Earlier this year, our pastor—who has a great sense of humor—had everyone in stitches talking about his Vacation Bible School experience as a boy.

With tongue in cheek, he described adults tossing one package of Kool Aid and one teaspoon of sugar in a trashcan. Then they filled the can with warm water from a garden hose, thereby assuring he would have pleasant memories of VBS.

Anyone who has set foot in church during their life may have similar, amusing recollections of VBS, which remains a part of American church culture more than a century after its Midwestern origins.

The times are changing

All kidding aside, a recent visit to closing VBS ceremonies at our oldest daughter's church proved quite pleasant. Although her non-denominational congregation falls squarely in the conservative evangelical camp, the evening was anything but sedate.

"Family Night" started with a potluck dinner in the gym, where children also played on several inflatable attractions or dashed outside for trips down a water slide.

After more than an hour of food and frolic, the festivities moved into the sanctuary, where teens and 20-something leaders danced and led the kids in singing upbeat worship tunes. Meanwhile, videos of the week's activities flashed on overhead screens.

While the emphasis was on fun, the pastor reviewed the week's Bible lessons, reinforced by handouts about the topics and an opportunity for guests to request more information.

I came away impressed that a church had enough insight to let its collective hair down and make its closing ceremonies more like a carnival than the drab conclusion to a week of school.

Train up a child…

Soon after, my eyes opened wide when I came across an article describing VBS as the Southern Baptist Convention's (SBC) single most effective evangelism tool last year.

According to the story, 26 percent of the baptisms recorded by the nation's largest Protestant group in 2006 originated with VBS, with more than 26,500 SBC churches offering classes to nearly three million people.

Of those, nearly 95,000 decided to accept Jesus as their Savior. Nearly 281,000 Sunday school prospects were discovered and more than 39,000 enrolled.

"These are great numbers," said Jerry Wooley, VBS ministry specialist for LifeWay Christian Resources, the denomination's publishing arm. "Vacation Bible School stands alone in its evangelism and outreach."

Broken down into the one's, two's and three's likely seen at small churches across the nation, there can be a tendency to think of VBS as more of a "ho-hum" than a "hot-dog!" event. However, a glance at these collective numbers reminds me of Proverbs 22:6, which advises to properly train up a child.

Options abound

With the midpoint of summer fast approaching, it is too late to organize and staff a VBS this year. However, a quick check of the Internet shows 2008 curriculum is already available from a variety of denominations and other groups.

The plethora of choices include Augsburg Fortress, which offers plans for mainline churches, Catholics and others; Group Publishing and LifeWay, both with two options; Standard Publishing and Methodist-owned Cokesbury.

To show the attraction of VBS, even Habitat for Humanity is offering summer studies for children 5 to 15, who are too young to work on a building site.

There are also sites offering tips on VBS planning, curriculum guidance and other ideas for making this a positive experience.

Granted, this is no walk in the park. As anyone who has worked at VBS can tell you, it takes plenty of time and effort and may lead to no apparent short-term results. Yet, as the SBC's results show, the impressions can last for eternity.