With summer programs competing against high-cost sports academies and NYC day camps, local churches debate whether a neighborhood VBS plants deep enough roots or whether the transformative power of overnight camp justifies the significant cost burden on families.
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Add your commentThe cost argument is the real issue nobody wants to address directly. We're in Hudson County. A lot of families here are paycheck to paycheck. Asking them to shell out $800-1,200 for a week at some Christian camp in the Catskills, on top of everything else, is simply not realistic. A well-run VBS that's free and walkable is not a spiritual consolation prize — it's an act of justice.
My daughter went to a Christian overnight camp in Warren County two summers ago and honestly it was the best thing we ever did for her faith. She came back with a prayer journal, actual friends who held her accountable, and she started reading her Bible on her own for the first time. BUT — and this is crucial — our church subsidized a third of the cost. If churches pooled resources and created a real scholarship fund instead of just running the same VBS curriculum they bought off LifeWay in 2019, maybe we wouldn't be treating this like an either/or question.
Grew up going to VBS at First Baptist right here in Secaucus every single summer, and I turned out fine spiritually, thank you very much. My kids went too. There's something to be said for coming home to your own bed, eating your mom's cooking, and STILL learning about Jesus. You don't need to ship a 9-year-old to the Poconos to teach them who God is.
Theologically speaking, the early church didnt have zip lines and cabin devotionals either, and somehow the faith spread. The idea that spiritual transformation REQUIRES a mountain setting is honestly a little close to nature mysticism if you ask me. The Word is the Word whether youre in Secaucus or the Adirondacks.
I want to challenge every pastor reading this thread: when did YOUR church last audit what kids actually retained from VBS? Not attendance numbers, not craft photos for the newsletter. What doctrine do those kids know in September that they didnt know in June? If you can answer that with data and confidence, great. If you're silent right now, maybe the overnight camp crowd has a point.
Just moved here from Georgia about two years ago and I will say the North Jersey church culture around summer programming genuinely surprised me. Back home overnight youth camp was basically a sacrament lol. Felt like half the congregation had their conversion moment around a campfire. Up here it seems like VBS is just sort of the default and nobody questions it? Is that a regional thing or am I missing something?
ok but can we be honest for a second. i volunteered at our church's VBS last July and by Thursday half the kids were just there for the snacks and the foam games. like genuinely could not tell you if a single bible verse landed. overnight camp changed my life at 12 years old. there's no comparison in terms of depth.
Fun fact: Billy Graham himself was saved at a week-long revival meeting, not an overnight camp. So clearly short-term intensive programs can produce life-altering results. Checkmate, camp people.
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