Trying new things can be scary. Trying new things outdoors in the middle of Texas summer is even scarier. But we knew we had to do something different after a traditional Vacation Bible School last year with low attendance. Kyle United Methodist Church is a small church in a rapidly growing area with lots of children and families.

In 2022, we were just coming off the pandemic, but our VBS attendance was drastically lower than in years past. We looked at factors that might have contributed to the low attendance and realized that we needed to meet people where they are instead of asking new people to come to our location—a location they were not familiar with.

Vacation Bible School in the Park was born! We decided to do a rotation style vacation bible school at a local park. We rented the pavilion across from the pool and next to the playground (hooray, shade!) for three Sunday evenings.

Families traveled from station-to-station together listening to bible stories, making crafts, doing science experiments, recreational activities, mission projects, and more! We were able to meet so many people (not just kids, but their guardians too!) from our community in a safe and familiar environment for the families. We were very pleased with our turnout, almost quadrupling the attendance from last year!

We continued relationships during the week through an email newsletter that included a devotional and invitation to next week’s VBS. Each week was a different scripture, story, and activity; all under the theme of Peace, Love and Jesus (which related to our crazy tie dye shirts that we became known for in Kyle). At the end of VBS, we invited the families back to the church for a Sunday evening closing celebration–indoors! We even fit a giant bounce house in the Family Life Center. We received great feedback from our closing celebration. New families started attending worship in the weeks following VBS.

Coming up with new ideas is easy, but getting support for your ideas is another story. I was so grateful for my pastor, Rev. Kallie Green, for her enthusiasm and encouragement for my crazy idea. To our surprise, our church was right behind us, helping us the whole way, even in over 100-degree weather!

We are thankful to the New People, New Places grant for providing us the funds to really “go big” for our first Vacation Bible School in the Park and make a lasting impression in our community. We plan to continue our community outreach events and look forward to planning next year’s Vacation Bible School in the Park.

If you’re interested in applying for the New People, New Places grant, there is one final grant cycle for 2023 with an October 26 deadline.

Written by Alissa Villarreal, Children’s and Youth Ministry Director, Kyle United Methodist Church