VBS in Town of 725 Brings in 81 Kids

This letter is from a church where there are only 725 people in the community. But what an impact the VBS had! Praise the Lord for the impact of Answers VBS in this community.

This church in Wisconsin shared:

To Our Friends at AiG,

The Lord brought 81 children through our doors to participate in Emerald Crossing—please note that our community has a population of 725 so to have that many kids attend is amazing!

We gave out 53 trophies to kids who memorized all of Psalm 23—what a wonderful portion of God’s Word to have planted in the memories of these kids and it was a touching moment when the whole group recited the psalm together as their families watched and listened during our Closing Program.

Many of the children who came do not attend any church and it was so exciting to see how the Lord is working in these young lives. They had a sincere curiosity that came out in their questions and in the discussion time. Families that previously had no time for spiritual things now have children coming home with a different attitude, perspective, and desire to know more of God and His Word. It’s so encouraged us to hear of the changes parents are seeing in their kids after being a part of this VBS ministry and we thank YOU for providing such great material for us to use. Glory to God!!!

This is the 23rd year that we have offered VBS and it has also become a witness to our community—although we have a small church, we had 45 staff members enthusiastically serving each day and what a blessing it was to share in harmony as we served the children and grew closer together as His body. We are asked many times how we get so many folks to volunteer because that seems to be the reason that most churches don’t provide VBS anymore. We tell them that the staffers are so blessed that they commit to the following year even before the VBS week is over. Only God can do that!!

As you will read in the newspaper article, we LOVE missions and the kids are encouraged to earn the money themselves as they focus on other kids in very difficult situations. All praise goes to our wonderful Lord!

Thanks for providing these encouraging VBS programs—please know that we pray for all of you at AiG every Sunday during our Worship Service. The planning for Spy U has already begun and we look forward to providing another opportunity to share the good news of salvation in Jesus to the youth of our community and surrounding area. What a blessing and privilege it is to hear comments of changed hearts and lives from families who have entrusted their kids to us.

Now, I can’t reproduce the entire Waushara Argus newspaper article here for you, because of copyright laws, but I wanted to quote the portion mentioned in the letter because it’s truly remarkable:

Missions have always been an important part of VBS, and the kids were encouraged to do chores and earn the money themselves so they could bless other children around the world who are less fortunate. They set a goal of $1,360 for the Children’s Hunger Fund Ministry, where every 25 cents provides a meal for a needy child. The countries served this year were Ethiopia, El Salvador, Romania, the USA, and the Philippines, where some of the VBS staff were born. Their personal experience of growing up in poverty and need was shared with the children, making the mission’s goal even more meaningful. By the end of the week, donations raised by the kids totaled $2,528.52, and other contributions brought the total to $4,812.00, which will provide 19,248 meals!

Yes, this little church in a small community raised enough money to provide over 19,000 meals! Wow!

If you’d like to reach your community with the truth that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who will lead you from anxiety to peace, fear to faith, and uncertainty to the firm foundation of God’s Word, our Emerald Crossing VBS blowout sale is ending today. Enjoy 50–90% off our remaining stock. What a great opportunity to plan a weeknight Bible club, a special Sunday school series, or a program over a few Saturdays. Visit our website to shop all remaining items until the sale ends at midnight.

And if your church is planning a VBS program for 2027, I encourage you to check out next year’s Answers VBS, Spy U: Uncovering Counterfeits, Discovering the One True God. These programs really are unique and powerful, answering questions kids have, diving deep into God’s Word, and connecting the Bible to the world.

Learn more at AnswersVBS.com.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.