
Hundreds of kids, both English and Spanish speakers, attended VBS at First Baptist Church in Bryan, Texas, this year.
BRYAN, Texas — Desiring to reach kids with the gospel no matter their language or background, First Baptist Church (FBC) in Bryan, Texas, hosted two Vacation Bible Schools (VBS) this year — a daytime VBS in English and a concurrent option for Spanish-speakers in the evenings.
In their second year partnering for the event, kids pastor Jay Miller and Spanish pastor Teo Cisneros continue to see an opportunity to reach families by taking a multicultural approach to VBS.
“Between the two events, we had over 1,100 people a part of VBS this year including kids and volunteers,” Miller said.
More than 75 kids made decisions for Christ during the week, and the church has plans to offer additional events this summer to continue connection with the families who attended.
“My favorite part of VBS is two-fold,” said Laura Bauer, who has been volunteering to teach in the children’s classes since 2020. “On the leader end, it is a sweet picture to see the sacrifices adults are making to have an eternal impact on the next generation. It is the greatest gift to have the opportunity to love on kids and show them what it is like to be loved and known by Jesus.”
Julie Hamilton has been participating in FBC Bryan’s VBS for 26 years and has seen a lot of changes along the way. She said one of her greatest joys is knowing that the church is focusing on kingdom-building work through breaking down language barriers.
“It is a great outreach opportunity,” Hamilton said. “Over the years, my children and I have invited so many kids to VBS who may not go to church. It is a wonderful opportunity to invite unchurched kids. I love to see how God uses and brings together so many people to put together an amazing week.”
The church wrapped up its VBS celebration with a swimming party at a community pool that brought more than 500 people.
“Our VBS week is really focused on being one event with everyone working together for a common goal,” Miller said. “I’m so thankful to have a Spanish pastor who creates a bridge into the church for English and Spanish speakers, and this is not a one-off event, but a representation of the ministries already in place.”
Cisneros has been leading the Spanish congregation at FBC Bryan since 2019.
For churches considering putting together multicultural outreaches like this one, Miller offers insight and encouragement. Each year, they review and listen to feedback while coming up with new ideas. The pool party wrap-up was one such idea for this year.
“VBS is a launching point for growth,” Miller said. “Identify people in your church who are passionate about reaching people and who have an evangelistic heart and are passionate about kids having a multicultural experience. We really want to be careful not to have kids from other backgrounds trying to conform to our style or traditional way of doing things.
“Kids will be inviting their neighbors and friends from sports and dance teams, and we wanted to clearly communicate the gospel, so we really wanted to utilize gifted leaders who understand different cultures. We want families to feel welcome and feel like they are part of a family, whether they are English-speaking or Spanish-speaking.
“This isn’t a singular movement. This is a kingdom movement, and our desire is to benefit other churches as well, to build the kingdom and glorify God as we reach these kids with the gospel.”
Miller said outreaches like FBC’s VBS offer a glimpse of what heaven will be like.
“Even a couple of years ago, statistics showed that in 10-15 years that we wouldn’t have a majority ethnicity in our state, because Texas is a beautiful melting pot,” he said. “The church should look more like heaven with all the nations represented, and that is certainly being reflected in our community.”