The Pastor’s Piece, Pastor Kevin Cernek, FCFI Chaplain

FCFI
June 22, 2025

Vacation Bible School is in my DNA. Early every summer as a kid growing up, my parents would drop me and my brothers off at church for Bible school. I remember we sang a lot. One song in particular sticks out in my mind. It was titled “He Keeps Me Singing.” I still remember the lyrics: “There’s within my heart a melody, Jesus whispers sweet and low, ‘Fear not I am with thee peace be still,’ in all of life’s ebb and flow. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know. Fills my every longing. Keeps me singing as I go.” It was cutting-edge.

I have to admit, it was like pulling teeth getting us to go to VBS. There was so much to do every summer and so little time, it hardly seemed worthwhile sitting in Bible school for three hours every day for a week. Funny thing is, I remember VBS more than I do the other activities of summer. I even kept one of the crafts we made – and still have it stored away somewhere. It was a cross made out of burnt match sticks. We took a piece of cardboard and cut it into the shape of a cross about 10 inches in length and 8 inches across, then we took match sticks, which (to my disappointment), someone else had burnt the tips off, and glued them to the cardboard. It was a work of art and one I cherished for a long time.

Today, Vacation Bible School is a time-honored ordinance of the church. Many people have fond memories of Bible stories, cookies and Kool-Aid. One lady, who moved away from the area when she was young, came back after a few decades, looked us up and recalled stories of her childhood at Martintown Community Church, sitting on the grassy knoll by the door, eating chocolate chip cookies and drinking red Kool-Aid. Another elderly fellow called one day out of the blue, and waxed eloquent about how, when he was a child, his grandmother would bring him to VBS where he heard about becoming a new creation in Jesus. Decades later, he still remembered. He mentioned that he hadn’t been to church since then, and wondered if, after a life of regret and sadness, God’s offer of salvation was still valid? Absolutely it was! In Matthew 11, Jesus said: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest … rest for your souls.” It’s never too late to get your heart right with God.

VBS really hasn’t changed all that much over the years. Today, we still sing a lot and eat cookies and have Bible time, crafts, and games. We transform the church sanctuary and the fellowship hall with decorations related to the VBS theme. Children come in droves and moms, dads, and grandparents come to check us out and be involved in their child’s joy. It’s high impact. Our goal is to give these kids a taste of heaven where praises, joy, and friendship abound. It’s an amazing sight to stand on the stage and look out over the Church sanctuary and see it completely full from front to back with children all fired up for Jesus. Our staff consists of teenagers and adults in equal mix.

Here’s a typical VBS day: 8:30 a.m. Staff and children wander in. 9:00 a.m. Everyone assembles in the sanctuary and we open with praise songs proclaiming the goodness and love of Jesus, complete with motions for each song. We will ask a child to come up and share the Bible verses that we’ve memorized for each day. It’s pretty amazing to see 8 and 10 year-olds stand in front of more than 150 people and recite Scripture from memory. At 9:30 we break up into assigned groups and travel from station to station. At 10:30 we assemble as a whole group in the fellowship hall for delicious snacks and joy and a lot of laughter. One day we even had broccoli and ranch dip, which went over very well, I might add. At 10:50 each group heads out to their last station of the day. At 11:15, we reassemble in the sanctuary for more singing and then it’s out the door at 11:30 in anticipation of what tomorrow will bring.

There are four stations where the kids spend their time – An Imagination Station (crafts), a game station, a Bible lesson station, and a snack station. The entire staff is 100% dedicated to teaching the children about Jesus. The theme of the day is woven into every activity and each activity is action packed as we rise to the challenge of keeping each child engaged as they hear the message of hope and inner peace through a relationship with Jesus. It’s a huge blessing.

This year we had a dunk tank. And that is how we spend the week.

(Kevin Cernek is Lead Pastor of Martintown Community Church in Martintown, Wisconsin).