VBS: It's time for a CHANGE!

I've posted before on Vacation Bible School:

• VBS for Everyone? 
• Choices, Ideas, and Variations
• Easy Online Registration

But this post is different. The previous postings were all about working within the current VBS model. Today, as the Queen of Change and a proponent of always being brave enough to try something new, I propose that it's TIME FOR A CHANGE for VBS. What? Change?!?! NO WAY!?! We've always done it this way! I know, I know, but hear me out.

Many, many, many years have passed since Vacation Bible School was named Vacation Bible School, and I have no idea why they named it that. Kids don't love school. They like it and learn to enjoy some aspects of it because they have to be there, but reality is reality and if given a choice, they would not choose school. So why call it Vacation Bible SCHOOL? What is VBS anyway? Sure, there are Bible stories or studies, but for the most part there are games, songs, snacks, and crafts. Why not call it Bible CAMP? Sure sounds more fun that Bible school.

And speaking of camp, why not have any number of camps to serve a number of populations throughout the summer? If you really want to reach out to your community, try having different camps throughout the summer.

• Kids Camp (formerly known as VBS) - They usually have a fun and catchy name that changes every year.
• Joy Camp - For those with disabilities. Not every congregation may be able to do something like this, but if you can, I'm sure it would be a great blessing.
• Sage Camp - For the older set. This would be great if you could provide transportation for some people in assisted living as well as those in your congregation. Give them a special time-out from their regular lives. Sing songs, do crafts, and have Bible studies. Want to give them a really great time? Let them sing songs from their youth!
• Spiritual Gifts Camp - Learn about personal spiritual gifts, but take it one or two steps further and work with others in the community to find places to use your gifts outside the church building and throughout the community. Whatever the gift, teach them how to incorporate it into their daily lives. (Try Uniquely You!)
• Dads & Sons (or Moms & Daughters) Camp - Incorporate sharing beliefs into the activities. It is incredibly important for parents to be able to casually talk about what they believe and why they believe it with their children, and the most important role model for a child is their same sex parent.
• What do I believe and why? Teen Camp - In this wacky world where things don't make sense and people are attacking Christian beliefs from all sides, knowing how to communicate what do you believe and why you believe it is incredibly important. You don't have to defend it or convince the world that you are right, you just need to know for yourself and be there if/when somebody needs you to share it. 
• Parenting Teenagers Camp - How many people in your congregation wouldn't love this? Find a good program that gives good advice. It could be set up so that it's a lot of fun!

Pick a topic and turn it into a camp!

Pick a population in your community, find something that will help them, and turn it into a camp!

VBS: Easy Online Registration!

Looking for a simple way to create online registration for your VBS? It's really easy to use a Google Form. Just create a Google Drive for yourself or your church and click on CREATE Form. I admit I didn't choose the coolest background or colors but here's a sample I created for you:  Lutheran Church VBS Registration Form. I added the picture of my fake VBS curriculum and just used the simple text question type and a multiple choice for the grade level because for that one they can only choose one answer. You can then send links through email, embed them in your church's webpage like I did below, or create a link for your website or electronic newsletter.

All the information will be automatically saved in a spreadsheet and you'll have all your registration information at your fingertips. Give it a try!!

EDUCATION: End of Year Sunday School Cards

The end of the Sunday School year is coming up as quickly as the end of the school year. Do you do anything special for the students in your Sunday School? Try giving them either a certificate or a small card that has God's Promise for... each one of them.  Be sure to think about their personalities and give each student a different verse.  You can either make it fancy or plain and be sure to laminate them.  After a number of years in Sunday School kids will have many cards reminding them that God's promise is for them, by name.  Interestingly, it means so much more when Biblical promises are made personal.

A variation could be handed out for VBS too.  What a great thing for everyone to take home!

VBS: Choices, Ideas, and Variations

It's never too early to start thinking about VBS and people are doing tons of different things these days.  You don't have to use the very same format you've used for the last many years.  Switch it up and see what might work better.  The only way to know is to try something different and see how it goes.  Just remember to evaluate sooner than later after the program and keep notes for the next year or the next coordinator.  It can be a big job and previous experience always helps.

When thinking about how you want to do your VBS this year you may want to:

• Have it at the traditional time, Monday through Thursday mornings.
• Have it over a weekend on Saturday morning with a Sunday morning celebration.  
• Have it from 6 - 8 pm for a few evenings.
• Include adults!  See my earlier posting VBS for EVERYONE!.

If you're one of those churches that has the resources to have 200-300 kids from the community participate or if you have 20-30 kids from the community, remember that children from the community have parents who need a follow-up call.  Don't make it a big push to come to church but see if they have any prayer needs or sometimes, physical needs. If they say their kids had a good time invite them to Sunday School.  Perhaps you have a mom's or dad's group or a working/single mom's group you can tell them about where they can get emotional and spiritual support.  Give them a card on the last day that they can keep handy in case they need anything and invite them to contact YOU (because they now know you) if they have any needs.  It's about being the hands and feet of Jesus. 

You can always go straight to the publisher but...

Concordia Supply has a great chart of VBS programs.  It shows the different programs, their publishers, and themes.  Many of their starter kits are at a lower price than the publisher.  Check them out here.

You can also check out the kits at Christian Book.  Many are also at a lower price than the publisher.

I LOVE VBS!

EDUCATION: Puppets for Preschoolers!

If you don't know Oriental Trading Co., let me introduce you.  This is the company you go to when you want to buy personalized pencils for Sunday School, carnival supplies, theme party decorations, Christmas ornaments to give the kids who participate in your Christmas program, craft supplies, education resources for young kids, and many other things.  They have a large Sunday School &VBS section as well as a Fun & Faith section.

One of the things they can provide are simple 14" hand puppets at a good price (8 puppets for only $36).  They're machine washable and with a little creativity and velcro you can easily turn them into different Bible characters.  They come in many different skin tones and can be used for a million different things from telling Bible stories to enacting life situations.  Remember that young kids LOVE to interact with puppets!!

VBS for EVERYONE?

Very large congregations can end up having hundreds of kids from their congregation and the community coming to VBS.  A traditional VBS works well for them though it may end up a virtual Bible carnival.  Unfortunately, that doesn't work for everybody, especially when budgets are low and communities are different. 

Where it may have been to have a special week for the younger set in the congregation for years, perhaps it is time for your congregation to think outside the box.  When you're sitting with your planning committee, ask this... what are the goals of our VBS?  Is it just for the K-6 kids?  Is it to reach out to the community?  Is it a refresher for everyone? 

If one goal is to reach out to the community, one of the pre- activities should be having a community walk to hand out brochures, etc.  Perhaps take some bottled water with customized labels to hand out as invitations.  If one of your goals is to broaden VBS to be a refreshing and enjoyable time for more than just the kids, then it's time to change it up.  VBS can be a refreshing time in the Word for everybody.  VBS for EVERYONE might be done from 6-8 pm Monday through Thursday or may become a weekend event.  An evening schedule might look something like:  

     5:30 pm - Picnic Supper (together)
     6:00 pm - Introduction Prayer and Songs (together)
     6:15 pm - Theme Activity (separate)
     6:45 pm - Adult Bible Study - Kids Bible Talk and Crafts (separate)
     7:30 pm - Closing worship/Devotion and Songs (together)

It is possible for adults and kids to study the same theme and it is possible for adults to relax and have some fun.  For example, when talking about God the Father, adults can begin with a "Who is God? Who am I?" activity that will relax them while kids play the fruit basket upset game with a twist, "Stand up if God likes this..." and "Sit down if you like..."  For every question where every child is standing up it's fruit basket upset and everybody runs around giggling and changes places.

For a more detailed plan of how a VBS like this might work, please contact me.