

In some churches, its rather like fun Sunday School.  In others its a fun way to introduce Christ to kids who wouldn't otherwise come to church.  In some its a way to help the community with childcare in the summer.

[Anne in CA]

To me the main reasons are

 

1) To engage most of the church in kid's ministry, at least for a few days or a week.

 

2) To help the kids make friends with other kids from church.

 

3) Keep the word of God fresh and fun for kids.

 

4) Community outreach.

 

5) Give low income kids something wholesome and fun in the summer.

[teachermom2834]

Ours is a fun summer activity for the children of our parish. It is a chance to have fun, build relationships, and learn a litle about Jesus, the Bible, other aspects of our Catholic faith. Those outside the parish are certainly welcome but we don't advertise or make a point of inviting non members. Our Catholic parishes do tons to serve the community but VBS would not fall in that category.

 

I live in the Bible Belt and some of the big church VBS programs are intense (over 1000 kids). That doesn't at all resemble what our little Catholic church does.

[teachermom2834]

I never attended a Catholic church that did VBS! I am actually kind of surprised to see it mentioned here. I moved a lot as a kid, and have attended many different Catholic churches in different areas, I am surprised to see Catholic churches doing VBS, is this a new thing in the church? Having said that, I am no longer a believer and a certainly a bit behind in church happenings.

 

OP, I was actually just wondering this exact question as I passed a church on my way to the grocery store yesterday. They had some super hero themed VBS banner in front and I wondered, as I passed it, what is the purpose of VBS. Why do people go? I have been to a couple different VBS weeks with friends, and it just kind of seemed like church themed daycamp?

Well... we are in the Bible Belt so maybe we do VBS because it is such a big thing down here. Most parishes have them that I know of. Most of the big VBS programs you see advertised sell a Catholic version or Catholic supplement. One parish I went to wrote their own VBS programming.

 

It is not the kind of thing Catholic parishes pour a ton of money into. We keep it pretty low key. I actually think my current parish gets hand me down and left over VBS materials from other local churches because we seem to have the themes a couple years later and we are a poor little parish. There would be no money for some of the decorations and extras we have at VBS.

[tdbates78]

Around here I think it's used just as a place for parents to drop off their kids for a week! Seriously, I know a few families who enroll their kids in pretty much every VBS in our town and will readily admit it's because they want the break and its cheaper than camp. 

 

I've never been to VBS and I never sent my kids, so I don't know anything about it. 

[Bluegoat]

My kids went to a VBS in a Catholic church once.  It was one of the canned programs with videos and such all laid out, and clearly a Catholic program.  So there must be some people using them.

[SamanthaCarter]

Because we all went to VBS when we were kids, so why not? That's what I think it's about for the most part. I'm not a fan. I don't really see the gospel clearly presented to the kids, though there is the love of Jesus. Half the kids are church kids who would be better off with a Wednesday program. The other half are kids whose moms need free childcare and aren't receiving any followup from the church. I'm not convinced of it's usefulness, especially given its cost per kid (church bookkeeper here). There's so many better ways for the church body to be using its time, talents and monetary resources.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited June 19, 2017 by SamanthaCarter

[Garga]

I'd never even heard about VBS until I was 31. I had only attended tiny churches until then.

 

For the church I'm at now, it's for all the reasons that OP gave, including the salvation one. Churches are in the business of helping people find God, and that includes the children who come to VBS. I can't imagine why a church would have an activity on their grounds and not talk an awful lot about Jesus while there. That's the entire point of church. If you send your kid to VBS, then how can you not think that the people there will talk about Jesus and how to be saved? It shouldn't be a big surprise.

[bolt.]

It's a Christian education immersion experience -- similar to a one-week soccer or swimming day- "camp".

 

Churched kids:

Depending on one's view of churched kids, some groups believe that children's Christian ed leads towards a salvation experience. Other groups believe that children!s Christian ed adds religious content/knowledge to children who are already included in a faith family (in a 'saving' way). Both have a goal of character formation for children. Either of these is the normal goal of Christian ed for the children of that church. VBS is just a concentrated form of it.

 

Unchurched kids:

It offers opportunities for unchurched kids to be included in Christian ed activities that are intentionally appealing and accessible to them. This inclusion is an opportunity to think seriously about the Christian religion and develop positive feelings about it. Those thoughts and feelings might lead to childhood faith and 'salvation' (sooner or later).

[Amy in NH]

Non Christian here. In my experience as a parent, the purpose of VBS is to proselytize to children, drawing them in with peer pressure of Christian friends or by preying on the childcare needs of poor parents.

[athomeontheprairie]

I'd never even heard about VBS until I was 31. I had only attended tiny churches until then.

Really? This surprises me. Not even not attending, but not even knowing what it was?

For the church I'm at now, it's for all the reasons that OP gave, including the salvation one. Churches are in the business of helping people find God, and that includes the children who come to VBS. Agreed, however, there is a huge difference imnsho in teaching kids about Jesus and "If you die you're going to hell and thats a bad place. If you say this prayer you'll be 'saved'." That type of pushing bothers me. It is not the same as teaching kids about Christ. I can't imagine why a church would have an activity on their grounds and not talk an awful lot about Jesus while there. The two VBS programs we know of in our community, Jesus was a secondary focus-which makes me sad. He should be front and center. One was about "kings" Jesus "came" on day 4. At the other they talked about Noah. That's the entire point of church. If you send your kid to VBS, then how can you not think that the people there will talk about Jesus and how to be saved? It shouldn't be a big surprise. Agreed. Anytime you send your kid to a church activity, you should assume there will be talk about religion.

But my question is not about sending your kids to vbs. But rather about what the goals are of the church putting on the VBS. In my area those goals are not the same in the two communities we participate in.

 

[Guest]

Catholic here--we've always had VBS. We had 150 kids in ours last week. About 75% are kids that go to our parish. It is a fun way to hang out, play games and have some Bible story time. Not deep theology but there is nothing wrong with it usually.

[ktgrok]

I never attended a Catholic church that did VBS!  I am actually kind of surprised to see it mentioned here.  I moved a lot as a kid, and have attended many different Catholic churches in different areas, I am surprised to see Catholic churches doing VBS, is this a new thing in the church?  Having said that, I am no longer a believer and a certainly a bit behind in church happenings.

 

OP, I was actually just wondering this exact question as I passed a church on my way to the grocery store yesterday.  They had some super hero themed VBS banner in front and I wondered, as I passed it, what is the purpose of VBS.  Why do people go?  I have been to a couple different VBS weeks with friends, and it just kind of seemed like church themed daycamp? 

 

Both the parishes near me have VBS. My daughter goes to our parish's VBS and LOVES it. They learn about the faith in a fun way, sing, make crafts, etc. Like youth group or Sunday School, but all week long. This year the theme was Maker Fun Factory, with the emphasis on understanding that God made each of them for a purpose, and then offshoots covering that he is always with them even if they can't see him, he's on their side no matter what, etc. They get a CD of songs sent home that they learn motions to, and the songs are based on bible themes. (I've had one of them stuck in my head since..sigh.)

[wonderchica]

 

It is not the kind of thing Catholic parishes pour a ton of money into. We keep it pretty low key. I actually think my current parish gets hand me down and left over VBS materials from other local churches because we seem to have the themes a couple years later and we are a poor little parish. There would be no money for some of the decorations and extras we have at VBS.

Our Southern Baptist church shares our materials and decorations with the next church in town doing the same theme. It's a bit of a competition to have the last VBS of the summer, since that church gets ALL the decorations passed on and added on by each church before them. I believe there's actually a written rotation schedule?

[Loowit]

The church I grew up in, it was an outreach to the community to bring the gospel message to children who didn't otherwise attend church.  They did Bible stories, played games, had snacks, etc.  At the end of the week there was an alter call where kids were asked if they wanted to be a Christian.  In later years this was done at an evening program with parents in attendance.  It was always a positive atmosphere, not hellfire and brimstone stuff.  Mostly Jesus loves you, don't you want him to be your friend sort of thing.  As a kid who went to church several times a week, I never really liked VBS.  I already knew all the stories and the games and stuff weren't my thing.

 

Since then I have been part of VBS at other churches and it is pretty much the same.  To teach children about Jesus.  It is often used as a free babysitting service for a lot of parents, and to my surprise a few small daycare centers dropped off kids as well.

[meena]

I always thought it was supposed to be an outreach opportunity for visitors and fun for the kids in the church.

 

When I was growing up the small church I went to had VBS. It was just a week to have fun, learn about Jesus and the Bible, and eat knock-off Oreos and drink Kool-aid. There weren't official themes and most everything was created by church members. They might have gotten skits/puppet show ideas from a book. It was free to go, as far as I remember.

 

Now it seems that churches go way over the top with the themes and production. VBS seems like a way for churches to entertain and almost compete over which church can be the most exciting. My kids went to a VBS where the youth pastor repelled from the ceiling as part of the opening presentation, which was cool but I think it took away focus from the main message. They have themed snacks, "Jesus junk" trinkets, t-shirts, and so on. Only one of the churches we know of does emphasize (and count) how many kids accept Jesus at VBS. 

 

We went to a church when our kids were younger where VBS was $50 for each kid for an all-day program. I was shocked by how high that was, considering I had always thought of VBS as a ministry. I guess families who were used to paying for childcare in the summer might have considered that a good price, but we had a hard time affording it. Most other churches we know of charge $5 or $10 a week for a half day (or less).

[Garga]

But my question is not about sending your kids to vbs. But rather about what the goals are of the church putting on the VBS. In my area those goals are not the same in the two communities we participate in.

 

Oh, I think my answer got mixed in with my other comments.

 

Our church's goals for VBS are everything the OP said in the first post, including salvation. So: to teach about Jesus, to make church fun, to teach about salvation, etc, etc, (everything from the OP.)

 

I have no idea if they talk about hell at our VBS. I've talked about it to my own kids at home, so if they talk about it there, it wouldn't be like they've never heard it before. But that means I have no idea if they talk about it at VBS in a pushy way at my church, since my kids wouldn't come home asking me about it. I never stay for VBS. I drop the kids and dash off.

 

VBS is from 9-12 for 5 days and is a big, big deal at the church.

 

And no, I'd never even heard of the thing before. I went to a church with maybe 30 members...on a good day. There was nothing like that for the kids and I just never heard about it. When I came to the new church at 31 years old, I had to keep asking them what VBS stood for and I couldn't picture what they meant. The words "vacation" and "bible" and "school" just didn't seem to go together and I couldn't keep it in my mind that VBS meant some sort of week long party...

 

I'm not sure how I feel about it. At first I thought it was just something that this particular church did. I had no idea that other churches also did this VBS thing and that they weren't always huge productions.

Edited June 19, 2017 by Garga

[school17777]

Non Christian here. In my experience as a parent, the purpose of VBS is to proselytize to children, drawing them in with peer pressure of Christian friends or by preying on the childcare needs of poor parents.

How does it meet childcare needs? VBS around here is only a couple of hours in the morning or a couple of hours in the evening, not full days, so it require transportation to and from, someone to watch kids before and after. I would think it would cost more making those arrangements than just to put the he child in all day daycare.

[Katy]

How does it meet childcare needs? VBS around here is only a couple of hours in the morning or a couple of hours in the evening, not full days, so it require transportation to and from, someone to watch kids before and after. I would think it would cost more making those arrangements than just to put the he child in all day daycare.

 

If you're a stay at home parent or a teacher with summers off, you have to pay for drop in daycare or "errand" daycare.  You can drop your kids off at VBS for free, run errands without them, and have a break from kids. Some last all day, some just last a few hours, but either way it's a few hours without kids for free.

 

I did the VBS rotation a lot as a kid (it's just what you do in the South), and some churches really proselytize, others focus on fun and the love of God.  The kids are typically there because it's fun, there's friends there, and they give out tons of candy and junk food that your parents don't typically let you eat.

[Guest]

This question is for Christians who are actively participating (however you want to define that).

 

I help with and the kids attend two VBS programs every summer. They are very different. In one (that we didn't go to this year) a friend said the "goal" was obviously salvation. That's not my goal in VBS. In the town I help with, the goal is.... to make church seem fun? Child care for the parents? Something to break up summer boredom? Get kids off the street? I'm not really sure, but it certainly wasn't salvation! To be fair, I was only in the classes with the littlest ones, so perhaps the older kids covered salvation?

 

What is the purpose of your church VBS program? There is no wrong answer, I'm just curious. And the answers are likely dependent on your community.

When I was a kid, whose parents were heavily involved in the planning and operating of VBS, the goal was absolutely salvation. That was the entire purpose and everything pointed to that all week long and there was an alter call on the final day (at least).

 

I'm sure current VBS programs may serve many different functions, but I am confident there are still some that are primarily meant to bring the "unchurched" children to Jesus. Bonus points for making them believe church is fun and you get to have ice cream.

 

Incidentally, I never have signed my kids up for VBS their whole lives and this is a large part of why. I don't want people feeding my kid ice creams and then pressuring them about going to heaven. I felt this way even when I was a very involved evangelical. I just think Jesus should be attractive enough without ice cream and puppet shows.

[MercyA]

Not exactly what you asked, OP, but I would support a VBS with the goal of teaching kids about the Bible and giving them a chance to have fun. I dislike heavy-handed child evangelism. I believe young children are innocent before God, and I believe there is a danger of false professions with older children who are pressured to pray the "sinner's prayer." 

 

I'm sending my child to a VBS this summer. My goals are for her to have fun, strengthen friendships, and enjoy learning about the Bible. 

Edited June 19, 2017 by MercyA

[Bluegoat]

I'd never heard about VBS till I was an adult either - I don't think people around here had them.

[HTRMom]

I think the goal is to help kids associate aspects of the Church with fun, and to give them a sense of being Christian and proud of it from a young age. Definitely not to "be saved."

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Reefgazer]

It's a community outreach ministry of our church; it is free to all attendees, whether they belong to our church or not.

[meganrussell]

I went to tons of VBSs as a child and loved them. The songs and motions, the crafts, the games, the friends...it was a fun thing for me and my sisters.

 

I think the purpose of VBS is to provide a free, fun, Christ-centered week for kids. The salvation message is presented, Bible stories are told in fun and creative ways (costumes, props, skits), crafts often tie in with the lesson, snacks are usually neat, and the kids get to hang out with friends and meet new ones. Definitely a community outreach where we are from, not just trying to "save" people, but minister to the community.

[Loesje22000]

Lacking manpower we don't have full weeks of VBS here.

We have one afternoon with stories, crafts, and games during summervacation.

My goal is to have an enjoyable afternoon, and to give the children who don't go 'on holiday' something to tell about at school.

As I pay it myself the church don't have any costs.

[DawnM]

Non Christian here. In my experience as a parent, the purpose of VBS is to proselytize to children, drawing them in with peer pressure of Christian friends or by preying on the childcare needs of poor parents.

 

 

I don't really think this is a fair assessment.

 

If there is a program offered, for free,  and I know that I 100% disagree with the ideology, I won't participate.  Period.  

 

You still have a choice. 

 

It is held at a church, it is called Vacation BIBLE SCHOOL.  

[DawnM]

I loved having VBS as a kid.  But helping with them as an adult......OY!  

 

And having sent my kids a couple of times and it being so loud and crazy and having an Aspie, who we didn't know was an Aspie at the time.......double OY!

 

But to be fair to me......hoards of little ones aren't my cup of tea.  Give them to me when they at least are upper Elem. and I can deal a little better.

[PrincessMommy]

When I was a kid, whose parents were heavily involved in the planning and operating of VBS, the goal was absolutely salvation. That was the entire purpose and everything pointed to that all week long and there was an alter call on the final day (at least).

 

I'm sure current VBS programs may serve many different functions, but I am confident there are still some that are primarily meant to bring the "unchurched" children to Jesus. Bonus points for making them believe church is fun and you get to have ice cream.

 

Incidentally, I never have signed my kids up for VBS their whole lives and this is a large part of why. I don't want people feeding my kid ice creams and then pressuring them about going to heaven. I felt this way even when I was a very involved evangelical. I just think Jesus should be attractive enough without ice cream and puppet shows.

 

 

Wow.   Thankfully, my experience was never like that.  I would not want my kids attending something like that either.   Sure,  churches would *love* for new converts to come out of VBS, but there was never a heavy-handed "lets get these kids saved" attitude.  It was more considered community outreach... give mom's a break, entertain the kids, and teach them about the Bible and Jesus.  If a family starts to attend our church afterwards that would just be extra nice, but it wasn't the goal.   At least that has been my experience- which is limited.

 

At my current parish we have VCS (Vacation *Church* School)   I don't think it would ever occur to us that someone outside of our faith tradition would be interested in going to an Orthodox VCS./VBS.  It is advertised to local EO parishes and so we have a nice mix of kids from different parishes, including a couple of priest's kids - so definitely no sheep-stealing :) .   As others have said, VCS is a nice way to get together during the week, have fun, and teach kids about their faith.  

[linders]

Our church hosts a well-attended (about 125 kids each year) VBS for which my boys and I volunteer. Most of the kids don't attend our church, and a large number (most?) are from low-income families. There are Christian themes, certainly, but I would say the primary purpose is to provide a free, high-quality, somewhat educational activity in a safe, nurturing environment for kids who might otherwise have little to do other than sit at home. Most already attend a church, and there is little expectation that they would switch to ours - it is really a community outreach opportunity. And I fully support this - I'm grateful that our family was always able to let the kids do a couple of good (sometimes pricey) summer camps, and we do our best to make our VBS an enriching activity.

[TravelingChris]

 

One VBS that 2 of my kids and I helped at and one attended that was unusual was the Protestant/Catholic one we had when we lived in Europe. My kids attended lots of different VBS's throughout their childhoods and also all of them volunteered at them including me. Most of the VBS's were fun activities for children who attend the church, fun way to get children to learn about God, and a service to the community. Ours a few weeks ago had a number of homeless children attending and we aren't doing that but also sending those kids to a weeklong camp by a lake, and then help kids with school supplies, etc. etc. Ours is not a high pressure conversion attempt. We don't have an alter call. We do talk about Christ's love for them and other messages.

[Carrie12345]

I don't really think this is a fair assessment.

 

If there is a program offered, for free,  and I know that I 100% disagree with the ideology, I won't participate.  Period.  

 

You still have a choice. 

 

It is held at a church, it is called Vacation BIBLE SCHOOL.  

 

Technically, sure.  But I find SOME of the tactics used in our area to be questionable.  Like telling my kids about bounce houses and snacks and pony rides before approaching me.  Then trying to convince me that "everyone" is welcome, regardless of what they believe.

 

I have never sent my kids, but I have to admit that some people sell it well enough that I've occasionally wondered if I was being overly cynical.  I mean, when you're told over and over again that it's perfectly innocent fun, it does start to feel like you're being silly about the whole thing. Especially coming from people you trust in most other situations.  I have to intentionally remind myself that we're coming from very different perspectives on "innocent fun".

[ktgrok]

ETA: ours is free. I just recently learned that some churches charge, but ours does not. That would seem odd to me.

 

I think this varies on if it is an outreach program versus just for the kids of that parish/church. Free makes sense as an outreach program. Ours does charge, but it's only for the kids of people registered at that church as an extension of the other faith formation done during the year. It's $35, which includes the VBS t-shirt, a cool name badge on a lanyard where they collect one dog tag like thing each day dealing with the topic of the day, a CD of all the music from that week, plus snack/crafts/etc. And that money helps subsidize those who can't pay, as no one is turned away for lack of funds. 

 

This is the company they use for the materials: https://www.group.com/category/ministry-resources/childrens-ministry/vbs.do

[Angie in VA]

I loved having VBS as a kid.  But helping with them as an adult......OY!  

 

And having sent my kids a couple of times and it being so loud and crazy and having an Aspie, who we didn't know was an Aspie at the time.......double OY!

 

But to be fair to me......hoards of little ones aren't my cup of tea.  Give them to me when they at least are upper Elem. and I can deal a little better.

 

I'm not a fan of VBS, but respect the adults who pour so much time and effort into it where we worship. They are the best.

 

This year, "our" church has morning VBS, but one afternoon for a couple of hours a more sensory friendly version is offered. I think that is a great idea, even though I don't have a child who needs that and, again, I'm not a fan of VBS!

[DawnM]

I'm not a fan of VBS, but respect the adults who pour so much time and effort into it where we worship. They are the best.

 

This year, "our" church has morning VBS, but one afternoon for a couple of hours a more sensory friendly version is offered. I think that is a great idea, even though I don't have a child who needs that and, again, I'm not a fan of VBS!

 

 

There is so much more available now than we had back then for my now 19 year old.  Back then I was just told how badly behaved he was.   Sigh.

[Angie in VA]

There is so much more available now than we had back then for my now 19 year old.  Back then I was just told how badly behaved he was.   Sigh.

 

 

:grouphug:

[Bluegoat]

I really hate the VBS cds - our always "break".

 

I've never seen a VBS that talked about being saved, really - it isn't really that simple in Anglicanism or the other traditions we interact with in that way.  The typical response you might get the the question "are you saved" is "I hope so".

[pinkmint]

I don't think I can offer any answer to the question but my experience is I became a Christian as an adult and it took me a while to figure out that when people say VBS it means Vacation Bible School. 

 

I have zero experience with it and so I've been stand-offish with my own kids even though we are involved in our church because I don't know what they do at those kinds of things. I'm not sure if it would be a good idea or not. I live in the bible belt now and it seems like people assume you know what VBS is and how it works but I don't. 

[DawnM]

Oh, a local church has a VBS for special needs kids.  

 

 

That is great.  My son didn't fit in there either.  

[athomeontheprairie]

Technically, sure.  But I find SOME of the tactics used in our area to be questionable.  Like telling my kids about bounce houses and snacks and pony rides before approaching me.  Then trying to convince me that "everyone" is welcome, regardless of what they believe.

 

I have never sent my kids, but I have to admit that some people sell it well enough that I've occasionally wondered if I was being overly cynical.  I mean, when you're told over and over again that it's perfectly innocent fun, it does start to feel like you're being silly about the whole thing. Especially coming from people you trust in most other situations.  I have to intentionally remind myself that we're coming from very different perspectives on "innocent fun".

 

I'm sorry. We attend church. But the program offered this year we STRONGLY disagreed with. I did not help. The kids did not go. We knew early on that dh and I weren't going to be a part of it. And for about 12 weeks, every week, someone would try and "sell" it to the kids. NOT. HAPPENING. They don't have a choice. They aren't coming. No you can't come pick them up/bring them home. No I'm not busy. Just stop.

 

I'm sorry. If I'm not confusing you with a pp, you aren't a Christian? I'm truly sorry they are pushing you and causing you to wonder if you are being cynical. It shouldn't be that way.

[MercyA]

Technically, sure.  But I find SOME of the tactics used in our area to be questionable.  Like telling my kids about bounce houses and snacks and pony rides before approaching me.  Then trying to convince me that "everyone" is welcome, regardless of what they believe.

 

Not cool. I really wish people would be more circumspect about these things. I'm sorry you had those experiences.

[ktgrok]

I'm sorry. We attend church. But the program offered this year we STRONGLY disagreed with.

 

 

Ok, I admit it. I'm curious. What was the program? Did it differ from your church's normal presentation of religion in some way?

[Paige]

The purposes from the perspective of the church providing it has always been salvation, gaining new members, and teaching children what to believe. It's not necessarily presented to parents or even members and helpers like that, but I have a hard time believing any church is putting on a VBS without those goals. Those are the goals of pretty much every church outreach program, however, and it's not sinister IMO. 

 

I don't know what Catholics or other Christian churches with very different backgrounds do, but the Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists, etc...I think they all pretty much do similar things. If you send your kids to VBS and you don't realize there will be proselytizing, you are naive. It's a trade- free babysitting for free opportunity to tell kids what they want about God.  

[vonfirmath]

This question is for Christians who are actively participating (however you want to define that).

 

I help with and the kids attend two VBS programs every summer. They are very different. In one (that we didn't go to this year) a friend said the "goal" was obviously salvation. That's not my goal in VBS. In the town I help with, the goal is.... to make church seem fun? Child care for the parents? Something to break up summer boredom? Get kids off the street? I'm not really sure, but it certainly wasn't salvation! To be fair, I was only in the classes with the littlest ones, so perhaps the older kids covered salvation?

 

What is the purpose of your church VBS program? There is no wrong answer, I'm just curious. And the answers are likely dependent on your community.

 

It depends on the age group. I teach in the 4 year olds and we do not have a salvation message.  We teach the children about God and help them associate church with a place they want to be.

 

The 6th graders have a special Vacation Bible school where they hear a short message and spend the rest of the time swimming in a pool.  It is their last year being able to attend Vacation Bible School as a recipient (7th grade and above are used as volunteers and helpers in the younger grades) and so it is treated as a long party.  The church does many special things the 6th grade year though and this is part of that.  I know they have one night in the grade school level VBS that they do talk about how salvation is a personal relationship with Christ and allow time for one-on-one discussions with children that want to know more

[vonfirmath]

Our Southern Baptist church shares our materials and decorations with the next church in town doing the same theme. It's a bit of a competition to have the last VBS of the summer, since that church gets ALL the decorations passed on and added on by each church before them. I believe there's actually a written rotation schedule?

 

I didn't know that was a Southern Baptist thing. We are a larger church so I don't think we are on the receiving end, but Yes, after our VBS, we save all reusable decorations, etc. Some go with our youth members who take a bus trip and run VBS at another church (This year I believe they are going to Terrell, TX. In other years they have gone to Arizona, etc) using what they have learned here.  Others are passed on to more local churches (including the stage decorations that can be used).

[Guest]

Ok, I admit it. I'm curious. What was the program? Did it differ from your church's normal presentation of religion in some way?

Me too!