Rooted and Growing: Vacation Bible School Then and Now
My enthusiasm for Bible study reaches back to childhood summers spent at Vacation Bible School. Those weeks were a seasonal marker for me—filled with patient teachers, other kids eager to learn scripture, colorful arts and crafts, and the simple joy of juice cups and duplex cookies. For countless Christians, experiences like VBS weren’t just fun diversions; they were formative, communal moments that instilled the importance of loving, honoring, and sharing God’s Word within the fellowship of community.
This spring, that same sense of connection came alive for me once again through a “Rooted: Connect with God, the Church, Your Purpose” Bible study at Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem. The ten-week journey reaffirmed the transformative power of studying scripture alongside others. It embodied the kind of purpose-driven support that has carried the Church for generations.
The “Rooted” curriculum has a fascinating history. It was born out of a partnership between Kenton Beshore, pastor of Mariners Church in California, and Muriithi Wanjau, pastor of Mavuno Church in Nairobi, Kenya. Inspired by Wanjau’s vision of “mizizi” (Swahili for “roots”), the program was designed to help people live more passionately and purposefully for Christ within the strength of community. Since its launch in 2008, more than a thousand churches across the United States have joined with congregations in Kenya, Sri Lanka, India, and beyond to share in this global discipleship experience.
“Rooted is designed for people to be together in community,” Pastor Beshore has said. And indeed, that was the heartbeat of my own experience.
The study’s impact has rippled across congregations worldwide, drawing believers into deeper understanding of God’s love and His plan, while equipping them to live out the Great Commission: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” What began as seeds planted in Kenya and California has grown into a movement that reached Harlem—and me.
Our Convent Avenue cohort met faithfully over Zoom each Tuesday evening for ten weeks. After signing and returning a “Rooted Covenant,” our group of eleven embarked on the study together, joined by a deacon and minister. Despite the digital medium, there was no loss of intimacy or connection. Scripture-laden lessons carried us from fundamentals such as “Who Is God?” and “The Purpose of Prayer” to more advanced topics like “Maturing in Christ” and mobilizing believers to serve their communities with His light and love.
Each week, we didn’t just study concepts; we shared our lives. Participants offered testimonies, reflected on pivotal moments in their faith journeys, and encouraged one another in Christ. The study’s first in-person service project—packaging hundreds of care packs for people experiencing homelessness—didn’t feel like an obligation but like an extension of our fellowship, the natural outcome of growing in Christ together.
Even though none of us were brand-new believers, revisiting the foundational truths in such a deliberate, collective way rekindled a deeper passion for service. The study challenged us not only to grow individually but also to embody Christ’s mission through tangible acts of compassion.
Facilitator Deacon Yvonne Davis described how “Rooted” sharpened her vision for a Christ-reflective life. “My experience with Rooted has ignited a passion within me to serve others and demonstrate the love of Jesus to those living in darkness,” she said. For Davis, the lessons were a reminder of Christ’s ministry, characterized by compassion for the hungry, the brokenhearted, the marginalized, and the oppressed. By the end of the study, she was already envisioning a new outreach initiative for those in need near Penn Station.
Rev. Dr. Jesse Williams Jr., pastor of Convent Avenue Baptist Church, also sees “Rooted” as a catalyst for transformation within the congregation. “The Rooted & Growing initiative has been a powerful game-changer for us,” he said. “This discipleship emphasis calls us individually and collectively back to the place where God wants us to focus—making disciples for Jesus Christ. As a pastor in Harlem, I am overjoyed and blessed to serve a congregation that takes the Great Commission seriously and seeks to serve our community in the process.”
Looking back, it’s striking to see how far I’ve come since those carefree days of Vacation Bible School. “Rooted” is certainly more structured, more expansive, and more demanding than my childhood summer lessons. Yet the affirmation remains the same: faith deepens in community.
The Church is not just a collection of individuals, but a body rooted in Christ and bound to one another. Whether through VBS snacks and songs or through covenant-based discipleship journeys, the purpose has always been constant: to love God, to grow together, and to share His Word with the world.
