Vacation Bible School Reflection

Ramona Southern Baptist Church

Posted

"Children are a gift from the Lord, they are a reward from him." (Psalm 127:3). Children are a gift and as someone who recently had the opportunity to serve our kids ministry in VBS, I got to see how much of a blessing they are. I saw their pure hearts, them singing songs to Jesus, their hands raised high, and Jesus' love that shined through them to their friends and leaders. 

"But Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.'" (Matthew 19:14). It's made clear throughout the whole bible that children are important to Jesus which means they should be important to us, too! As followers of Christ, we are called to show people Jesus’ love, but it is so important that we also share that unconditional love with children. 

I think our witness of Jesus’ love, and willingness to come alongside children can be monumental in forming a strong foundation in their spi r i tua l development . Proverbs 22:6 says, “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it." The time we spend with children at a young age im-pacts the rest of their lives because the things that are instilled as a child won't be forgotten when they are older . Our ministries, especially our Kids ministry, allow us the opportunity to pour these core values into children while they are still growing, so that, when they grow older, they will know these values. As we teach them bible verses to remember, they are able to recall those later in life in times of trouble. 

As much as this ministry impacts the world now through children, these kids are also the future leaders of the church. The values we instill in them now will spread on for a lifetime and allow them to raise up the generation after them as they grow older. Several years ago, George Barna coined a phrase, the “4-14 window.” In his research, he found the majority of Christians come to know Christ between the ages 4-14. More recent studies suggest as many as 63 percent. Furthermore, for every year after this window, the likelihood of conversion falls. These kids could be the next children's ministry leaders so it's important to give them a good base for that now. 

With the changes that are happening in our culture today, it’s important that children know they are loved. Ministry opportunities like our Kid’s ministry, or VBS, or other events we have, may be the only time a kid truly gets to experience God's unconditional love. It's so important to raise up a generation of children that know their worth in Christ and know that they are loved. We don' t know the background of each child we meet, but we get to make an impact on them just by loving them. 

There are so many reasons children' s ministry is important but even more so we need to remember how much of a gift and a blessing, children are. This ministry is important but it's also worth it. Being able to be a part of the children's ministry VBS event, and seeing how much of an impact we were making on the children was truly a blessing. It is an incredible blessing to see the children grow and to get to love them and lead them in this season of their life. I’d encourage every one of those serving in our church to take an opportunity to experiencing the blessing of spending some time with the Kid’s ministry. “The harvest truly is plentiful…” (Matthew 9:37).