Not only do we not do Vacation Bible School, we are kind of proud of it. Let us tell you why. Just to be clear, we are not anti-vbs. Other churches do it and seem to have a lot of success. It just doesn’t fit our mission!
We have VBS every week
This is the most important reason. Each week in UPSTREET, we have over 40 volunteers leading worship, organizing activities, teaching, leading small groups and decorating the stage. Our children’s department knocks it out of the park each Sunday! We believe putting our best efforts into weekly engagement is the most effective way to teach children over the long haul.
We really care about our Volunteers
No doubt, if we said we will be having VBS this summer, our volunteers would rally. However, we know that each of our volunteers stretch to pull off an incredible event each week. If you stretch a volunteer too far, they will break! That doesn’t benefit them or the church. While other churches are frantically glueing and glittering VBS week, our volunteers will be enjoying time with their families and getting ready, as always, to make a big impact on each family Sunday Morning.
It’s not the biggest bang for the buck
As church leaders we are constantly working on being effective and efficient with limited resources. The big question we ask ourselves is, “What is the best use of the money God has entrusted Life Bridge with?” We view implementing a dynamic weekly program as the most effective use of these finances.
What we are doing works
So many people who were not previously church attenders have started attending Life Bridge primarily because their kids love it. We have kids wake their parents up on Sunday Morning begging them to go to church. In fact, many parents have said they are learning about the Bible from their kids! That is about the biggest compliment we could receive.
If you are a parent, I get the appeal of taking your kids to VBS. It’s a fun week for them, you get a little reprieve and they learn about the Bible. It’s a win-win. However, I would challenge you, if you haven’t already, to commit to making sure your kids are in a dynamic program every Sunday. The consistency of weekly engagement in the Bible makes a long lasting impression on your kids.
