VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
2008-2015

Jason Tay Bee Heng

VBS Objectives

The Vacation Bible School (VBS) is a ministry of True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church (TLBPC) to children and teens from ages 3 to 14. The objectives of the VBS are (1) to evangelise the young people with the Gospel of Christ and (2) to teach them the Word of God. This is in obedience to the Great Commission given by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in Matthew 28:19-20.

 

VBS 2008-2014

 

By God’s providence, VBS was first organised in June 2008 under the name of Vacation Bible Adventure (VBA). To reflect a more holistic Christian education programme, the name VBA was changed to VBS in 2010.

We thank God for using brother Benedict Tan to start the VBA ministry in TLBPC in 2008. God is faithful to see that His work is continued each year through the subsequent VBS coordinators, namely brothers Timothy Tan, Samuel Eio and Clement Chew with their respective planning committees. We have been encouraged by the labour of love of these brethren for the Lord and for the children.

We are grateful to the Lord for seeing the VBS through the past seven years. Each year, God is faithful and good to move the hearts of many in the church to come forward to serve Him in various areas such as assisting the teachers during lesson time, song leading, playing the guitar, helping to serve food during meal time, driving the children to and from VBS, leading in games, taking photographs, and helping in administration matters. We are also thankful for the involvement of FEBC students in the various departments of VBS with the blessings of Mrs Tow.

There were also many brethren who laboured lovingly for the Lord behind the scenes such as those who gave out the VBS registration forms during evangelism and last but not least, those who helped to prepare the art-and-craft materials prior to the VBS.

The following table is a summary of VBS for the past seven years.

 

Year	Theme	Theme Verse	No of Children	No of Volunteers*	Venue	Advisors	Co-ordinator
2008	Dino Detectives: Digging For God’s Truth		72	35	Boys’ Brigade HQ		Benedict Tan
2009	Operation Space: A Close Encounter with God’s Word		70-80	40	Boys’ Brigade HQ		Benedict Tan
2010	SeaQuest: Diving for God’s Treasure	Mark 8:36	74	50	Boys’ Brigade HQ	Eld Joseph / Sis Jenny	Timothy Tan
2011	Heroes of Faith	Heb 11:6	82	58	Boys’ Brigade HQ	Eld Joseph / Sis Jenny	Samuel Eio
2012	Transformed in Christ	Rom 12:2	59	59	Calvary Pandan BPC	Eld Joseph / Sis Jenny	Samuel Eio
2013	Walking With Jesus	1 John 1:7	60	60	Calvary Pandan BPC	Eld Joseph / Sis Jenny	Clement Chew
2014	Learning From Jesus	Matt 11:29	70	60	Calvary Pandan BPC	Eld Joseph / Sis Jenny	Samuel Eio

*including part-timers

 

VBS Programme

 

Central to the three-day VBS programme is the teaching of God’s Word. Since 2013, these lessons have been developed by the teachers (coordinated by HOD at each level and vetted by FEBC-trained brethren), once the VBS theme is determined by the planning committee. We pray that the resulting curriculum which reflects the Reformed and Premillennial faith of TLBPC, can be put to good use in the VBS of both local and overseas churches.

At the start of each day’s programme, a good number of gospel songs especially those related to the VBS theme will be taught and sung during singspiration which is conducted by song leaders and musicians. Children and teens can also look forward to the art and craft sessions to reinforce the spiritual lessons learnt. On day two of VBS, all the departments will participate in the station games, designed with certain object lessons to help the young people glean spiritual truths.

The three days of VBS which usually start on Wednesday culminate in the VBS Night (previously known as “Special Nite”) on Friday, when the parents will be invited to attend and watch their children and teens present various items relating to the VBS lessons and activities, and most importantly, to hear the gospel.

We praise and thank God for the children who have received Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour each year during VBS. This is indeed confirmation from the Lord that the good old-fashioned teaching of God’s Word is sufficient for salvation which is of the Lord (Jon 2:9). Truly the teachers and helpers have been used by the Lord to plant the gospel seed, but it is God who gives the increase (1 Cor 3:6-7).

VBS 2015

 

This year, the VBS will be held from 3 to 5 June 2015 at Calvary Pandan BPC. The theme is “Be Like Jesus” based on 1 John 2:6, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” Students will learn more about the Lord Jesus and how to be like Him. For the first time, VBS will be extended to all Secondary 1 and 2 students, with the approval of the church session.

Nowadays parents sign up their children for enrichment classes without hesitation despite the cost, in order to maximise their children’s potential. What is better than to set aside just three days out of their month-long vacation to ensure they are nourished by the Word of God, so as to equip them to withstand the wiles and temptations of the devil especially at their young age. We hope to instill eternity’s values in the hearts and minds of the children.

Do sign up your children and teens for VBS!

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Prov 22:6).

Testimonies

 

“My parents first signed me up for VBS when I was 5 years old. I attended VBS with my siblings. During VBS, there were many lessons taught. I also memorised Bible verses. All these valuable lessons made me grow more in Christ and drew me closer to God. In addition, I enjoyed both the art-and-craft sessions and the games. I look forward to every year’s VBS as I can make new friends from other churches. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to be able to attend the VBS.” Han Juai Seu

“I remember that the first VBS (known then as VBA—Vacation Bible Adventure) started in 2008 and was held at The Boys’ Brigade HQ. The topic was on Dinosaurs. I can’t remember all the lessons but I can recall sitting on a long table with other children, colouring our art-and-craft work.

“I also remember having the first VBS in Calvary Pandan where we learnt to be transformed in Christ. The theme verse was taken from Romans 12:1-2.

“I have definitely been blessed by VBS, and I know some of the lessons I learnt will always be with me as I grow up. I would like to thank God for making it possible for me to go to all the VBS every year.

“VBS is also a very good opportunity for me to invite my school friends to come to church and hear of the gospel. The art-and-craft, games and singing of songs are all centred on God. The lessons during VBS have taught me a lot about God. I hope to grow spiritually to be a good testimony to my unbelieving friends and family members.” Tan Li Ann

“I thank God that I was able to attend the VBS since I was in lower primary. I have learnt many lessons on God’s Word in the past VBS.

“In the year of the VBS theme ‘Walking with Jesus’, which was also my PSLE year, I learnt how important it is to always stay close to God and trust in Him in all matters. Many times when I run into problems or felt too stressful, I would just go to my friends or try to solve the problems by myself. With the lessons taught in VBS, I learned that no matter what happened, I should always walk with Christ and trust in Him at all times. In another year, the theme was ‘New Life in Christ’. When we follow Christ, we must make sure that our behaviour and attitude are changed according to God’s teaching and that people will see a difference in us.

“Besides learning Bible lessons, we also had fun and games at the VBS. The games were meaningful and I got to learn new things related to the lessons. I remember once, there was a game where I was blindfolded and my friends had to lead me walking through a maze. From this, I learnt how God is leading and guiding us all the way and without Him, we would all get lost. God is our Shepherd and we are His sheep. In VBS, I also had the chance to make new Christian friends. I really thank God for the opportunity to attend VBS for so many years.” Trina Ng