Thank you for visiting our Vacation Bible School webpage - The church at Leipers Fork prays the next few minutes of reading will become a blessing to you and your children, and spark an interest within your congregation to abandon the common curriculums for VBS sold at Christian bookstores, and give your children what they really desire - a connection to the Scriptures and a love for God!
The below stories and images, are a byproduct of a simple question: “What do you remember from Vacation Bible School when you were a kid?” Answers like snacks and shirts reign among memories, but recalling the Scriptures taught and VBS topics proved to be a faint, if not forgotten, memory. As a matter of fact, from all the congregations asked this question, the only actual topic recalled by anyone was a VBS about Daniel in the Lion’s Den where the Bible story memory was retained by a visual cue of the lion’s den set design. The church at Leipers Fork seeks to make lasting memories with such visual cues, as the images below clearly display.
Moreover, consider the title of the Vacation Bible School; unintentionally, Christian publishing companies are conveying that the Bible alone is not fascinating - “we need a substitute that we can market” - thus “Down on the Farm” or “Castle of Courage” arises as VBS banner theme, and the decorations provided is a barn or castle. This tendency to substitute Scripture from every aspect of our lives is why our children do not recall VBS’s from years gone by, and why children becoming adults often lose interest in God’s Word, they have been taught its acceptable to substitute Scripture. Compare those titles to a VBS banner that says “Noah’s Ark and The Great Flood” or “A Journey with Jonah” - which titles make a known Bible story seem fascinating? Which theme pulls your children closer to the Bible and makes them want to know more about the Bible?
Lastly, consider the 5 senses God gave all mankind which helps form lasting memories: Hear, See, Smell, Taste, and Touch. In our VBS, we always try to invoke as many of the 5 sense as possible so that we compound the building of memories, and a fascination with the Word of God. We find the easiest way to build these memories is to engulf the children in the environment of the story by letting them hear, see, and touch (smell and taste if possible) their way through the story found within scripture.
If you would like to ask questions about a VBS at Leipers Fork, or how to plan your own VBS, please reach out to: Trail White | 615-557-2285 | trailwhite@gmail.com
2025 Vacation Bible School | June 22-27
God Leads His Children
”This was the best VBS ever!” was the claim from many adults and children! It is equally amazing and humbling to re-portray God’s plagues against Egypt in order to set His people free. Children attending this VBS were able to participate in the story with live acting which invokes tremendous engagement from children of all ages! Adults and older children were the primary actors with scripts, and the very youngest children, even down to newborns and toddlers, filled the roles of baby Moses, camels, cattle and donkeys, frogs, knats, flies, locusts, etc, etc… and our very special mothers had a chance to become the Red Sea - a truly beautiful moment that everyone enjoyed! Although we cannot reproduce God’s awesome wonders which defeated the Egyptian gods and parted the waters of the Red Sea, proving Himself as the True and Living God, we can develop a Vacation Bible School that touches all the 5 senses: Hear, See, Smell, Taste and Touch, so that our children have the opportunity to make lasting memories for how God leads His Children! And lessons like this will hopefully prompt their following God all the days of their life, so that they might always “give thanks to His holy name. ‘Amen. Praise the Lord!’”
Pictures coming soon!
Psalm 106: 7-12; 47-48 Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember Your abundant kindnesses, But rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. Nevertheless He saved them for the sake of His name, So that He might make His power known. So He rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up, And He led them through the mighty waters, as through the wilderness. So He saved them from the hand of one who hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. The waters covered their adversaries; Not one of them was left. Then they believed His words; They sang His praise. “Save us, Lord our God, And gather us from the nations, To give thanks to Your holy name And glory in Your praise. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, From everlasting to everlasting. And all the people shall say, ‘Amen. Praise the Lord!’”
God is the True and Living God! God will save us too, but like Israel, there is one way to be set free - pass through the water!
2024 Vacation Bible School | June 23-26
Kneel before the Lord
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker!” (Psalm 95:6)
The patriarchs fell down and worshipped God (Genesis 17:3)…Jesus himself fell on his face and prayed (Matthew 26:39)… The four creatures and the elders bow down in worship to God in heaven (Rev 4:8-11)… and an unbeliever appearing in the assembly of the saints will fall on his face and worship God (1 Cor 14:25)… This unbeliever will fall on their face and worship God in the assembly of the saints because they must see you, the church, doing it first…didn’t they?
This VBS, our children, and all the adult children of God, learned about the significance of kneeling, bowing ourselves low to the ground, as scripture records in humble worship and submission unto our God, so that even on earth, we will be among those who “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth…” (Philippians 2:10). We reenacted bible story after bible story, each night, portraying various bible characters who bowed the knee to God, the Almighty: Joshua bowed to the ground before the Captain of the Lord’s Army before crumbling the walls of Jericho; Naaman took dirt from Israel so the Lord would know his true worship when he bowed himself upon the dirt of Israel; Daniel knelt to pray three times a day; the demon-possessed man named Legion bowed himself before Jesus asking to be cast into the swine; a leper, blind man, hemorrhaging woman, and father of a dying girl all bow before Jesus; the whole roman cohort bow before Jesus in the garden of gethsemane when they come to arrest Him; the congregation in Tyre bow in prayer on the beach as they say farewell to Paul; and the angelic hosts, four living creatures, twenty-four elders, and multitude of people bow themselves before the throne of God, praising the Lord! And seven other skits not mentioned here also reenacted for our learning! The kids loved each and every night of this VBS, asking each night what they would learn, see, and do the next night! We are so thankful for each of these children who are eager to learn about the love of God, and how we should worship Him! “Amen, blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.” (Revelation 7:12).
2023 Vacation Bible School | June 25-28
Noah’s Ark and The Great Flood
Wow! How fun was it to bring back one of our favorite VBS’s that thrill not only our children, but all children of God! From building the ark and covering it with pitch; to boarding all the children’s favorite animals aboard the ark; to feeding, watering, cleaning, and caring for each animal (even the slithering ones), all while escaping the earth’s most devastating mark in time, a global flood. From within the ark of safety we stepped out on dry land where we worshipped the Lord for His mercy, and received His promise with a rainbow! We listened to our VBS character ‘Noah’ sang about the Peace of God, and praised God for salvation, inspiring us no matter our situation, never keep from singing! The kids loved dressing up as the animals and boarding the ark (entering the cages); and they got right to work when it was time to care for the animals. Let your children and grandchildren learn to love God by participating in our VBS next year!
2022 Vacation Bible School | June 26-29
The Garden of Eden
Genesis 2:8 says, “And the Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden.” The Garden or Paradise of Eden equates with the Presence of God; man and God dwelt together in the Garden. God created man in His own image, sharing His glory, in order that Adam could rule over the earth even as God ruled over the heavens (Genesis 1:26-28). When God created Adam, He placed him into a land, and gave him dominion over it. Adam was created a king. He was intended to subdue the earth, filling it with his offspring, and ruling over the creatures of the earth (Genesis 1:28). His kingship, however, was not absolute; Adam was a subordinate ruler in God’s image, yet Adam desired autonomy to become his own god, making his own law, so he disobeyed God. For this crime of rebellion, Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden toward the east, without access to God’s Tree of Life.
Doomed for a devil’s hell, man needs a solution to the problem of sin; afterall, the glory of man is lost in sin. As such, the only hope man has in regaining our glory before the Lord and receiving the blessings of the Garden of the Eden, is in Jesus Christ, the last Adam. Jesus died on the cross to remove the iniquity of man’s sin; that cross represents a new ‘tree of life’ that we each must come to for eternal life. Having died for our sins and resurrected on the third day and ascended into Heaven, Jesus Christ now reigns over the earth, and with Him, even as Eve was with Adam, the church reigns with Christ - his holy bride - illustrating for us the significance of the Garden of God.
2021 Vacation Bible School | June 27-30
Creation
“The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all it contains, You have established them.” (Psalm 89:11)
God hung the stars? YES! Each one in its place (Psalm 8:3)
God patterned the winds and the water? YES! The jet stream and ocean current (Ecc 1:6-7)
God made me? YES! And the Lord calls for you, for you are His; He made you. “Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth; Everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” (Isaiah 43:6-7)
VBS in 2021 was terrific! It was filled with creation songs, live science projects that reveal God’s incredible design, scripture reading accompanied by automated visual dioramas, bible lessons which taught the Genesis account of God’s creation, and so much more! Adults, Im talking to you - these VBS’s are not really a success unless you feel like a kid again! Don’t miss another year!
2020 Vacation Bible School theme was:
Live the Story
In a year when Coronavirus caused many Christians all over the world to abandon God and the church, we decided to listen to voices from biblical history for answers! In our Night at the Museum, biblical characters came to life and taught us about God’s desire for His people: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego taught us how they had the courage to remain committed to God despite the laws of the land and physical pressure to abandon God! Noah building the ark and David verses Goliath taught us faithfulness is essential when God challenges us in our service to Him! Jonah taught us how an impure heart will turn us away from simple obedience to God, and lead us astray! Nadab and Abihu taught us that proper worship to God is essential, without exceptions, or alternatives! These “children stories” that we’ve heard our whole lives should have prepared Christians for Coronavirus. These hero’s of biblical history made decisions and demonstrations of Committment, Faithfulness, and Obedience in worshipping God. Yet, in 2020, all Christians had a chance to re-live biblical history - were you committed to God like Daniel, or Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? or did you cower at home instead of facing Goliath?
2019 Vacation Bible School theme was:
Deciphering the Tabernacle
You should never miss a Leipers Fork church of Christ VBS! In 2019, we built the Ark of the Covenant, the Golden Altar of Incense, the Golden Lampstand - yes, all the items from the tabernacle, including the Tent of Meeting and its veils! Skits each night taught children & adults about the construction of the tabernacle from wood, colored thread, and precious metals; tearfully humbling reenactments depicted the sin offering, burnt offering, Day of Atonement, and Passover. Nightly lessons conveyed all these incredible tabernacle designs which foreshadowed Christ’s sacrifice, salvation, and the church!
2018 Vacation Bible School theme was:
Noah’s Ark
The church at Leipers Fork enjoyed a spectacular VBS in 2018 as we explored all areas of Noah’s Ark and the world after the flood: the construction of Noah’s Ark with our massive three level set illustrating the magnificent design; the animals and how Noah and his family could have cared for each one; the storms, flooding, and its affect on outside man; Noah and his families response to God after stepping safely off the Ark; and finally, the evidences that surround us which prove the global flood of Noah’s day actually occurred. Not only was this Vacation Bible School our best ever, but we also paired it with an awe inspiring trip to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky.
This is a fantastic view of our VBS and the model ark we built to replicate key necessities for Noah, his family, and the animals to live through the global flood. Here you see the culmination of all nights: (1) building the ark, (2) the flood and taking care of the animals, (3) stepping off the ark, the rainbow, and the altar (not shown), (4) the evidence today which supports the occurrence of a global flood.
Quick Overview:
The Ark: (Bottom Deck) Large animal cages (complete with stuffed animals); one cage was used in VBS for kids playing the role of animals, dressed in costumes, being fed by Noah; this was a great photo opportunity for all! (Second Deck) Containment for birds, reptiles, amphibians, small animals, and food storage. (Upper Deck) Living quarters and a kitchen for Noah and his family. Our model also included features such as water containment and disbursement, air flow, and manure cleanup.
The Rainbow: (Top of Picture) The rainbow represents God’s covenant with man to never again flood the earth with water. God is trustworthy to keep His promises!
Evidence of a Global Flood: (Foreground Exhibits) Dinosaur Fossils: how rapid sedimentation forms fossils, and what this reveals about dinosaurs’s co-existence with man; Invertebrate Fossils: why are seashells found all over the world and on the highest mountains? The Lost Squadron diorama: how ice rings counted from The Lost Squadron rescue operation prove evolutionary dating for the world is wrong. We used all these evidences to analyze modern evolutionary information taught in public schools, and compared these teachings to long-withstanding scripture, recorded in the Bible.
Special thanks to our members who built and/or contributed each item seen in this picture. We also thank the Ark Encounter in Kentucky for supplying our minds with knowledge and ideas which planted our hearts, rooted our design, and grew our faith.
2017 Vacation Bible School theme was:
A Journey with Jonah
In 2017, we went into the water with Jonah to understand what really happened in his journey with God, away from God, into the sea, back to Ninevah, and to his hill overlooking the city. In this VBS, we were able to buoy sunken truths which are not often taught in the story of Jonah. The children loved our sets this year; riding the rocking boat away from God over choppy storm waters, going into the sea and seeing Jonah lying on the bottom with fish and coral all around, and being swallowed by a great fish - a fantastic VBS!
