Feature photos courtesy of Jenks, First; Oklahoma City, Quail Springs and Jillian Burt.

For decades, Oklahoma Baptist churches have held Vacation Bible School (VBS) for the children in their church and in the community. VBS provides an opportunity for children to hear the Gospel and God’s Word in a fun environment.

Those who attend VBS come home encouraged and inspired. Each church has their own theme and schedule for VBS, with some even focusing on missions through community service events.

Many churches rely on Lifeway’s VBS teaching materials. The most current VBS kit, which comes premade materials and content for any church to use during their VBS, had a theme of “Illumination Station,” based on John 8:12— “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”

Churches of all sizes across Oklahoma have been or will be using the Lifeway VBS “Illumination Station” materials, including Altus, First; Rek Oak, First; Kingfisher, First; Catoosa, Oakgrove; and many others.

Building upon materials and customizing to their needs, Jenks, First utilized neon lighting and disco designs to decorate their church for VBS. Games were played under blacklights and campers made glow in the dark arm bands that had words of encouragement written in glowing ink.

Oklahoma City, Quail Springs, which also utilized the “Illumination Station” theme, reports on social media that “Dozens of children made decisions for Jesus Christ (at VBS) today!”

VBS relies on strong leaders and volunteers. Quail Springs recognized Stacie Sherry who has been serving at Oklahoma City, Quail Spring on staff and serving with VBS for 30 years.

“If you know Miss Stacie, you know she loves seeing kids follow Jesus,” said Sadie Youngs on Facebook. “She leads and serves our families so well at church. She is such a gift to us!”

In addition to “Illumination Station,” previous Lifeway themes were used by Oklahoma churches, including “Magnified.” Other churches create original themes to build their VBS around. One of these themes, “Dino-Mite” created by Sapulpa, First, focused on God’s goodness in fighting for us when the enemy attacks. This themed VBS had students participate in fun, dinosaur themed activities that pointed them towards Christ.

As the summer of 2026 continues, VBS continues to be a mainstay among Oklahoma Baptist churches and a way the Gospel is being heard by boys and girls across Oklahoma. For more information about VBS, visit https://www.oklahomabaptists.org/children/.