September 7, 2024
VILLA RICA, Ga. – Kevin Williams is willing to do whatever it takes to introduce children to Jesus.
Even if it means kissing a lizard.
That’s just what the pastor at First Baptist Church of Villa Rica did, to the delight of the hundreds of kids who gathered for a week of fun, games, Bible lessons, and worship at vacation Bible school.
By the time all was said and done, 71 children had accepted Christ, and Williams, president of the Georgia Baptist Convention, had smooched the scaley bearded dragon.
Free from the grip of COVID-19, churches across Georgia have been reporting record numbers of children turning out for vacation Bible school.
“My guess is that most people are ready to not just get back to normal, but to do better than ever,” said Jenni Carter, the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s kids ministry consultant. “Churches are pulling out all the stops.”
Carter said anecdotal reports from across the state suggest the best vacation Bible school attendance in years, plus larger than usual numbers of salvation decisions. And there’s another month to go before summer break comes to an end.
For most Georgia Baptist churches, vacation Bible school is the premier evangelistic outreach of the year. Staff and volunteers work for months planning curriculum, music, decorations, games, and food.
Facebook posts reflect this summer’s widespread success. Churches across Georgia are posting photos of crowds of happy children, of elaborate decorations, and of vacation Bible school leaders sharing the gospel with eager young hearts.
First Baptist Church in Hazlehurst reported average daily attendance of 132, plus 32 salvation decisions. Northside Baptist Church in Valdosta reported a total of 329 kids, 63 of whom made decisions for Christ. Harmony Hall Baptist Church reported a 50 percent increase in kids compared to last year, and six of the nearly 100 kids who attended made professions of faith.
Most churches also provided children lessons in generosity, challenging them to raise funding for important causes.
At 1025 Church in Monroe, 37 children made salvation decisions during a week of vacation Bible school that brought out hundreds of kids. In a lesson in Christian giving, children were challenged to raise more than $5,000 for Mission Georgia, a ministry of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board that serves some of the state’s most vulnerable populations.
The children raised more than $5,000, topping their goal, which meant Pastor Tommy Fountain Sr. would be slimed.
A Facebook video shows children giggling and cheering as Fountain had green slime poured over his head, another example of church leaders “pulling out all the stops” for vacation Bible school.
At First Baptist Villa Rica, the kids had a goal to raise $2,000 to purchase water filters for residents of Central America, Africa and Asia. They topped that goal, raising more than $8,600 for the project. That meant Williams had to kiss the lizard.
“It was all in good fun but worth it,” Williams said.
