Alabama churches see success with one-day VBS

In a world of one-day sales and one-day revivals, it’s no wonder a few churches have chosen to do one-day Vacation Bible Schools (VBS). June 25 was the big day for two Alabama Baptist churches that chose to dedicate one full — and it was full — day to VBS.
   
“We just thought we’d do it differently,” explained Denise Tucker, VBS director for Titus Baptist Church in Elmore Baptist Association, noting this was the church’s first time to condense its five-day schedule.
   
Beginning at 8 a.m. and ending at 8 p.m., the church served breakfast and lunch to its 42 participants and 26 leaders. The day ended with a cookout for the children and their families.
   
Pastor Scotty Burns said the new format was a success. “The great advantage to it was that it was not as hard or as long on the teachers.”
   
Along with the schedule change, Titus Baptist also changed curriculums. Tucker chose to use the VBS curriculum by Joni Eareckson Tada, “On a Roll for Jesus.” Tada, a popular Christian speaker and author, who is a quadriplegic in a wheelchair, prepared this curriculum with disability awareness as a prevailing theme. Each of the five units of study focuses on a different disability. “It really teaches young children how to interact with children who are different,” Tucker said. 
   
Staying with the “On a Roll for Jesus” theme, Titus donated its VBS offering to Tada’s ministry, which purchases used wheelchairs and refurbishes them to donate to disabled children around the world. The church, which averages 65 in Sunday attendance, raised $1,384 to purchase 10 wheelchairs. “As a pastor, my heart was just palpitating with the joy that we had raised enough to buy 10 wheelchairs,” Burns said.
   
A one-day VBS also proved to be a success for Blanton Baptist Church, Valley, said Pastor Billy Clark. Thirteen participants attended the Bible school held by the East Liberty Baptist Association church, which averages 22 in Sunday School. 
   
The shrinking school summer vacation, busy summer schedules and the ease of getting volunteers to commit to one day attracted the church to the one- day format. They had a full day from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., providing “breakfast, lunch and pizza,” Clark said. He was excited to see 13 participants ranging in age from 5 to 14. “We were thankful for the 13 who attended,” Clark said. “Jesus was presented, which is the most important thing.” The church plans to conduct one-day VBS again next summer.
   
Clark said the VBS would not have been possible had the church not “linked up” with two other East Liberty Association churches, Victory Baptist Church, Lanett, and Grace Baptist Church, Valley. These churches donated their used materials to Blanton Baptist, which in turn donated leftover materials to Fellowship Baptist Church in  Tallapoosa Baptist Association.
   
“It’s hard for small churches to afford the materials to conduct VBS,” Clark said. “We were very thankful to (Victory Baptist and Grace Baptist).”