It Worked For Us…

By Wilma Werley

During a spring Christian education meeting, the question was asked, "What can we do during the summer months to keep children interested in the church and also enable their parents to attend worship services? The answer came – "Let’s have 10 sessions of Vacation Bible School on those 10 Sundays." We purchased a V.B.S. program for grades 4 & 5, divided it into 10 sessions, then rounded up 20 volunteers to teach in pairs. That worked out to each pair teaching one time. We got 10 large grocery bags and put everything needed for each session in a bag, labeled it with the teachers’ names, and the dates to be used and then distributed them. We continued our nursery care program, so the V.B.S. students ranged in age from 4 up to 13. The older ones were glad to help the younger ones with the projects. We averaged about ½ our usual Sunday school attendance, which we feel is good, considering vacations, camping, etc. Our worship service attendance improved as families all came together since there was something for everyone.

(This article appeared in the "Fall, 1991" issue of "The Herald.")