What is it Worth?

Is it worth the planning… supplies… effort… money… time… worry…
____________________________?
(You fill in the blank)
Do you ever wonder – is Vacation Bible School worth it?
Some get concern that the cost is so exorbitant for a small church budget, and even though they might have many children attend, the return on investment isn’t worth the expense.
Crafts left at the church for the tired volunteer to throw away, dejected that it wasn’t loved enough to even make it out of the classroom door. Snacks devoured in an eighth of the time it took to put them together or even pass out. Inattentive children squirming around while the Bible story is shared.
It might seem like every year the congregation grows smaller and maybe its time to consider that next year, “It’s not worth it.”
Is it fair to say that maybe we are asking the wrong question about these programs? That it’s not a matter of is what we are putting into the program, getting a good return on our investment.
Yes, programs can be expensive, and attendance can be on the lower end sometimes, but the message will always be worth all of those things listed as long as the message is the life-giving Word of God sharing His love for all of us in Jesus.
No matter the expense of the material, the take-home ability of the crafts, or the short life of snack foods, even squirming bodies have ears that are hearing, possibly actively listening to, what is being proclaimed. And it is the message proclaimed that we want children to take home and into their hearts for it is the message of eternal life in Jesus. And that is priceless.
What the church has to give children is priceless.
Take heart, the return on investment might not be seen until heaven, when Jesus unites all of us, His brothers and sisters, at the banquet feast.
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