THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER
"Search the scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. " (John 5:39)

VOLUME 1, NUMBER 18, JUNE 3, 2001

IS VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL JUST FOR YOUNG CHILDREN & PARENTS WITH YOUNG CHILDREN?

The answer to the above question is "NO". It is certainly apparent that we hold a Vacation Bible School (VBS) primarily for the spiritual growth of our children. The songs we sing are primarily geared toward them. We prepare their classes in such a manner that is appealing to them and will help them learn the lesson we are teaching. However, all ages can gain something by participating in and/or attending our VBS. The purpose of this article is to present why each of us, no matter our gender or age, can benefit from our VBS.
We all have an opportunity to get involved in the Lord's work and draw closer to one another. This is another opportunity for many different members to work directly with one another and use our various God-given skills to participate in the teaching of the Word of the Lord. Many of our fellow members are currently hard at work in the preparation of our VBS. Their efforts include, but are not limited to: teaching; room preparations; preparing and passing out invitations; song leading; developing song books; video taping; and preparing student name tags, certificates, visitor welcome cards, and plan of salvation flyers. All of this work simply would not be accomplished without the effort of our great team. I believe it is efforts like this that bring us closer together. When faithful, God-fearing, obedient brethren draw close together we, in turn, draw closer to God and thus He to us. The apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 4:6, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."
We all have an opportunity to grow in the knowledge of God's Word. Whenever the Word of God is preached at the Northern Kentucky Church of Christ there exists an opportunity for us to grow spiritually in the knowledge of God's Word. During our VBS week, there will be classes for our oldest members all the way down to those who are 2 years old. Who among us does not need to gain in the knowledge of God's Word? Peter commands us in 1 Peter 3:18, to "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
We will encourage and strengthen others by our attendance. We encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ each time we take time out of our busy schedules to be with those of like precious faith and study the Word of God. The VBS Week will not be any different. Our children will love to see you participating in their learning. Our teachers will be encouraged to know that we rearranged any plans that we might have previously scheduled to bring our children and their friends/relatives to their classes. The men teaching the adult class will be encouraged to know that they spent hours preparing for an auditorium full of people rather than empty pews. The elders, who constantly need our encouragement, will be pleased to see us present and convinced that our VBS was a wise and profitable use of the Lord's money. Most of all, God will be pleased with our presence and disappointed with our absence. Remember Paul's command to the church in Ephesus (and to us) to be strong in the faith in Ephesians 5: 10 & 11, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil."
Each of us will be encouraged. I absolutely guarantee that when you leave at the end of each night of our VBS you will be encouraged and uplifted and have a smile on your face the whole way home. You will walk down the hall and into the auditorium and classrooms and see the incredible amount of effort put forth by our teachers and the others who spent hours preparing for our VBS. Each of our teachers will be absolutely exhausted by the end of the week, but know they too benefited spiritually from the week. It is obvious that they thoroughly enjoy teaching our children and are greatly concerned about their souls. We may even reach the level of encouragement that Paul gained from the brothers and sisters in Christ at Colosse. He says in Colossians 1:3 & 4, "We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints."
COME AND BE WITH YOUR FELLOW SAINTS AT OUR VBS. YOU'LL BE A STRONGER CHRISTIAN FOR IT!

Eric Saylor

TO VBS OR NOT TO VBS, THAT IS THE QUESTION.

I had never participated in a VBS until I moved to Louisville, Kentucky. By that time I had already been preaching for about 15 years and the whole concept of a Vacation Bible School was new to me. I must confess that at first glance I thought, "Wait a minute. This is the kind of thing that the denominations do. Should we do this or shouldn't we?" Since there is only one way to answer any question that relates to our service to the Lord, that is exactly the way I used. I went to the Word of God to find out. I would like to share my findings with you.

The church has the authority to recognize the various stages of physical, mental, and spiritual development that people pass through in their lives and to arrange teaching appropriate for each one of those stages. Think about the various physical classifications that the bible speaks of. In Titus 2, we find young men and old men, young women and old women, and even masters and servants. In Ephesians 5, we find husbands and wives and in Ephesians 6, we find children and parents, masters and servants.

The bible also recognizes that adults and children must be approached differently because their thinking and understanding differs. Consider Paul's statement in 1 Cor. 13:11. He wrote, "When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things." In chapter 14:20, we find, "Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be babes, but in your thinking be mature."

Spiritually, the bible recognizes different levels of maturity and the need for teaching appropriate to the student's ability to receive. In Hebrews 5:12 - 14, we read, "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil." Peter is equally clear in 1 Peter 2:2, "Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation."
In any teaching situation there must be a place where the teaching will be done, a time designated for the teaching to take place, and people - those to be taught and those to do the teaching. The elders of a local church have the authority to make such arrangements to facilitate the command to teach the Word, recognizing the various classifications that the Bible speaks of. Age appropriate material and methods are authorized to teach the Word of God! A VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL IS, AND MUST BE, ALL ABOUT TEACHING GOD'S WORD! That is the only justification for its existence.

Can the concept of a Vacation Bible School be abused? Absolutely! Can it become denominational, and even secular, to the core? Most assuredly. Do some use a Vacation Bible School for entertainment and recreation? Yes! Does the abuse of some make the arrangement wrong? NO!

It is only in recent years that Vacation Bible Schools have been used in the Greater Cincinnati Area by those who are members of the Body of Christ. In that sense, they are a "non-traditional" method of teaching. Let me say that I love those things that we do "traditionally". There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing things in a "traditional" way if that tradition is scriptural and right. A big RED FLAG goes up in my mind as soon as I hear someone speak of "church of Christ traditions" in a disparaging or negative way. That usually indicates someone who is chafing-at-the-bit and wants to go outside of that which is authorized. At the same time we all must recognize that doing things in a different, or non-traditional, way is equally correct if that non-traditional way is scriptural and authorized. At one point using bed sheet charts was considered "non-traditional". They were replaced by overheads, and that was non-traditional. Now there are computer - generated images and many don't like that because it is "non-traditional". But all of these methods do not change the nature of the thing authorized - teaching the Word of God!

No matter what we do in our service to the Lord, it all must be authorized by His Word - either generically or specifically. The Lord's church is not in the entertainment field, the recreational field, or the physical exercise field. However, we are in the quintessential teaching field, we are authorized to teach the WORD OF GOD! That is exactly what our VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL WILL DO! BE PART OF IT.

Greg Litmer