Vacation Bible School is a well-loved component of summertime evangelism in western Washington.
This is Chase Smith's third year at the Bellevue (Wash.) Church VBS, and he was full of energy for all the fun with 135 other children (a 50–50 mix of church and community children). He only missed two nights when he returned to Children's Hospital for another round of chemotherapy and radiation for leukemia.
"Your church does a wonderful job getting the kids so excited about God," says Teke Smith, Chase's mother.
Bellingham's Panda Mania VBS program involved church youth in ministering to 40 children, mostly from the church, with a few children from the community.
"Our supervised youth led the two-hour program every day for five days," says Allison Purdy, Bellingham VBS leader. "The children completely understood the theme and could recite the message that ‘God loves you no matter what.' They want the program repeated throughout the year."
The Graham Church once again wrote their own VBS curriculum called "More than Conquerors," where children learned about how Jesus, Mary, Martha, Peter, Paul and Dorcas used the armor of God. Attendance swelled to 60 with the inclusion of children from a local day-care center.
"We want VBS to be fun, but most of all we want them to know Jesus, and to know that the stories we tell them are not something we made up. They are in the Bible and they can find them in their own Bible," says Kristi Candler, Graham VBS leader. "These kids may be young, but we saw how hungry they are to know Jesus."
Read the whole story at washingtonconference.org.
Leukemia treatments only keep Chase Smith, age 6, away for two nights from Vacation Bible School in Bellevue, Wash., where he learns with 135 other children about God's love. (Teke Smith)
Vacation Bible School offers a time to creatively teach children about God's love for them. (Jason Meert)
Vacation Bible School allows church and community children to make new friends, play fun games and learn more about Jesus. (Jason Meert)
