HARRISBURG (BRN) – Christy Kraus, newly appointed VBS Consultant for the Baptist Resource Network (BRN), got her start in kids’ ministry when she was just a teen, serving as a Sunday school helper and working with the children at her then church.
That passion for pouring into the next generation followed Kraus all the way through school and into her adult years as she eventually found herself working in the public school system as a student support technician for children with special needs.
During this time, Kraus and her husband were attending Wrightsdale Baptist Church in Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania, and actively serving with the church’s kid and youth ministries.
When Wrightsdale’s then director of family ministries felt led to go in another direction, Wrightsdale decided to put a larger emphasis on their next gen ministries by distributing these responsibilities to two separate roles: a NextGen Pastor and a Children’s Pastor.
Knowing that she could not fill the role as a “pastor,” Kraus jokingly mentioned to her husband that she wished the church would consider hiring a “Children’s Director.”
Apparently, others had a similar hope. Kraus found herself being nudged by several people at Wrightsdale to see if a title change was possible and, if so, to apply for the job.
So, she prayed.
“The more I started praying about it and thinking about it, I was like this is something I should be exploring,” said Kraus.
Not wanting her excitement or emotions to get ahead of her, Christy prayed and then went to her husband, Rob, who tends to be more analytical, for some advice. Half expecting him to tell her not to ask the church to consider changing the ministry position, she was shocked when her husband immediately encouraged her to, in fact, ask.
So, she asked.
Getting approval from both Wrightsdale’s senior pastor and the personnel committee, the church changed the position need from “Children’s Pastor” to “Director of Kids’ Ministry.” Not only that, but Kraus was asked to submit her resume.
In September of 2022, Kraus started her current role as Wrightsdale’s director of kids’ ministry.
“I see the brokenness. I’ve worked in public schools, and I see what kids are dealing with, and I recognize that there is an identity crisis starting very young in our kids,” said Kraus.
She continued: “So, it’s really important to me that our kids grow up to know that they are known by God, they are loved by God, and that they are made for a purpose.”
Some of Kraus’ duties as director of kids’ ministry include maintaining and overseeing weekly events, planning outreach opportunities – such as SOAKLANCO, a parking lot waterpark for local families – and preparing for Wrightsdale’s VBS, which hosted a record high of 188 children this past year.
“We have a great VBS program at Wrightsdale, and it’s not because of me. It’s because of God…[and] it’s also because I have a great co-director, I do not do it by myself,” said Kraus.
Though blessed by the Lord and aided by some very talented individuals, Kraus’ efforts at Wrightsdale have not gone unnoticed.
By way of Facebook, Wrightsdale’s successful kids’ ministry caught the eye of BRN Executive Director Dr. Barry Whitworth, who reached out to Kraus about the VBS consultant opportunity.
“I spent some time praying about it, talking to my husband about it, and then, of course, we talked to church leadership to see how they would feel about it, and everyone was in agreement,” recalled Kraus.
She was officially introduced as part of the BRN Team in November 2024.
In her new role as VBS consultant, Kraus is looking forward to helping Pennsylvania/South Jersey churches breathe new life into their VBS programs or, even, kick start VBS for the first time.
“I think VBS is an undersung outreach opportunity for churches. I think when VBS is done well it will bring families into your church,” said Kraus.
She continued: “I think a lot of us are so focused on seeing how many salvations we have in the children – and that’s important, I want to see kids come to Christ – but if I could go a step forward, I would say I want to see families come to Christ.”
Since her start as director of kids’ ministry at Wrighstdale, Kraus has worked with the church to change how they end their VBS each year. Instead of a celebration night on the last night of VBS, Wrightsdale invites the children and their families to a special VBS celebration during Sunday morning worship.
“We’ve seen families come and join the church from our VBS program,” said Kraus.
Recalling one specific story, Kraus shared that a young lady in fifth grade came to VBS at Wrightsdale over the summer, accepted Jesus, got baptized and now her whole family attends Wrightsdale.
“Just this past Sunday we saw her older brother get baptized [and] we’ve seen her older sister get baptized. VBS doesn’t just change kids’ lives, it changes lives period,” said Kraus.
When she’s not busy planning the next kids’ ministry event at Wrightsdale or helping BRN churches with their VBS programs, Christy can be found spending time with her husband and their two kids, Charisa and R.J., reading, eating tacos, watching Gilmore Girls, or decorating for Christmas (her favorite holiday!)
BRN churches looking to start a VBS program or revamp their current VBS program, can benefit from Christy’s insights and aid (free of charge) by contacting her at christyk@brnunited.org.
How to Pray for Christy Kraus and her family:
- Pray for her to keep ‘first things first’ (her relationship with God, her family, and then work)
- Pray for more people in Pennsylvania/South Jersey to come to know Jesus through the VBS programs hosted by our churches
- Pray her as she transitions to being a mom of adult children and walks alongside her daughter and son
- Pray for her as she steps into this new role of VBS Consultant
