Whitestone Community Church of the Brethren, a rural church in north-central Washington state, had several young families move into the area and ask about Vacation Bible School (VBS).
The congregation has an average attendance of 10-15 people and had not hosted VBS for more than 20 years because of changing demographics. Having only a few people to put it on, the
congregation searched for a family-based format that could bring family groups to the church to play together.
The group patterned family theme nights after the David C. Cook “Zipped to Gather” curriculum, hosting three themed evening events: Water World/Living Water, Retro Field Day/Run the Good Race, and Carnival/Joy—where families attended together for fun and reflection.
The church provided games each week according to the evening’s theme, followed by songs and snacks. There was a talk time integrating the games and biblical principles. The experience was received with enthusiasm and good participation from neighboring families and churches.
This story originally appeared in Messenger magazine. Subscribe to Messenger here.