by Robert C. Veil, Jr.
Vacation Bible School is always one of the highlights of our year here at Central. We appreciate
so much the work that Chris Floyd does in directing this series, and the work of so many others in
pitching in and making this a great teaching experience for our young people and adults alike. Our
VBS this year is scheduled for June 9-14, and I wanted to share with you the following information
to help each of us be ready to seize the opportunities presented to us by this amazing series. Here
is an excerpt from Eric Lyons, Executive Director of Apologetics Press, which is the publisher of
the curriculum we are using this year:
“Never in the history of the United States have so many people been so confused
and misled about Jesus. Some claim He never lived. Many believe He never rose from
the dead. And more than 60% of Americans now either claim Jesus was not God or are
unsure about His nature.
Children in an increasingly disbelieving world want to know (and desperately need
to know) why they should believe in Jesus. The billions of non-Christians in the world
(including friends, classmates, and neighbors whom we have an opportunity to invite
to VBS) have every right to ask, even challenge, Christians as to why we believe in
Jesus and why we have an expectation of heaven, a hope anchored in Christ.
Though Peter said to Christians, “be ready to give a defense (or answer) to everyone
who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15), many of us—many
Christians—have not always done very well at providing reasons for why Jesus is our
hope. Sometimes, Christians give no answers. Occasionally, we provide illogical
answers. And sometimes our answers may be so complex that others rightly wonder,
“What in the world did they just say?”
Every honest-hearted person should have an opportunity to hear the reasons for being
Christians—to learn about the Redeemer of the human race. And Jesus’ Church should
be delighted to be used by God and spare no expense or energy to do our part to ensure
this sharing of Jesus happens.
In AP’s fourth VBS curriculum, Jeremy Pate (our talented Youth Publications
Coordinator) has done a masterful job in developing a VBS all about Jesus that is
beautifully simple and yet profound. In The Name of Jesus, teachers will have an
opportunity to change lives and ground students of all ages with the most fundamental
and important truths the world has ever heard. Five names. Five lessons. Jesus (1) the
Messiah; (2) the Nazarene; (3) the Lord; (4) the Almighty; and (5) the Savior. To learn
more about The Name of Jesus VBS, visit us at Jesusvbs.org.
—Eric Lyons. Reason and Revelation, Issue 44, No. 2.
May I encourage you to invite your friends and neighbors now to Vacation Bible School?
This program is effective only to the extent each of us plans for and supports it. It’s a great
opportunity to reach families in your neighborhood, through their children. If you need
information or assistance, please see Chris Floyd. If you would like to help with VBS, now is the
time to make your desires known! We pray that this series will be a great blessing to our young
people and older folks alike—and that it will help us reach new families with the gospel of Christ!
☞LESSON TOPICS for the week:
1) Sun: Jesus the Messiah
2) Mon: Jesus the Nazarene
3) Tues: Jesus the Lord
4) Wed: Jesus the Almighty
5) Thurs: Jesus the Savior
Be Ready for VBS!
