Grice Memorial Mission VBS Resource

What Is the Grice Memorial Mission VBS Offer?  

     Homer L. Grice was called to the Sunday School Board in 1924 to become the first Convention-wide promoter of Vacation Bible School work.  Dr. Grice, with the help of his wife Ethel, was a pioneer in the development and growth of Vacation Bible School as a significant outreach and evangelistic ministry of Southern Baptist churches.  The Grices demonstrated throughout their lives, through their work and conservative life-style, their love for children.

     Dr. and Mrs. Grice distributed the bulk of their estate to missions through the Cooperative Program.  Part of the balance of the estate established a trust that benefits churches that “conduct Mission VBS in a spiritual ministry to underprivileged children.”

 How Is This Assistance Given?

(Before requesting these funds, a church should determine that it cannot reasonably finance its own mission VBS endeavor.  These funds are intended to help in special needs, not to supplement churches with budgets capable of providing their own missions VBS resources.)

Funds from this trust are presently being used to provide some free Backyard Bible Club/Mission VBS curriculum materials to Southern Baptist churches or to established Southern Baptist missions for use in Mission Vacation Bible Schools that are planned to reach and minister to underprivileged children and their families. Funds available are very limited and are distributed to the greatest needs until exhausted. These resources are available only to Southern Baptist churches and are not available for any other purpose except Mission VBS work in communities economically deprived or situations where children are disadvantaged.  "Underprivileged" is the key factor in distribution of these funds. For information about applying for these funds, contact Becky Martin at Lifeway Christian Resources.

  To learn more about how to plan and conduct Mission Vacation Bible Schools, contact your state convention Sunday School office.  For a directory of Baptist state convention offices, click here. For North Carolinians the number is 800-395-5102, Extension 427. Or, to email Gail Ledbetter, NC Baptist State Convention VBS worker,  Click here.

     A Mission Vacation Bible School is a Bible study and outreach project for older preschoolers and children.  Its purpose is to provide Bible study to those who are usually not enrolled in Sunday School and have little or no background knowledge of the Bible.

     A Mission Vacation Bible School is usually planned for these hours a day for five consecutive days, although scheduling can be flexible to reach the most people possible.  Each session includes Bible stories, music, prayer, Scripture memory activities, and worship.  Refreshments are often served.

     A Mission VBS may be conducted in a variety of settings either in a building or outdoors.  Older youth may be trained to serve effectively on a Mission VBS faculty in older preschool or children’s departments.

 What Are the Church’s Obligations?

     To qualify for the free curriculum materials a Southern Baptist church must agree to utilize them in Bible study and ministry with underprivileged children and their families.  The amount of free materials that will be provided depends on the need and the availability at the time.  Churches receiving free materials will be asked to:  (1) use materials to reach and minister to underprivileged children, (2) provide date and location of each Mission VBS, (3) plan  for  appropriate follow-up to the Sunday School or evangelistic prospects discovered, and (4) send a report of each school to the address given on the report form. To contact Lifeway Christian Resources for additional information, click here.