If you lead children’s ministry at a small church, you know the feeling. VBS week is coming. You have three volunteers, a tight budget, and kids who need to hear the gospel. Most VBS curricula assume you have a team of twenty, a production budget, and a week of setup time.
Rescue VBS was built for you.
What Is Rescue VBS?
Rescue VBS is a complete 5-day Vacation Bible School curriculum built around one central truth: God rescues people. Every day connects a real-world rescue story to a Bible story, building toward the greatest rescue of all. The cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It runs with as few as two volunteers. It works for groups of 3 to 30 kids. It requires no special equipment, no elaborate decorations, and no large budget. Everything you need is in the printable PDF guides.
Five Days. Five Real Rescues. One Gospel.
Each day opens with a true, dramatic rescue story from history. Not as an illustration, but as a bridge. From the world your kids already know to the biblical truth you want them to carry home.
- Day 1: TRAPPED. Baby Jessica McClure, 18 months old, fell into a well in Midland, Texas in 1987. She was trapped 22 feet underground for 58 hours. When rescuers finally broke through, they could hear her. She was singing. Bible story: Noah and the Flood. Big idea: God sees you even when you feel trapped.
- Day 2: CRYING OUT. In 2010, 33 miners were trapped 2,300 feet underground in Chile for 69 days. One of them, Jose Henriquez, organized daily prayer services. Even miners who had never prayed before joined in. Bible story: Moses and the Exodus. Big idea: God hears you when you cry out.
- Day 3: LOST IN THE DARK. In 2018, twelve boys and their soccer coach were trapped in a cave in Thailand for 17 days. They were alive but completely helpless. They could not save themselves. Bible story: Jonah. Big idea: God comes to find you even when you are running.
- Day 4: SINKING. On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 lost both engines 90 seconds after takeoff. The captain had 208 seconds to decide what to do. He landed the plane on the Hudson River. All 155 survived. Bible story: Jesus calms the storm, and Peter walks on water. Big idea: Jesus reaches out immediately when you are sinking.
- Day 5: SAVED. In April 1945, one Canadian soldier slipped into an occupied city in the Netherlands alone at night. By dawn, the enemy had fled and 50,000 civilians were free. Bible story: The Cross and Resurrection. Big idea: You are the one Jesus came to rescue.
Built for Small Churches. Designed for the Gospel.
Every daily guide includes everything a leader needs: a complete Bible story with discussion questions, a real rescue story script, a memory verse with hand motions, a game, a craft, a snack, and a take-home page for families. The discussion questions are designed for mixed-age groups. The crafts use supplies from any dollar store. The games need no equipment.
Day 5 includes a full gospel presentation. The 5-Step Rescue Gospel Framework uses diagnostic questions that reveal genuine understanding rather than a scripted prayer that pressures children. It is the most careful, honest gospel presentation we know how to write for kids.
Also Included: Super Saturday and Missions Trip Formats
Can’t run a full week? The Super Saturday Guide delivers the complete Rescue VBS experience in a single 3.5-hour morning event. It’s perfect for community outreach, backyard Bible clubs, or churches that can only gather once.
Running VBS in a community you’re visiting? The Missions Trip Adaptation Guide walks you through every change needed for a backyard Bible club or missions trip context. It covers how to expand the gospel presentation for every day, how to adapt the closing language, and how to connect kids to a local church after you leave.
Now Available in Spanish
The complete Rescue VBS curriculum is now available in Spanish as Rescate VBS. All eight guides are fully translated into ministry-quality Spanish. Scripture is from the Reina-Valera 1960 (RVR1960). The Day 2 Chilean Miners story includes the expanded testimony of Jose Henriquez, which carries special resonance for Spanish-speaking congregations.
What’s in the Kit
- Director’s Guide: program overview, volunteer training, gospel framework, supply lists
- 5 Daily Leader Guides: complete lesson plans, crafts, games, snacks, take-home pages
- Super Saturday Guide: complete one-day format
- Missions Trip Adaptation Guide: for backyard Bible clubs and community outreach
Print everything at home or at a local print shop. No shipping. No waiting. Run it this summer.
Rescue VBS is free to print and use in your church. Not for resale. Scripture from the ESV Bible, copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.