It’s a great blessing to live in an area of the country where many of your friends and neighbors are people of faith. With that in mind, hopefully many of you will agree with me that Vacation Bible School – or VBS – is one of the best things about this time of year.

As I’m sure many of you are, I’m busy preparing for the part I myself will play in VBS this year. Our congregation plans a four-day event – Sunday through Wednesday, each evening – with classes for all ages, from baby through adult!

I’m teaching the baby class this year, from birth to 2 years old. It’s a class I’ve taught before for Sunday School, but never for VBS. I’m both nervous and excited.

To me, the value of the cradle roll class is two-fold: not only is it a precious time to start our sweet babies on a path of faithfulness, helping lay a foundation that will hopefully lead them to eternal truth, but it’s also an opportunity to serve the parents – giving them a chance to leave their little ones for an hour and have some uninterrupted time to hear a Bible lesson themselves.

I love thinking that even though I’m not teaching an adult class, I’m nonetheless playing a part in making it possible for mature Christians or seekers to learn more about the gospel and become closer to the Lord.

Because that’s what VBS is really about. Even though we might think of it as a time to “make church more fun,” so to speak, for little learners – an occasion filled with special songs, colorful crafts, unique activities and other enjoyment – at its core, VBS is about redeeming the time and taking the opportunity to build a little more Bible study into our summers.

More than sports camps, more than vacations, more than family reunions, more than birthday parties, Vacation Bible School is one of the most important and best ways we can enjoy the summer.

This is the opinion page of the Franklin County Times, so of course that’s my opinion. But I believe and have faith that it’s an opinion rooted in Biblical truth, and therefore it’s one I hold firmly.

If I could desire anything for the readers of the Franklin County Times, it would be to find deeper truth this summer, whether through VBS or any other means. That is my hope and prayer.