The Story Behind
Vacation Bible School
By Sue Harmon 

 
      Vacation Bible School was born out of the concern of a Christian woman over the spiritual needs of neglected children. Mrs. Walter Aylett Hawes of the Epiphany Baptist Church of New York City, as a part of her Sunday School ministry, came in contact with the mostly immigrant children of New York's East Side . She decided to hold an "everyday Bible School " for the children who were playing in the streets.

      The only place available to hold the school was in a beer garden that was unused during the daytime. Mrs. Hawes paid the rent to use the beer garden for six weeks, and in July of 1898 she opened her first school. It was so successful that she repeated the effort the following summer in the same place. Her pastor and the missionary society of her church were supportive, and Mrs. Hawes held seven annual vacation schools in New York before she moved from the area. 

      Dr. Robert G. Boville is credited with inaugurating the Vacation Bible School movement in 1901. He came in contact with Mrs. Hawes and learned of her Everyday Bible School , then led the New York Baptist Mission Society to accept VBS promotion as part of its work. Eventually, a national interdenominational organization was established to encourage and support the holding of community Bible schools. 


      The first denomination to recognize the value of Vacation Bible Schools was the Presbyterian Church, USA , assigning this work to its Board of Home Missions in 1910. The Northern Baptist Convention adopted VBS as part of its work in 1915, and other denominations soon followed. 

            
VBS Traditions & Changes


      The early Bible schools of Mrs. Hawes consisted of a two-hour program each day, six weeks each summer. They included Bible stories, music, worship, drawing, scripture memory, nature study, marching, exercises, games, and the salute to the flag. Handwork activities were also included, especially cooking and sewing for the girls.

 
       Over the years, VBS has continued to include many of these elements. Often the day's activities begin with children lining up to march into the church building, where the worship session includes pledges to the American and Christian flags. Bible stories, memory verses, games, crafts, and music are integral parts of the modern-day VBS experience.  

 
      Some changes have occurred in Vacation Bible Schools in the past decade. Publishers of VBS curriculum have moved to a themed format, in which the activities all center on a subject or topic. The theme influences the décor, games, crafts, and even refreshments used to help teach the Bible truth for each day. Wild West, space, ocean, rainforest, the arctic - quite a variety of themes have been used to generate interest and enthusiasm in VBS! 
 

      Although these themes do attract attention, there is concern among some educators that they may detract from the central purpose of VBS, and that is to teach the Bible, sharing the good news of Christ's love with children and families who may not normally attend a Bible study or worship service at a church.  Churches must strive to find a balance, incorporating the theme elements without allowing them to overshadow the biblical teaching. 


      Another change is that Bible Schools have grown shorter. From Mrs. Hawes' six-week schools a hundred years ago, VBS has been condensed to two-week schools in the 1950's and 60's and to the one-week schools usually held today. Churches choose a variety of time frames, most running from 2 to 3 hours a day. Some churches, however, hold expanded schools lasting all day, to accommodate the schedules of working parents and to incorporate children from child-care programs into the VBS.
 

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