KBC Encourages Churches to Host Vacation Bible Schools 05/09/2008 LOUISVILLE – In an effort to encourage its churches to host vacation Bible schools, the Kentucky Baptist Convention is making available funding grants and training support to its member churches. According to Wendy Dever, KBC preschool/children’s ministry director, the KBC has designated $30,000 to help churches host Bible schools in the year 2008. The funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis to churches that did not host a VBS last year. “Bible school is still the biggest outreach that churches have,” said Dever. “It’s the flagship outreach event for our churches, convention-wide. We want to help churches be able to offer Bible schools and teach children about Jesus.” Any size church may apply for a limited allotment of the funds, as long as it meets the lone criteria of not having held a VBS last year. Even churches that previously ran a VBS but did not do so in 2007 are eligible, she said. “This is the pilot year for the funding grant, so this is when we’re writing the rules. People are telling us their needs and we are matching those needs with resources,” said Dever, noting that only about 25 percent of the funds are spoken for to date. “Until funds are gone, we’ll honor every request.” According to Dever, VBS options are endless, as more churches are hosting non-traditional Bible schools in order to meet the changing needs of families. “About 81 percent of our churches have Bible school at night now, and it’s not just because of the teachers – the children are busy with all kinds of activities,” she said. “It’s as creative as people want to be.” Walnut Street Baptist Church in Louisville is one such church. With plans to host its VBS this July, Childhood Education Minister Linda Blincoe said the church’s weekend Bible school will include a Friday night session and a half-day Saturday session. “We’re trying some new things this summer with our children’s ministry, and we’ve decided to condense our VBS into two days,” she said. Blincoe said the KBC helped supply her with curriculum, and also put her in contact with college students who will be helping lead the VBS. She believes the effort will be an effective summer outreach for the church. “It’s such a wonderful opportunity to reach children, particularly in an urban setting. We have a lot of neighborhood kids, so it’s a great evangelistic outreach ministry for us,” she said. “It’s all about reaching the hearts of the children.” Dever noted that Bible schools are often effective because “one week of VBS is more than a whole quarter of Sunday School time for Bible study and application. “It’s probably the easiest way for families to connect to a church,” she said. “We really are talking about families here, because if you love someone’s child, you’re more likely to be able to love them into church.” Kentucky Baptist churches interested in VBS assistance should contact their local association's office or the KBC’s Preschool/Children’s Ministry Department at 502-489-3575 or 866-489-3575 (toll free in KY). The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of more than 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative headquarters in Louisville, Ky. including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. For more information, visit www.kybaptist.org. Release prepared by Kristie Randolph, KBC Communications