If you ever attended Vacation Bible School as a child, youll recall the fun of wearing sandals and shorts to church, consuming cookies and Kool-Aid, hearing Bible stories and creating crafts. A valuable ministry of the church, VBS had one shortcoming: it seldom reached children who didnt come to church.

Backyard Bible clubs are a way to take Christ into the neighborhoods, bringing a life-changing message to unchurched children. By learning the 5 Ws (why, what, who, when and where) of hosting a Bible club, any team of Christians can help children experience the joy of learning about Jesus.

Why host a backyard Bible club?Then Jesus said, Leave the children alone, and dont try to keep them from coming to Me, because the kingdom of heaven is made up of people like this (Matthew 19:14). Though many children come to the Savior through Sunday school and church, Christians also have a responsibility to take the light of Jesus to unchurched families. Additionally, the example parents set for their own children while planning a neighborhood outreach inspires them to share the gospel and reinforces their own faith. Third, hosting a backyard club helps us build friendships with more families in our neighborhoods. Finally, its a lot of fun! To quote one of our guests, It was more fun than Nintendo!

What is a backyard Bible club? Similar to a five-day Vacation Bible School, but on a much more personal level, the club consists of a few basic elements. These are the Bible story, small group time, games, crafts, snacks and possibly music and memory verses.

Welcome and Craft  As children arrive, they are invited to join in the arrival activities, which may include the days craft project. Children who finish early may play or create more art on their own until youre ready to gather the whole group together.

Plan your craft to relate to your Bible story. For example, if youre teaching on Noahs Ark, make something related to the ark or animals. In our clubs, weve made WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) bracelets, bookmarks, tiny decorative flowerpots, treasure boxes and other lesson-related projects.

Music If someone can play the guitar or lead simple choruses, singing is the perfect transition between arrival activities and the Bible story. Prepare to be thrilled as the summer breezes carry the sounds of childrens praises off into the neighborhood.

Bible lesson Choose action-packed Bible stories or Bible concepts you wish to reinforce. Be sure to utilize visuals, unique storytelling techniques and lively methods that keep kids attention. Involve the children by asking them to listen for a certain word or phrase or to hold up visuals for you. Since youll have a mixture of churched and unchurched children, let your lesson do double duty: expose the unchurched kids to the story for the first time, and enrich the churched kids knowledge by teaching them something they may not already have heard.

After the Bible story, you may choose to teach a memory verse. Try an active game, such as writing the words on balloons and letting children pop the balloons as they learn the verse, or letting them spray the leader with a squirt bottle when they can say the verse!

Games For game time, weve enjoyed balloon volleyball, scavenger hunts and relay races of all kinds. Hot potato, where an object is passed until the music stops, can easily be adapted to the days lesson. Weve also had great success with Bible Club Olympics, in which we divide the group into two teams who compete for points in a series of  events such as whipped cream eating, ice cube passing or other unique competitions. A Get Wet Day featuring running through sprinklers and playing with water balloons is always a big hit. Carnival Day, another popular game option, lets kids redeem tickets to play games such as bowling over an array of tin cans or tossing a football at a stuffed animal. After playing each game, they win a small prize such as a sticker or a piece of candy.

Small Groups Depending on your churchs customs, this time may be used to get to know the children, to make sure they understand the basics of the days story and the gospel message, or to give them an opportunity to pray and ask Jesus to be Lord of their lives. Again, kid-friendly teaching methods should be used during this time. For children who respond with a decision for the Lord, talk to them privately later and make sure they understand the gospel message that was shared. Communicate this with their parents, follow up according to your churchs procedures and rejoice with them!

Snack Choose snacks that are not too messy or difficult to prepare. You may build up to a special snack, such as ice cream sundaes, on the last day of club. One year we served a picnic lunch on the final day. When the moms came, the kids were contentedly munching on corn dogs and were in no hurry to go home. You may also coordinate your snack with your Bible lesson. For example, if youre learning about the sower and the seed, try making gummy worm gardens in chocolate pudding mud and chocolate cookie crumb dirt.

Whom will you invite? Who will help you run the club? Your neighborhood is probably full of more unchurched children than you realize. Make up a colorful flyer with details of your club and tantalizing previews of what youll be doing each day. Publicize your club to families with young children (older children may participate as helpers). In addition to inviting people you already know, make the rounds of your neighborhood at a time when most people are home. Knock on doors of homes where you think there may be small children, introduce yourself and invite them to the club. Assure them that parents are welcome to attend if theyre hesitant about leaving their children at a strangers home. (You wont be strangers for long.)

Despite your efforts, you may end up with mostly churched kids at your club. Dont be disappointed! Youre still faithfully teaching Gods Word to children who need to hear as much of it as possible. And this may be the week that one of them decides to make his own commitment to Christ. Remember to plan your lessons to build on the faith of the churchgoers as well as to introduce the Bible to the seekers. You may want to encourage children to bring a friend and win a prize so that your club will grow as the week goes on.

Who will help you with the club? For a smoothly running club, try to have three or four adults and one or two youth helpers. Ask a couple of good friends from your church to help you. You may supplement your staff with other Christian adults and teens in your neighborhood. When planning your club, make a full list of your tasks, then divide them up among your helpers. In our clubs, weve had from 12 to 24 kids attending each day, including helpers kids, so be prepared. To cover costs, a few options might be asking your church to help, splitting the costs among the club leaders or asking childrens parents to bring specific snack items or craft supplies.

When is the best time for a club? Middle to late summer works especially well, for boredom has set in and kids are looking for something different to do. You may hold a morning club if children in your neighborhood are available then or an early evening club when families are home and the temperature is cooler. If you cant manage five days, try a two- or three-day club. At Christmas and Easter, the same concept can be applied to a one-day club or party.

Where should we hold the club? Obviously, a summertime club with lots of kids lends itself to being held outside. Youll want to designate and equip areas for games, crafts and snacks, and youll want quiet (preferably shady) areas for the Bible lesson and small groups. In case bad weather spoils your plans, have an alternate location in mind: someones basement or garage, perhaps.

The Reward Words cant express the joy of seeing a child understand a Bible concept or make a first-time commitment to Jesus Christ. Youll want to follow up on each childs decision according to your churchs usual outreach procedures. This may involve inviting them to church, giving them a Bible and other literature and most important, arranging to continue a friendly, loving relationship. What an eternal joy it is to know that youve been obedient to Christ by bringing His message out into your neighborhood!

Summertime. Sandals and shorts. Cookies and Kool-Aid. Bible stories, games and crafts. It sounds just like VBS. But theres one key differenceyoure bringing Bible school to neighborhood children instead of hoping neighborhood children will come to Bible school. And dont be surprised if the children request a repeat performance next summer!

Denise A. Boiko is a freelance writer living in San Jose, California. Over the years, her familys backyard (and home!) has been the site of several neighborhood Bible clubs.