Building Faith’s 2024 Vacation Bible School and summer camp curriculum reviews are in! We have evaluated 10 new curricula for this year and found a variety of fun and fruitful options for VBS and camp programs. If your community is preparing for summer VBS, camp, or intergenerational formation opportunities, these reviews can help you get started in discerning which curriculum may best meet your community’s needs and goals.
Our Review Process
This year we invited a team of five ministry leaders to conduct the reviews. The team primarily examined publishers’ website content, sample materials that are available for free, and videos, rather than full curricula. In the evaluation process, the team considered six interrelated dimensions:
- Theological messages
- Interpretations and uses of scripture
- Approaches to learning and formation
- Language and practices regarding inclusivity and diversity of human identities and experiences, especially in relation to race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and economic status
- Attention to social justice, service, and creation care
- Program structure and logistics
Each review provides an overview of the curriculum and highlights what the curriculum does well as well as what could be improved. Below you can access individual slidedecks for each review. You can also follow this link to view the full slidedeck with all the reviews.
We offer our recommendations and critical feedback in a spirit of compassion and dedication to enriching faith formation for all people in liberating, life-giving ways. As always, we encourage you to reflect on the gifts, needs, values, and commitments of your ministry context in order to discern which curriculum may be best for your community.
Top Picks for 2024
This year’s top picks for new curricula are:
- “Camp Firelight: A Summer Camp Adventure with God” by Cokesbury
- “Compassion Camp: What Every Living Thing Needs” by Illustrated Ministry
- “Gather Together: Intergenerational Events to Explore All Creation Sings” by Sparkhouse
- “Hometown Nazareth: Where Jesus Was a Kid” by Group
- “Kindom Crafters: Imagine, Build, Discover” by Chalice Press
- “Linked by Love” by Chalice Press
- “Scuba: Diving into Friendship with God” by Group
- “Seekers in Sneakers: Discover Jesus” by Shine by Brethren Press and MennoMedia
On the whole, these resources tend to exhibit age-appropriate, theologically substantive formation opportunities that can offer a lot of fun, creativity, and play for VBS and camp participants. They tend to demonstrate attention to human diversity and inclusivity as well as to practices of social justice, service, and creation care. They also tend to reflect thoughtful and flexible program design, and the materials provide helpful guidance to set program leaders and directors up for success. While they also have areas for improvement within the criteria we assessed, we think that these curricula can be beneficial options for VBS, camp, or intergenerational formation programs.
Additional Reviews
We also reviewed these curriculum options:
- “Outback Rock: Where Kids Venture into Solid Faith” by Group
- “Start the Party: Celebrate the Good News” by Orange
As we studied their content and design, however, we found issues that pose obstacles to cultivating hospitable and meaningful faith formation opportunities. As a result, they are not among our recommended curricula this year.
For the full slidedeck of all reviews, follow this link: Building Faith VBS and Summer Camp Curriculum Reviews 2024
A Word of Thanks to Our Review Team
We want to conclude by offering many thanks to our curriculum review team: Sally Benton, Molly Herman-Gallow, Meg Jones, Juniper LaNunziata, and Marvin McLennon. They brought rich expertise and insight to the review process. Our Building Faith team is most grateful for the time, energy, and work that they contributed to this year’s reviews.
Check out their bios to learn more about them:
Sally Benton (she/her/hers)
Sally Benton is the Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries at St. John’s in McLean, Virginia and has been ministering to children and youth for over 10 years. She and her husband are currently living in Alexandria, VA with their two small children. They have had the joy of ministering together not only in parishes, but on college campuses, at summer camp, and just about everywhere in between. Sally is passionate about faith formation for all people and helping people build confidence in exploring their faith independently as well as in community.
Molly Herman-Gallow (she/her/hers)
Molly Herman-Gallow lives in Atlanta, GA and works on staff at St. Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church. She currently serves as St. Martin’s Children & Youth Minister and enjoys getting to minister to all of St. Martin’s families and youth. Molly is a cradle Episcopalian and grew up in the Diocese of Atlanta. She graduated from Elon University in 2019 with a filmmaking and religious studies degree. To this day, she loves telling the Church’s story through her work in ministry and her passion for photography and videography. In the fall, Molly plans to begin her Master of Divinity at Duke Divinity School.
Meg Jones (she/her/hers)
Meg Jones is serving as the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at Grace Church Cathedral in Charleston, SC. She is a lifelong Episcopalian, raised in the Diocese of Atlanta. After graduating from Appalachian State University, she spent two years at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta in their youth ministry internship program, a year doing children and youth ministry at a smaller church, and formerly as the Director of Christian Formation at Christ Church in New Bern, NC. Meg brings experience in churches of varying sizes as well as diocesan, provincial, and national church connections.
Juniper LaNunziata (they/them/theirs)
Juniper LaNunziata is the Director of Christian Formation at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Greenville, NC. They are a Pennsylvania native, but they have been living in the south for 15 years. Juniper loves to bake bread, drink boba tea, and go geocaching. Check out their blog for Christian formation and design at www.formedbyexperience.blog.
Marvin McLennon (he/him/his)
Marvin McLennon is the Director of Children and Youth Ministries at Christ Episcopal Church in Little Rock, AR. Marvin is a cradle Episcopalian and Arkansas native. He grew up attending St. Mark’s Episcopal Church where he became active in their youth group, diocesan youth leadership positions, and as a camper/counselor in training (CIT) at Camp Mitchell. Marvin attended Hendrix College, where he received his degree in Communications. During his college years, Marvin spent his summers attending Camp Mitchell as a camp counselor and social media coordinator. After graduating in 2013, he moved to Louisiana to be a Episcopal Service Corps member, where he served as the assistant youth director for St. James Baton Rouge. After his year of service, Marvin became the Youth Director for St. James as well as the Diocesan Youth Director for the Diocese of Louisiana until 2016, when he moved back to Arkansas to begin working for Christ Church.
Featured image is by Kirk Wheeler on Unsplash