Vacation Bible School, or VBS for short, is the term for a special type of religious education which caters toward children, usually in the summer. Religious education teaches the doctrines of a religion. ... Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Summer, 1573. ...

The origins of Vacation Bible School can be traced back to Hopedale, Illinois in 1894. D.T. Miles, who had been a public school teacher before marrying, continued to teach Sunday School but felt she was limited in time constraints in teaching Bible to children. Miles started a daily Bible school to teach children during the summer months. The first Bible school enrolled 40 students and lasted four weeks. A local school was used for classes, while an adjoining park was used for recess. Hopedale is a village located in Tazewell County, Illinois. ... 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Sunday School is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays (traditionally, though not exclusively, in the morning) by various Christian denominations, especially in the United States. ...

In 1898 Eliza Hawes, director of the children's department at Epiphany Baptist Church in New York City, started an "Everyday Bible School" for slum children at a rented beer parlor in New York's East Side. Hawes continued her efforts for seven years. 1898 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Baptist churches are part of a Christian movement often regarded as an evangelical, protestant denomination. ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, and is at the center of international finance, politics, communications, music, fashion, and culture. ...

Dr. Robert Boville of the Baptist Mission Society, became aware of the Hawes' summer program and recommended it to other Baptist churches. Boville established a handful of summer schools which were taught by students at the Union Theological Seminary. During one summer one thousand students were enrolled in 5 schools. In 1922 the World Association of Daily Vacation Bible School was founded by Boville. Union Theological Seminary is an independent college of theology, located in Manhattan, in New York City. ...

Today many churches run their own Vacation Bible School programs, without being under the umbrella of a national organization. Other churches, particularly United Methodist and Southern Baptist, may opt to use themed curriculum "package" programs from their respective denominations or independent publishing houses. A positive argument toward using one of these programs is the easy preparation and marketing tools provided. The detractor is the possibility of another nearby church using the same program. The United Methodist Church is the largest Methodist denomination, and the second-largest Protestant one, in the United States. ... The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a United States cooperative ministry agency serving missionary Baptist churches around the world. ...

Many churches conduct a weeklong program consisting of religious education, skits, puppet shows, arts and crafts, and religious songs which cater toward elementary aged children. Some may charge fees at a rate competitive with other summer camp programs and use VBS as an evangelistic outreach, while others offer a free service to educate children.. A group of local churches who do not have the resources to run VBS for the entire summer may elect to coordinate their schedules to provide continuous childcare. Summer camp, principally a North American phenomenon, is a common destination for children and teenagers during the summer months. ...

Popular VBS Songs

• If You're Happy and You Know It
• Jesus Loves Me
• Jesus Loves the Little Children
• This Little Light of Mine

If Youre Happy and You Know It is a popular childrens song, or nursery rhyme, credited to songwriter Alfred B. Smith c. ...

References

• Barcellos, Robert J., "VBS reinforces seasonal lessons," Standard Times, July 10, 1999.

• Moll, Kaye, "Standard Publishing's VBS Celebrates 80th Birthday," Lookout Magazine, March 30, 2003

• Wright, Betsy, "Fond Memories of Vacation Bible School Can Last a Lifetime," The Virginian Pilot, August 6, 1994.