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Vacation, Vacation Bible, Vacation Bible School

VBS and a Child’s Salvation

Why is Vacation Bible School (VBS) such an amazing institution in American churches? How much impact does it have on churches, children, and religion in today’s society? First of all, churches understand just how much impact VBS has on a child’s salvation decision. The younger a child is when they first face that decision has proven to be the key element in a life of following Christ. The Barna Group, a Ventura CA, research organization, produced a study investigating Salvation decisions by age. Their research indicates that, “… nearly half of all Americans who accept Jesus Christ as their savior do so before reaching the age of 13 (43%).” That fact alone is good reason to produce a church program which targets children. VBS has a track record of presenting the Gospel in a way that children understand, enjoy, and welcome. In short, kids love hearing about Salvation in a VBS setting.

Church Summer Bible School programs change annually. Each of the half dozen major VBS manufacturers competes for that business. The top names every year include, Group Publishing, Gospel Light Publications, Standard Publishing, Abingdon Press, Concordia Publishing, Answers in Genesis, and The Go Fish Guys. The companies interact with churches where they pretest their newest products on actual audiences before tweaking and nuancing them for final sale next year.

It’s a new year, and that means a new crop of Vacation Bible School programs. Each year the programs get bigger, more graphic, more musical, and more exciting than the year before. The Churches with some experience order their materials starting in February. From what we’ve seen, it’s still possible to get your hands on some curriculum right up through May. However, the vendors usually begin running out around the middle of May, so be wise and order early.

Christian VBS Suppliers

There are a few dozen major Vacation Bible School manufacturers. The produce programs for children from preschool all the way through high school. The programs are Christian materials with a positive message and fun activities. Crafts, music, videos, stories, and interactive games are all part of each VBS day. Most programs run for one week. Some are longer if incorporated within a larger church camp program. (Parents usually pray for the longer version) Most end with some kind of program or performance where parents and church members get to see and hear all that the kids have done and learned. All things considered, Vacation Bible programs are a great way for a kid to spend a week. Many churches even still run the program for free. Several of the best brands for 2011 are listed and described below.

One is PandaMania where kids connect with God and discover God is WILD about them. The Second is Hometown Nazareth, the journey to the Hometown where Jesus Was A Kid! Group always does a fantastic job with Vacation Bible School. This year is no disappointment.

The 2011 program, PandaMania, is a wild VBS celebration of God’s unconditional love! With this program kids will discover God has a purpose and a plan for everyone, and He crafted each of us with His own loving hands. The entire program is based on Psalm 139. Children will learn God is listening to them… watching over them… and loving them no matter what!

Kids enjoy an opening Party Time Sing & Play, then they rotate by grades through individual 20 minute sessions. The various stations include the following: Crazy Crafts & Missions; Chadder’s Movie Mania; followed by Bamboo Blast Games; and finally Wild Bible Adventures. Snack time, and a Rowdy Wrap-up completes an exhausting but exhilarating day. Kids will LOVE it, and parents will hear about it all evening long. The next morning they’ll be roaring for more!

Group’s second Summer Bible School offering is Hometown Nazareth – the Holy Land Adventure. Mark 6:3 explains to the kids that, Jesus returned to His own hometown… but He got a VERY unfriendly reception from many of His old neighbors. This VBS program takes children through Jesus’ Hometown of Nazareth where they will discover just how it felt to grow up like Jesus. Jesus played, and He ran, and He learned a trade from His father, and He attended Hebrew school where He listened and discovered His destiny.

Church VBS volunteers will watch as kids begin to understand what life for Jesus was really like. They listen as Mary tells stories and answers questions about Jesus as a boy. They will visit the Marketplace where Jesus lived. In the Marketplace fun crafts will let them make scented soaps, dig for rocks and make their own jewelry, attend a sample Synagogue school, knead dough and make their own bread, tie-dye fabric for robes, and make their own wooden toys in a shop just like Joseph’s.

Group is well known as one of the largest publishers in the world. Their specialty children & youth materials have been changing lives and making the Bible come to life. Their experience in building life-changing youth and children’s programs will continue to influence young people through their Vacation Bible School 2011 programs.

The Sonsurf Beach Bash VBS Curriculum comes from Gospel Light Publishing who have a long history of serving the children’s ministry community. This year the Gospel Light program for Vacation Bible School 2011 brings SonSurf Beach Bash: sun, surf, and HUGE splash summer that your kids and your entire church will love.

Crashing Surf, Sandy Beach, Ocean Creatures, and God’s Son – It’s SonSurf VBS for 2011. Theme Verse John 14:6 records Jesus saying,“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Is there a better place than the beach? Squish sand between your toes, cool off in the sparkling blue waves, collect shells, build a sand-castle in the sun, and interact with God’s ocean creatures. As kids explore the wonders of the beach they will discover the Big Answers to their Big Questions about Jesus. It’s time to; Meet Up with Jesus, Look Up to Jesus, Join Up with Jesus, Open Up to Jesus, and Fire Up for Jesus! Kids will learn the most basic but most important lessons about Jesus – Who Is Jesus? Can I Trust Him? Why Do I Need Him? How Can He Help Me When I Mess Up? What Does Jesus Want Me to Do?

This SonSurf Vacation Bible program keeps the focus right there. The Salvation Message is woven into every lesson, on every day. Teachers will love the music and the skits, and the rich Bible teaching with step-by-step guidance to streamline preparation time. It’s all about the Beach; it’s all about the Fun; it’s all about the Son!

Gospel Light brings to Church Summer VBS what every child needs to know – There is only One Truth – Jesus! Inside Out and Upside Down On Main Street will draw your kids into stories Jesus told about everyday people in everyday situations. But His stories were anything but ordinary! Jesus turned lives upside down and hearts inside out through parables that challenged people to look at themselves and others in new and unexpected ways. Put on the best Vacation Bible School Program your church has ever seen.

Run down Main Street. Have an inside-out, upside-down experience like no other…and let Jesus make a difference in YOU! Gospel’s Inside Out & Upside Down on Main Street Power Pak includes everything that’s in the Main Street Starter Kit, plus all their additional supplies and leadership materials. Put on the Best VBS EVER with Inside Out & Upside Down on Main Street. Your kids will tumble, jump and run down Main Street, but not like normal – No… Inside Out & Upside Down.

Vacation Bible School One More Year

The early indications are that 2011 Vacation Bible School is once again the greatest outreach tool a church can offer. The figures show more workers are needed; more children and more families need the Gospel; more churches will be populated or not in the coming years based upon whether or not churches incorporate VBS. For those who do, just a little advice – Plan ahead, get your orders in early, find your volunteers now.

Movie trailer of “National Lampoon’s Vacation”.

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Tags: Bible, school, Vacation