VBS came early to Ogden
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.
“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?
“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.”
