03 I. WHAT IS A VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL?

I. WHAT IS A VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL?

Chapter I WHAT IS A VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL? The origin of vacation Bible schools is not definitely known. According to the best available information, they began about 1905. A preacher in New York’s lower east side observed the prevailing condition among the children of that district. He saw their idleness and all of the attendant evils. On the other hand, he saw that the church buildings of that district were idle much of the time. He decided that these idle children could be changed from a liability to an asset by utilizing the idle buildings to teach them the Bible. His efforts were so successful that the idea gradually spread until vacation schools were being conducted by most of the Protestant denominations. At this time such schools are conducted annually by most Protestant churches. They have found such schools to be profitable in keeping their members interested and in getting the youngsters into their particular denomination.

We of the church of Christ should not engage in any activity just because others do so. We should not try to pattern after the denominations in any sense. On the other hand, if we see that some activity of theirs is successful, and that it is in harmony with what the Lord has commanded us to do, we should not hesitate to use it. Their use of any device should not be the determining factor in our practices. We should apply the teaching of the Lord to the activity, and decide if it is scriptural. As Christians we have the right to engage in everything that is really good. Nothing is good if it violates any principle of the teachings of Christ. But vacation Bible schools violate no Christian principle. They represent another effort to carry out the command of Jesus to “teach all nations.” This command is the basic one of the Christian religion. Jesus told us in John 6:44-45 that no man could come to him unless he be taught. People cannot become Christians without being taught of Christ. They cannot live the Christian life except they be taught the principles of Christian living. God’s rule is: no teaching— no Christians; no teaching of Christians—no growth as Chi’istians. Peter says we should long for the sincere milk of the word that we may grow thereby. (1 Peter 2:2.) Vacation Bible schools are an effort to carry out this basic Christian command to teach.

During the summer vacations when our public schools are not in session most children are idle, especially those who do not live on a farm. “An idle brain is the devil’s workshop” is a proverbial saying that is entirely true. Busy minds and hands are not nearly so apt to get into mischief. Children kept busy are much more contented, and not nearly so apt to wander off the path of right. Idle children are a liability to their parents, the church, and the community. Busy children are an asset to all three.

Just why should we spend large sums of money in erecting church buildings, and then not have them in use more than one-tenth of the time, counting all the hours in a week? These buildings should be workshops for the church every day. Around the church building should center activities of the individual and of the family. The vacation Bible school is an effort to make better use of our physical equipment in carrying out the Lord’s command to teach. The vacation Bible school is also an attempt to assist parents in carrying out the command of Ephesians 6:4 to bring up their children “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Many parents are busier outside of the home than they should be, considering the welfare of their children. Some parents seem to be unable to bring up their children in a way that is well-pleasing to the Lord. Others seem not to take the responsibility seriously. Even the most efficient of Christian parents need all the assistance they can get. Those who are indifferent to their responsibility, or inefficient in meeting it, need help still more. In the vacation Bible school we have an opportunity to help all parents by giving to their children instruction in the word of the Lord. In helping the parents in this manner we are helping the children to be what they ought to be. Giving them the help they need is the important item. If we can save some of them by teaching the word of the Lord in the vacation school, we have carried out the Lord’s command and met a part of our Christian responsibility. The Vacation Bible School is a means of building Christian character through teaching the Bible. Character is the basis of all happiness and success in life. It is character that will determine our eternal destiny. Building character is the greatest task that any of us have as we go through life. Christianizing character is the work of the church. Christian character is also the basis of the church. Without it we could not carry on Christian work successfully. Christian character cannot be built without a knowledge of Christian principles as found in the Bible. The vacation school is an effort to give a knowledge of these truths through the daily lessons taught, in the school.

Educational custom has decreed that our public schools shall close the latter part of May or the first of June each year. Most of the children who have been attending school have nothing much to do until September. In the public school they have formed their friendships among their school associates. When school closes, they feel somewhat lost. There is a desire to continue the associations of the past months. If the boys and girls of the church are approached in the right way, they will urge their friends to come with them to the vacation Bible school. The vacation school takes advantage of a natural desire of the youngster to continue associating with his chums. A vacation Bible school should be just what the name implies. It should be a school in every sense of the word. It should have its regularly enrolled student body. The curriculum should be well outlined and set up before the school begins- It should have its corps of qualified teachers who exercise discipline over those who attend- The pupils should be expected to prepare their lessons as in the public schools. There will be no trouble in getting most of them to do this if the teacher makes the first lesson interesting. It should be a school in that the groups are properly classified. There should be a complete schedule of classes and activities to be followed. The aims and purposes of the school should be well established. There should be a supervisor selected by the elders of the local congregation. Discipline should be expected and maintained. This is desired by the boys and girls who attend. The word “Bible” used in naming these schools should be taken literally. They should be “Bible” schools. The Bible is to be studied. It is to be the basic text of all courses. You need have no concern about the pupils liking this study. Most of them will thoroughly enjoy it. We have known of many who came from denominational schools who told their teacher they liked the school where the Bible was studied much better. We fear the Bible is a very minor part of the study in some denominational schools.

We have known of some in the church of Christ who secured literature from a denomination and then patterned the school after that of the denomination. We do not need to point out to most of these who will read, this book that this was a mistake. We should not pattern our schools after those of the denominations. We do not have exactly the same objective in mind as do they. Their object is to build up a denomination as well as build Christian character. We desire to make Christians only, and not to build a denomination. We wish to promote undenominational Christianity. That is the reason why the Bible should be the basic text in all courses, and its study the principal activity. We should not think that conducting a vacation Bible school is a very difficult matter. It is neither too difficult nor very complicated. Everything that one needs to know about conducting such a school is set forth in this book. Many have been successfully conducted by those who had no such assistance as is found here. Any elder who has had experience in teaching a Bible class can conduct a successful school by following the instructions given. Any preacher can do the same thing. It is indeed encouraging to note the many reports of successful schools being conducted each year. The vacation school is not meant to take the place of any other activity of the church. It is an added effort to the program now being carried on by the churches. Such schools are not to take the place of our evangelistic meetings or of the Sunday morning classes. They are meant to supplement such work and should increase the attendance in the Sunday morning classes and make evangelistic work more successful. From experience we can safely say that more will be learned in the ten days of such a school than in an entire year in the Sunday morning classes. There is more interest because the lessons are daily instead of weekly. Sunday lessons are so far apart that much that is learned one Sunday has been forgotten before the next. In the vacation school more study can be obtained on the part of the pupils, and this is much to be desired.

There is not much difference between a vacation Bible school and the Bible school that we have on Sunday mornings. You will probably need about the same classification. The number of classes needed will depend on your attendance. The teachers used may be the same ones used on Sunday morning or they may be different. You may be able to get some to teach on weekdays that you could not get on Sundays. The reverse may also be found in some localities. Who Should Attend? This might seem like a foolish question, but we know from past experience that it is not. Because of the practice of the denominations some get the idea that those who should attend should be “from six to sixteen.” Certainly these ages should attend, but there is no reason why there should not be a preschool class, and at least one for adults. Most of those which have come under our observation have included an adult class. These classes have proved to be most interesting to all who attended. To many of these adults this was their first opportunity to study the Bible in such a manner, and they found it most enjoyable. There should also be a class for young people of high school and college age. As this is written most of these are off to war or working in some war industry. This condition will not always exist. Even now it is possible to get enough together to have a profitable class. When we-get out our advertising for the school, we should include some such statement as this: “CLASSES FOR ALL, INCLUDING ADULTS.” A vacation Bible school should be held at the time most convenient to the people of the community. Im-mediately after the close of the public school seems to be the best time. The children have not scattered for vacations or for work. They still have their minds on school. A successful school may be conducted at any time during the summer, but our experience has seemed to show that this is the best time in most places.