Easy ways to add missions to your Vacation Bible School
By Josie Oldenburg —
Julianne loved reading stories of missionaries as a young child and always looked forward to hearing from missionaries at her church. God used these stories and people in her life to begin building the desire for her to serve as a missionary herself one day.
Earlier this year, she moved to Macedonia, where she will share the good news of Jesus, disciple new believers, and encourage her Macedonian friends to reach their country and the world for Christ.
Could one of the children signed up for your church’s Vacation Bible School end up becoming a missionary like Julianne? Little ears can grasp big ideas — even ideas as huge as the Great Commission.
“But,” I hear you saying, “This year’s VBS curriculum is already set in stone.” Don’t fret – you’re not too late! Here are a few tips for adding quick missions moments to your regularly scheduled VBS programming.
1. Let a T-shirt be your guide.
When children are gathered in small groups, check the tag on one child’s shirt. Pray together for the country where it was made; ask God to send workers to that land so that any unreached people there can hear the good news of his love. The next day, check another child’s shirt and pray for a new (or possibly the same!) country. If leaders have their phones on them, it might be helpful to pull up a world map to show the children where the country is. If you do this in a large group, you can hang a world map and have the child place a star on the country.
2. Make it a game.
Kids learn through play, so why not take one game session during the week to “teach” about missions? One idea that uses supplies you probably already have on hand: Set up an obstacle course — tunnels to squirm through, chair bridges to cross, cones to dodge, ropes to walk along, a water hazard if you’re outside in the heat. Explain that there are unreached people all over the world who don’t have any Bibles or any people to tell them that God loves them. Missionaries carry God’s good news to these people, even when the journey is tricky or dangerous. Hand each child a balloon on which you’ve written the name of an unreached people group. ( Here’s a list of the world’s 100 largest unreached people groups.) Challenge them to carry their balloon “Bible” safely through the obstacle course. Another idea: Play “Smuggle the Bible” — similar to Capture the Flag, except that you’re trying to sneak “Bibles” (again, these can be balloons) INTO the other team’s side without getting caught.
3. Invite a missionary.
Unlike most missionary presentations, VBS is wild and fun — but missionaries can get crazy, too! If your church has missionaries in town on home service, invite them to participate in a way that keeps the fun flowing, but also broadens the children’s understanding of the world. Perhaps the missionaries could run games one day, but the games could be from the country where they serve. Or they could take over one day’s snack time, but serve something slightly foreign (but still delicious).
4. Write a missionary.
It can be tricky to know how to entertain kids when most of the group is still eating or crafting, but a few already have finished up. Missionaries to the rescue! On the first day of VBS, flash a photo of a missionary family and tell about their country and ministry. (Bonus if they have school-aged children so that the VBS kids can relate.) (Double bonus if the missionary family will record a brief video to show at VBS.) Throughout the week, as children need a quick little something to do, hand them notecards and a pencil, and ask them to write a note (or draw a picture) to send to the missionary family.
5. Pick a project.
Ask the missionaries that your church supports (or if it doesn’t support any missionaries, ask a missions organization) if they have any child-friendly projects that could use some cash. Think: Craft supplies for a village Sunday school, uniforms for children in need, balls for a basketball outreach. Get a big ol’ bucket and challenge the children to fill it up with coins. Show progress by asking children to come up each day to try to lift the bucket. Many kids love the chance to get up on stage, and hopefully lifting the bucket will get harder and harder as the week progresses!
Additional Posts
Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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