By Stephen Appleby

"If you had only one week to teach a child who God is, what would you want them to know?"

That simple question became the foundation for this year's Vacation Bible School at the Scappoose–St. Helens Seventh-day Adventist Church.

As I began planning several months ago, I found myself asking that question over and over again. If a child only came to our church for one week, what would I want them to remember ten years from now? I realized I didn't want them to simply remember a giant wooden ark, colorful decorations, or even the exciting stories of Noah and the Flood.

I wanted them to remember the God behind Noah's story.

The more I studied Genesis, the more I realized that Noah isn't really the hero of the story. The ark isn't the hero either. Every event in Noah's life reveals something about God's character. That realization completely changed the way I planned our Vacation Bible School.

Instead of organizing the week around events in Noah's life, we organized it around five simple truths about God.

Day One: God Sees.

Day Two: God Speaks.

Day Three: God Saves.

Day Four: God Keeps His Promises.

Day Five: God Makes All Things New.

Each day built upon the previous one, allowing the children to discover not just what God did, but who He is.

Every lesson, every song, every craft, every science experiment, every game, and every snack was intentionally designed to reinforce one of those five truths. As the program began taking shape, it also became clear that most of our children would be between six and ten years old. Rhonda, my wife, played a pivotal role in helping adapt the entire week for that younger age group. Her insight into how children learn helped transform ideas on paper into lessons that kept them engaged, participating, and excited to come back each day.

Together, we also wanted the children to understand something about Noah himself. Noah didn't simply build an ark—he trusted the God who asked him to do something that had never been done before. That simple truth became the theme of our entire week. Every day the children joyfully sang our theme song, "Noah Said Yes!", complete with hand motions, as they answered one simple question:

"If God asked you to do something... what would you say?"

With smiles and enthusiasm, the children answered together,

“We Say Yes!"

Our prayer was that long after the songs had ended, those children would remember that following God begins with trusting Him enough to simply say, "Yes."

Throughout the week, the children enthusiastically sang original songs written specifically for each day's lesson. Their excitement was contagious, and by Sabbath morning they confidently led the congregation with joyful singing and the hand motions they had practiced all week.

One of the highlights each day was our Mystery Box. The children eagerly tried to guess what object was hidden inside before discovering how something as simple as binoculars, a brass hinge, a sealed envelope, or even a tiny seed illustrated that day's lesson. Those simple object lessons often sparked some of the best conversations of the week.

One area that generated a great deal of excitement was our science station. Rather than treating science and the Bible as though they were in conflict, we designed hands-on experiments to help children see that God's creation and His Word work together. Through fossils, sedimentary layers, geodes, prisms, and other activities, the children were encouraged to consider the evidence for a worldwide Flood and how it helped shape the world we see today. Our goal wasn't simply to entertain them with experiments, but to help them discover that the Bible's account of Creation and the Flood can be trusted.

Perhaps my favorite object lesson came on Day Four. At the beginning of the program, I promised every child they would receive a special prize before going home. Throughout the day they wondered what it would be and whether I would really keep my promise. At the end of the afternoon, we opened the Mystery Box and found a sealed envelope that simply read, "A promise is only meaningful if you keep it." Then every child received a rainbow sticker, just as promised. It was a small gift, but it illustrated a life-changing truth: God never forgets His promises.

None of this would have been possible without an incredible team of volunteers. Every decoration, every science station, every craft, every snack, every song, and every smiling welcome represented countless hours of service. Vacation Bible School is never the work of one person, and our church family came together in a remarkable way to help make this week possible.

The week culminated on Sabbath morning as many of the children returned with their parents and grandparents from our community. Watching them confidently lead the congregation in singing "Noah Said Yes!" with all the hand motions they had learned throughout the week was a joyful reminder that Vacation Bible School is about much more than filling a week on the church calendar. It is about building relationships and inviting families to continue discovering who God is.

One of the most meaningful moments of the entire week, however, happened before the Sabbath service ever began.

On Friday, I shortened each station by five minutes so we could spend a little more time together before everyone went home. Rather than rushing to finish the schedule, I simply invited the children to ask questions.

I wasn't sure what to expect.

What happened next reminded me why children's ministry is so important.

One child asked, "Why do we need God?"

Another asked, "Why are there so many churches?"

Someone else wanted to know, "How can God see everything?"

These weren't questions from adults or theologians. They came from children between six and ten years old.

As I listened, I was reminded that children often think about much deeper things than we realize. They aren't just curious about Bible stories—they're trying to understand God Himself.

Being able to open the Bible together and thoughtfully answer those questions became one of the most rewarding experiences of the entire week.

As I watched those children asking sincere questions on our final afternoon, I realized that Vacation Bible School isn't really about answering every question a child might have. It's about introducing them to the God who invites them to keep asking.

If they leave knowing they can trust Him enough to seek Him, open His Word, and continue discovering His character, then we've accomplished far more than simply hosting a successful week of Vacation Bible School.

So, if you had only one week to teach a child who God is, what would you want them to know?

Our answer this year was simple.

We wanted every child to know that God sees them.

That God still speaks through His Word.

That God longs to save them.

That God always keeps His promises.

And that one day He will make all things new.

Our prayer is that years from now these children won't simply remember Noah's ark.

They'll remember the God they met because of Noah's story.

And most important, they will always say, “Yes!”

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Stephen Appleby is the head elder of the Scappoose–St. Helens Seventh-day Adventist Church, where he directed this year's Vacation Bible School.