Join us as we become Challengers with the strength God provides to share our gifts, be brave, give our all, pray, and hope.
The Snowball Mountain Challenge
“Challenge accepted – with God I am strong.”
Snowball Mountain Challenge invites kids to an exciting winter sports event where they become Challengers, gearing up for frosty games, snowy surprises, and hands-on lessons about resilience and faith. They will come to realize that with the strength God provides, they can share their gifts, be brave, give their all, pray, and hope. Your kids will be guided daily by the energetic Activities Director and the lovable Ollie the Arctic Seal, who is reporting on the events. Challengers aren’t just playing games. Using their Challenge Companion (the Bible), they learn to draw strength from their faith through powerful stories, while connecting the learnings to Bible Stories and Lift Lessons. With a unique winter theme and solid theology at its core, Snowball Mountain Challenge VBS delivers joy and meaning in equal measure, teaching kids that “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13, NRSV).
From Cokesbury Kids Snowball Mountain Challenge 2026
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Daily Snapshot
The evenings of July 12-15, families are invited to gather for dinner before children are broken into groups by age. From there, our challengers will cycle through different activities, such as the science station, crafts, and Bible story.
On the final night, families are invited to celebrate together as the kids share what they’ve learned throughout the week.
This program is for Pre-K through the 5th grade
Check out last year’s pictures, when we went on a road trip with God
The History of VBS
The origins of Vacation Bible School can be traced back to Hopedale, Illinois, USA, in 1894. Sunday schoolteacher D. T. Miles, who also was a public schoolteacher, felt that she was limited by time constraints in teaching the Bible to children, so she started a daily Bible school to teach children during the summer. The first Bible school enrolled 40 students and lasted four weeks. A local school was used for classes, while an adjoining park was used for recess.
In 1898, Virginia Sinclair Hawes (often identified as "Mrs. Walker Aylett Hawes"), director of the children’s department at Epiphany Baptist Church in New York City, started an "Everyday Bible School" for neighborhood children during the summer at a rented beer parlor in New York’s East Side. There is a bronze plaque honoring her efforts located in her hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia, in the foyer of First Baptist Church.