Another View for Feb. 10, 2005

By Dan Carlton

Vacation Bible School has proven to be an effective growth strategy for Spring Hill Baptist Church, in Albemarle County just south of the Greene County line.

This area has experienced rapid growth, primarily among young families. Last year's VBS was attended by over 250 children and preschoolers-double our attendance for Sunday school. VBS introduce us to a growing community. New families are looking for ways to get connected to the community. VBS provides for them an opportunity to meet many people who live there.

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 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 children and preschoolers.

VBS allows Spring Hill to do a ministry together. We are a church with three worship services and two 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.

Special to the Herald

Dan Carlton is pastor of Spring Hill Baptist Church in Ruckersville.

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