Ogden, UT – Redemption Church in Ogden led a Vacation Bible School April 21-23 at the church that drew 33 youngsters, just two shy of the 35 they were anticipating.
“Every kid was engaged with the Gospel each night,” VBS Director (and Connections and Family Pastor at Redemption Ogden) Casey Swails told UI Connections. “This was our first full-on VBS at Redemption Church Ogden. Many years ago we tried a makeshift VBS in the park before we ever had a building and it was not very well attended or executed. So this one was the first VBS we were able to fully make happen, and make it happen well.”
Swails credited a mission team from First Baptist Church at the Fields in Carrollton, Texas, for their enthusiastic assistance in bringing Illumination Station to Redemption Ogden.
Volunteers engaged kids on their level with Bible stories and activities based on the Lifeway VBS theme, Illumination Station.
“They presented us with the idea and gave us the know-how and lots of prep work to make it happen as well as it did,” Swails said. “In the future – probably 2027 – we hope to be able to do VBS during the summer. This was a great first time, and learning experience.
“The kids absolutely loved Illumination Station. From singing songs, to the nightly lessons, to shouting John 8:12, the kids learned that Jesus is the light of the world and that He can be the light of their life.”
At least 30 church volunteers worked with the mission team, including roughly eight junior high and high school students from Redemption Ogden’s student ministry. “That was a really great opportunity for them to partner with us in doing ministry,” the VBS director said.
High points of the VBS for Swails?
FBC at the Fields in Carrolton, Texas brought gifted and committed volunteers to assist in leading the event.
“Every night after the lesson portion, it was always a great encouragement to hear from the mission team’s lesson leaders that all of the kids were very engaged, good at asking questions, and the kids who are a regular part of Redemption Church Ogden had been taught the Bible well to respond to questions in a way that surprised the mission team.
“The excitement of the kids was unmatched. All the kids had an amazing time and it showed in our opening and closing ceremonies. We had some kids that we heard were itching to get away from their scheduled sports activities in order to come to VBS. We also heard kids running out to their parents after checkout excited to tell them about what they had been doing.
“We plan to continue connecting with the kids through the normal rhythms of life at Redemption,” Swails continued. “They were all excited to learn and enjoyed their time at VBS. Everyone from the volunteers to the kids had an amazing time. We learned so much and believe VBS could be an annual ministry moving forward.”
Swails expressed his thanks to UISBC for the evangelism grant awarded to the church that enabled supplies to be purchased for the spring VBS.
“It was a great encouragement that all the volunteers had an amazing time,” Swails said. “Every volunteer left tired, but so full of joy. While it was a lot of work for our volunteers, I believe that it breathed a lot of life into them to see the kids having so much fun and engaging in the Bible.”
This spring, our Utah and Idaho Vacation Bible School teams are preparing for an exciting summer of introducing families in your community to memorable Vacation Bible School experiences for summer 2026. Whether or not you are utilizing the Lifeway materials, or even if you are doing a sports clinic or other type of summer camp experience, you will find valuable training ideas at these training events. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our UISBC Staff Missionary, Jason McNair at the link below if you have any questions about these upcoming training opportunities. Visit our website at uisbc.org/vacation-bible-school for more information.
Pioneer Community Church celebrates with visiting mission teams from Georgia and South Carolina
By Karen L. Willoughby
EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah – Six years after Pioneer Community Church was started by Barry and Jennifer Smith, it moved from its location at a dance studio on Ira Hodges Blvd one mile north, to Cedar Valley High School.
In those first six years, the church grew from five people to about 85. The first service in the church’s new location was on March 2, 2025.
“Mostly, it (the move) was for the kids,” Smith told UI Connections. “We usually have 30 or so under 18 and needed another kid’s room. In the dance studio, they were split into two rooms, infant – 5 years old and kindergarten through fifth grade. Most of our kids are third grade and under.”
The Smith couple – who have five adult children – moved from Florida in 2013 to plant a church in Saratoga Springs. When it didn’t come to fruition, they helped at another church plant for two years before focusing on the rapidly growing Eagle Mountain community.
“We’ve always been about making the Word central in the service,” Smith said. “We preach the Word, sing the Word, pray the Word, and see the Word through the elements, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. We’re constantly going back to the scripture.”
“People tell us they love the fact the Word is so central here,” the pastor continued. “I try to pray scripture as much as possible. We also sing songs from the scriptures. People often tell us, ‘I’ve never heard stuff like this before.’”
Pioneer Community Church pastor Barry Smith and his wife, Jennifer
For the Smith couple to drive nearly 2,500 miles and not find a positive outcome at Saratoga Springs was humbling but didn’t deter them from their call from God to minister among the dominant religious system in Utah, Smith said. “God was growing and maturing us to be prepared for Eagle Mountain.”
Pioneer Community now has a worship center in the Performing Arts Building at the high school and three classrooms for better age-graded classes: birth to 2-year-olds, pre-K, and Kindergarten through third grade. Fourth and fifth graders remain in the main service. They listen to the sermon with the help of a “Big Kids Worksheet.”
The youth group currently consists of three teen girls. A college student moved from northern Florida earlier this month to lead them in a small group. Smith said a youth game night on April 27 will help add teen boys and more girls to the group.
Pioneer Community has added to its numbers through a wide variety of people, the pastor said: Some searching for God, some moving to the area, some unchurched, some who had de-churched themselves, some Googlers, and some invited by friends.
The pastor said the growth—in addition to God’s providence—is that Smith and the church’s other elder ask follow-up questions of the questions asked to them.
“We always have many unbelievers asking questions,” Smith said. He prefers to respond to a question with a question to see where the person’s thinking is coming from. “Sometimes it’s a ‘gotcha’ question, but most of the time they heard something in the sermon, are going through something, or read something on the internet.”
Asking people questions and listening to their responses shows the pastor’s innate respect for all people, and that respect opens the door to building relationships. Coffee before and after services encourages people to arrive early or stay after so relationships can start building.
Two women came to Pioneer Community – one for two years; the other, four – who sat on the front row. One finally made public her decision to follow Jesus and was baptized. “That spurred the other,” Smith chuckled.
“We have men coming whose wives aren’t, or weren’t, [believers]” the pastor continued. “God has blessed us with men. I don’t know why. I don’t think I’m doing anything special.”
“We get guys who left their religious background years ago,” Smith continued. “They tell me they want to hear the truth of the Bible. We’re walking through whole books of the Bible, and many of them are not used to that. It’s more in-depth than they’ve heard before, and it’s all Bible.”
Pioneer Community Church pastor with leaders from Corner-Stone Church in Jefferson, GA
But since several of the men seemed serious about deepening their faith, last fall Smith started a Pastoral Training Apprenticeship that includes weekly meetings and the discussion of five books each semester on preaching, church membership, theology, and practical ministry, including “Worship Matters” by Bob Kauflin, “Preaching” by Timothy Keller and “Dangerous Calling” by Paul David Tripp.
“The goal is to meet the biblical requirements of an elder and get to a level of a theological understanding to respond to people’s questions after the service,” Smith said. “An elder is a pastor and overseer. Some are better at sermons; some better at service.”
The pastor added that the men present sermons in class to prepare them to preach from the pulpit. Some in the class might eventually be called into the pastorate, perhaps to start a church, and others to a supporting role that strengthens a church or church plant.
A Tuesday evening “Home Group” predates the launch of Pioneer Community. A Friday evening Home Group was added this past January. For the last two years, the pastor’s wife, Jennifer Smith, has led a women’s Bible study on each month’s second and fourth Saturday mornings.
Vital to the pastor: becoming known in Eagle Mountain. “I try to ensure that the service honors the Lord, and I attend as many community events as possible,” Smith said. “I show up, and God does all the work.”
An open-air grill trailer is used by PCC to bless their community, provided by funds from the UISBC State Missions Offering
A mission team from Corner-Stone Church in Jefferson, Georgia, plans to lead Vacation Bible School June 23-26 for the fourth year in a row for Pioneer Community, one of the church’s major evangelistic outreaches every year. Berea First Baptist Church in Greenville, S.C., plans to help with outreach during Eagle Mountain’s Pony Express Days May 28-31. This will be their fourth year as well.
With help from its partner churches and the Utah-Idaho Southern Baptist Convention, Pioneer Community Church bought an open-air grill trailer to use on the final day of VBS, Pony Express Days, neighborhood block parties, lunches at the high school, and other outreaches throughout the year.
“We’re in a season of encouragement right now,” Smith said. “We’ve had attendance in the 90s a couple of times, but I’m not a numbers guy. Seeing spiritual growth is more important and exciting.”
We continue to highlight our busy VBS training season for the remainder of April and beyond. Join us as we seek to utilize your CP dollars to equip churches on the greatest evangelistic outreach event your church can host to reach your community with the gospel. Say YES to VBS!
Earlier events on the calendar may push VBS planning to the back burner. But it may be the most important planning of the church year.
Nashville, TN- For many churches, dates for Vacation Bible School (VBS) are among the first placed on the church calendar each year. Churches give VBS high priority because pastors recognize VBS as one of the most important evangelistic events for the entire church year.
In some churches, a volunteer serves as the VBS director. Other churches may have a children’s ministry staff person who’s responsible for coordinating VBS. For some churches, especially single-staff churches, the pastor may wear the hat of VBS director. When a VBS director is wearing multiple hats, it is not uncommon for earlier events on the calendar to quickly push VBS planning to the back burner.
Preparation with a purpose
But preparing for Vacation Bible School can be compared to preparing for a trip. When I go on a trip for five days, I don’t just throw a toothbrush and some clothes in a bag and head to parts unknown. When planning a vacation, I sometimes spend months learning as much as I can about my destination. As a result, I can make lists of items I need to pack to enable me and those traveling with me to have the best experience possible.
Similar to planning for a destination vacation, planning must take high priority when preparing to guide children and families on an exciting journey during VBS. The destination for some may be accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. For those who are already Christians, the destination may be growing in their daily walk with Christ. When a church recognizes the potential for eternal impact, VBS planning may become the most important planning of the church year.
I often hear, “There is no tired like VBS tired.” Let’s face it. VBS is hard work! But it’s worth it. VBS is the one week of the year with the potential to mobilize the entire church to reach the community with the gospel. At the same time, churches are providing a unique discipleship experience for individual children and volunteers.
Equipping leaders for VBS
Enlisting volunteers early in the year and providing teaching resources are important parts of VBS preparation. In order to be successful, volunteers need to receive more than a leader guide. Volunteers need training. While most churches schedule VBS during the summer months, the planning and training process should begin much earlier. Thousands of leaders attend Lifeway VBS Previews in January each year. State conventions and associations schedule training sessions as early as February.
Training is an important part of seeing people come to Christ through VBS. Lifeway VBS statistics show that for every person trained for VBS, we see 1.1 salvations. Awareness of those statistics motivates me to see every VBS leader trained to share the gospel. Training VBS leaders includes more than Bible study leaders. Music, crafts, recreation, missions, and even snack leaders need to be trained to share the gospel during VBS. Recreation and snacks are areas where kids often let their guards down and are more open to conversations. I have heard testimonies of recreation and snack leaders who had an opportunity to lead a child to Christ. A trained leader will be more confident in having gospel conversations with children, parents, and grandparents.
Enlistment and training are key elements of preparing for a successful VBS, but there is so much more. Every April and May, multiple people ask me: “Are you getting ready to start working on VBS?” People are often surprised to learn I work on VBS all year long. While some breathe a sigh of relief when the last decoration comes down, some of the most important work is just beginning. Personal follow-up with prospects and individuals who have made decisions needs to start right away.
By now, you may be thinking “VBS is months away and we are already behind. How can we map out a strategy for VBS without getting overwhelmed?” Lifeway prepares a VBS Administrative Guide each year to help in planning a successful VBS. The VBS 2024 Administrative Guide presents a six-step strategy to guide churches in VBS planning.
Know your purpose and theme.
Start planning.
Enlist and train your workers.
Promote and publicize.
Register participants.
Continue the connection.
Each step has tips and tools to help you accomplish that particular step. One of my favorite tools for helping VBS directors is the planning calendar provided in step two. The calendar is a checklist of tasks that need to be completed before, during, and after VBS. The list is divided into months leading up to VBS, helping VBS directors track their progress as they move toward VBS week. The calendar begins with tasks to be completed as early as six to nine months before VBS and gradually adds additional tasks. This planning process helps directors avoid feeling overwhelmed by attempting to do multiple tasks within a few weeks before VBS begins.
Lifeway’s VBS Directors Club is another great resource. The VBS Directors Club gives access to recruiting and enlistment tools, downloads for exclusive themed clip art, training presentations, a downloadable VBS planning timeline, and more.
Keep the main thing the main thing
In the midst of everything that must be done before VBS, it is easy to forget the purpose of VBS. The VBS director may have gathered all the items on the supply list. Teachers may have cut and sorted all the items in their leader pack. Worship leaders may have learned the motions to every song. Craft leaders may have organized every item possible for a project. But a leader who has not studied information on sharing the plan of salvation is not ready.
Always remember that the main purpose of VBS should be to reach lost people for Christ. You can have lots of fun with a theme and share all kinds of stories from the Bible. But remember to keep the main thing the main thing—helping unsaved children, students, and adults come to an understanding of their need for a Savior.
When you have made your lists and checked them multiple times, what else do you need to do? Be intentional about informing leaders about how your church plans to handle decisions during VBS. Help leaders know it is not their job to save people. They may not see results from their efforts right away. Their role is to share the good news of Jesus prayerfully, carefully, and lovingly. Encourage leaders to leave the rest to God.
Consider having a commissioning service on the Sunday before VBS begins. Pray with leaders, thanking God for the privilege of sharing His love with future generations. Ask God to bless the preparation of each leader and to give them opportunities to share with children, students, and their families.
If you find yourself questioning how you can justify months of planning for one week out of the church year, remind yourself of the main purpose of VBS. VBS is worth it!
Vicki has served as a childhood specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board (TBMB) for 19 years. Before coming to TBMB, Vicki served on church staffs in the areas of preschool, children, students, family, and education ministries. One of Vicki’s greatest passions is to help churches explore ways to move outside the walls of the church to reach their community for Christ.
