signed to reach children.” And yet as great an im pa c t may be achieved with youth as well as children. Many churches utilize senior high students as staff mem bers. Their p o s i t i on s include everything from teachers, recrea tion directors, craft instructors to superintendents. S en i o r high youth are capable if given the opportunity and training! This is an excellent means o f providing on the job training for future Sunday school teachers. Junior high youth should be in cluded within the Bible school. The name for their activity is often altered from the traditional VBS, but they are still able to meet at the same hours as the others, and they may benefit more than the children. One church in S ou th e rn California registered 400 children annually but lacked an outreach with junior high age, even though they were located across the street from a large junior high school. A program called Teen Time was started with just 14 students the first year. But four years later they attained an enrollment of 120 with a daily average attendance o f over 75. The major emphasis of this pro gram was not recreation, games or crafts. It was Bible study. Team Tea ch ing , examinations, quizzes and discussion g roup s comprised the format for this event which s oon became the highpoint o f the year for this age group. Another unique program that ministered to junior high, senior high -and college students origi nated several years ago at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Compton. Vacation Club as it came to be known was held for two weeks and included all three of these age groups in the activi ties. The meetings were held on the chu r ch premises for two weeks during July. Each evening the youth would gather at the asphalt parking lot which served as the athletic field. From 6:00- 7 :30 they competed in sports and various activities such as volley ball, basketball, trampoline, broom
sults of this survey may suggest some new variations to enrich an already proven ministry. Almost forty percent o f the churches included adults in their VBS, and this in turn necessitat ed that the school be held during the evening hours. This type of program offered classes for age groups from three to eighty. Church response indicated that VBS is being used as a major means o f outreach to involve the non-churched individual. Because of family vacations, in crease in summer school and com munity r e c r e a t i o n programs, scheduling of VBS has presented another problem. But once again ingenuity on the part of local per sonnel was evident in overcoming these obstacles. Many churches still conduct a two week school with students meeting each week day or evening for five consecu tive days during each of the two weeks. Some churches met from six to nine consecutive days. Oth ers met one day a week for the entire summer, three days a week for two weeks, four days a week for three weeks, etc. VBS is now conducted f r o m Ea s t e r week through the second week in Sep tember. Mornings, afternoons and evenings have been used for the time schedule. All have their dis tinct advantage depending upon the circumstances surrounding each individual church. To deter mine the best dates and hours one must consider summer school, va cations, weather and the churches own camping program. A book that is overflowing with creative ideas and variations for summer events is 19 Ways to Teach More Bible and Reach More People This Summer by Gospel Light. A detailed report of the survey mentioned may be found in the March, 1968, is su e of Moody Monthly Magazine. An other helpful volume that will assist those responsible for plan ning and conducting VBS is Va cation Bible School published by Standard Publications. When VBS is mentioned the usual response is “ a program de
I N N O V A T I O N I n L e a r n i n g S u m m e r
E n r ichm en t . . . V a ca t ion B ib le S c h o o l and Day C am p
by Norman W right Y e a r a f t e r y e a r thousands of churches beg in to make plans during this month for their summer programs. And year after year the procedures and plans evidence l i t t l e variation. The same events, time schedule, staff, emphasis—so many of these summer programs can be predict ed down to the closing prayer. For decades these educational thrusts have reflected monotony and lack of flexibility. But not any more! Indications of a pioneering spirit have burst through in summer programming at the local church level. Our traditional programs must assume new wraps and emphasis for we are in a rapidly changing world. Society exerts more and more pressure upon our children, youth and adults, and we are actually competing for their time. Vacation Bible School must be evaluated in light o f its purpose, value and place in the total pro gram of Christian Education. And when this has been accomplished, the overall effectiveness of this ministry which is a mainstay of our local church program, will have an even broader outreach and effectiveness. In 1967 a nationwide research study was conducted by Gospel Light Publications in order to dis cover trends in Vacation Bible Schools and summer programs. Response came from thirty-three states, twenty-two denominations and churches o f all sizes. The re
THE KING'S BUSINESS
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