I love VBS! I love the creativity that oozes out of totally committed volunteers. I love the anticipation and excitement surrounding VBS. I love the chatter of kid’s voices and the laughter. I love the games and the crafts and the snacks and the spontaneous activity.
But the thing I love most about VBS is sharing the gospel. I love telling kids who have never heard before that our God is holy and awesome and loves them so much that He sent His Son to take the punishment for our sin. I love telling them that forgiveness of sin and a relationship with God is possible because of Jesus, our great Savior!
It can be very tempting to get caught up in the décor and the theme and the games and the crafts and miss out on the most important part of VBS – the gospel.
When choosing your VBS program this year, look past the glitzy décor and crazy games to the heart of the program. Does it offer a clear, compelling, age-appropriate gospel message? Do the other activities serve to support the gospel message?
The most important thing to look at when choosing a VBS program is the daily themes and Bible lessons. Don’t settle for a program that has everything you could possible need in one box, but a weak gospel presentation.
In an upcoming blog post I will talk more about sharing the gospel with kids.