Vacation Bible School (VBS) has proven to be an effective growth strategy for Spring Hill Baptist Church. Spring Hill is in Albemarle County just south of the Greene County line. This area has experienced rapid growth primarily among young families. Last year's VBS had attendance of over 250 children and preschoolers which is double our attendance for Sunday School.

VBS helps introduce us to a growing community. New families in our area are looking for ways to get connected to the community. VBS provides for them an opportunity to meet many people in our community.

VBS also helps launch our summer of outreach ministries. We "gear up" in the summer because we find that is when many people are moving into the community and are looking for opportunities for their children. Our summer months have consistently given Spring Hill a "bump" in attendance. VBS is our first summer event and it sets the tone for outreach for our summer months.

VBS also helps us identify new leaders. We seek to involve new people as teachers in VBS. We intentionally put them with experienced teachers and then we watch how they do. We have found many new teachers just by observing them during the week of VBS. Since we are usually enlisting Sunday School teachers for the new year by mid summer, VBS is a wonderful way to see who displays a passion for teaching and for children and preschoolers.

VBS also allows Spring Hill to do a ministry together. We are a church in 3 worship services and 2 Sunday Schools. We also have a morning and evening VBS. But it allows the entire church family to be focused together on ministry. We involve over 100 adults as workers in VBS. Even if they do not see each other they have a similar experience and find a common joy in working with children and preschoolers and in making new friends. VBS is a unifying part of our church's ministry.

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I'm flying high. Literally, the plane is cruising at an altitude of 33,000 feet. However, in a different sense, I'm flying high with hope and excitement. As a math teacher, I enjoy numbers and statistics, and I have just learned some rather shocking statistics that indicate a wonderful opportunity.

Some of the statistics came from George Barna in his book Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions. He reports that three-fourths (that's 75%) of all 13-year-olds believe the devil does not exist. Think of what that could mean. If there is no devil, there is no hell. Maybe there is no sin or, at least, no consequence to sin. If there is no devil, even though the Bible says there is, maybe there is no Savior, either. From what would we need to be saved?

Barna also reports that young people acknowledge that they are influenced by their role models. Yet almost half of the preteens polled conceded that they don't have any role models. How sad! Do they really not know anyone who is a good role model, or do they just not know how to recognize the kind of person who would be a good role model? Isn't it important to help our young people see that we can live godly lives, to observe how that is done, and to appreciate that in others?

One more statistic from Barna was a real shocker for me. The probability of someone accepting Jesus as Savior is 32% between the ages of 5 and 12. That is roughly equivalent to a 1-in-3 chance that if you talk with a child about trusting Jesus during those years, he will respond. Or, if you talk to three children about trusting Jesus, one will respond. Let that sink in. If ever there were a field ripe unto harvest, it would be our field of children. Do you feel an urge to call your pastor or minister of education and volunteer to teach children? Yes? Then do it. No? Then notice the next statistic. The probability of someone accepting Jesus as Savior between the ages of 13 and 18 diminishes to 4%. You would have to talk to 25 teens to get one response. Wouldn't you love to be a part of thwarting the devil-in whom so many 13-year-olds don't believe-from controlling and destroying the lives of our youth and adults? Your best opportunity is to reach them as children!

Now for some statistics from the Administrative Guide for Directors (page 9) for Lifeway's VBS Ramblin' Road Trip. In 2003:

• over three million people were enrolled in Vacation Bible School.
• over 100,000 decisions to accept Christ as Savior were reported as a result of VBS. This number is probably much higher-many churches do not turn in reports.
• more than 3000 people committed their lives to church-related vocations during VBS.
• Over 44,000 people were enrolled in Sunday School as a result of VBS.

VBS is the single largest outreach event for most churches. About 28% of baptisms are the result of VBS. More people have come to know Jesus as Savior through VBS than through any other single outreach event.

Why am I flying high? I am returning from the Vacation Bible School Institute in Nashville and I know something big, something eternal, is going to happen this summer. Across our nation churches will be conducting VBS. Some will only plan to teach preschoolers and children, but others will extend this potentially life-changing opportunity to all ages. Some churches will recognize VBS as the tremendous evangelistic ministry that it can be and will promote and plan for it accordingly. New teachers will be discovered and trained, lives will be touched, decisions for Christ will be made, God's call will be heard-God's kingdom will advance. Will you be a part of it?

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