Vacationing With Jesus
A refuge for frazzled parents, an opportunity for churches.

BY JENNIFER GRAHAM
Friday, August 17, 2007 12:01 a.m. EDT

Here is an excerpt:

Glynis Jaszewski, a Roman Catholic who lives in the suburbs of Richmond, Va., sent her two children to Vacation Bible Schools at Protestant churches without qualms. “When I was working, they would always go to two or three of them in the summer; it was day care,” Mrs. Jaszewski said. She believes their generic Christian message doesn’t vary much, even across denominational lines.

Indeed, the big publishing houses that provide VBS material–the SBC’s LifeWay, the United Methodists’ Cokesbury and the nondenominational Standard Publishing (which produced the first printed VBS curriculum, in 1923)–peddle their wares to any church, regardless of denomination. And the simple themes based on Bible verses, with an accompanying VBS cheer (“Run the race, keep the pace, keep your eyes on Jesus!”), rarely stray into Wittenberg-like territory.

Mrs. Youngman, the pastor’s wife, said churches welcome any child to VBS, whatever the parents’ intent. “If we can connect with just one family, it’s worth it,” she said.

Pretty positive take from a major newspaper.  I wonder if the above quotation won’t spark some denunciations…