Posted by: Kathryn Good

VBS is now over, but I’m already thinking to next year. Here are some more thoughts I’m jotting down to remember for 2009:

• Remind volunteers to speak to children in language that is easy for the kids to understand. This is especially important for the volunteers who are leading the Bible stories.
• Our pastor was on a business trip during VBS. We all really missed him! I know he is very busy, but I want to try to make sure he can attend next year. I think it is important that kids and volunteers see as many church staff as possible participating in VBS.
• Remind station leaders to repeat and reinforce each day’s message. Kids learn in different ways and you never know when “they’ll get it.”
• Thanking volunteers is so important. I want to have a discussion with my children’s pastor about ways to do this even better.
• I also want to discuss publicity. I live in a growing town. Are we reaching out to these new residents? How can we do better? 

What about you? Do you have any tips that you’ll remember for next year that you’ll share with me?

Posted in Planning ~ 1 Comment

By: Patricia Meyers, founder of www.ChildrensChurchStuff.com 

 

Are you in the middle of VBS? Recovering from VBS? Putting the final touches on preparations for VBS? Regardless of which stage of VBS you are in, plans for a follow-up event cannot be delayed.

 

That might sound utterly exhausting to you right now, and perhaps, it is the very last thing you want think about. But, now is the best and decidedly single most important moment to strike. You have in your hand (or in your computer or on your desk) a list of names of children and families that just enjoyed being at an event hosted by your church. Some, hopefully, were first-time visitors. All are in need of spiritual development. All have friends and contacts who might not have not been to your church before, and maybe they have friends that haven’t heard the Gospel before. Now is the time to get them excited about another event. They are 85% more likely to come to a second event in the near future than one that is a season or two away.

 

Children are always ready to discuss the next thing on the calendar. And while it is tiring for the adults, it is necessary for the kids. Have you heard the phrase “What are we going to do after this?” They are ready! Give them a reason to come back to church.

 

You don’t have to do all the planning right this moment, you just have to put a date on the calendar and get some simple publicity ready to go. The final plans can be done in a few weeks. Getting an announcement out is all that really has to be done immediately.

 

“What should I do?” might be the next question on your mind. There many ideas, and certainly there is no wrong idea (except doing nothing). I think it is a good idea to include spiritual impact in your follow-up event. While offering a simple game night without a purpose might be tempting, go the extra mile and include a fun object lesson or mini-message as well.

 

There are plenty of ideas ready to make this task a breeze:

• www.ChildrensChurchStuff.com  has a line of products called “Extreme Party Plans.” They are delightful, create lasting memories, and are extremely cost effective. You won’t believe how easy you’ll pull one together. They are even easy on your volunteer team. Each one takes one theme, like Popcorn or Flip Flops, and centers an entire party on that theme. The kids will have a blast. Plus the Bible message is powerful and full of impact.
• Many of the publishers are now offering follow-up events that relate to their VBS theme. Check with your publisher to see if they have something. If not, encourage them to develop one for next year’s theme!
• Take advantage of the myriad of object lesson books available at every single curriculum publishing house. For example, choose 3-4 object lessons that have something to do with nature and plan a “Back to Nature” event before summer ends. Take a simple hike, have a picnic, play field games, and sprinkle the object lessons throughout your time with them.
• Back to School is a perfect time for a fun event. Have the kids each bring a “cool” school supply and use these items as prizes during the event. Put them in a container and simply draw one (or more) for each game or contest you hold. There are a host of messages perfect for back-to-school, but you could just stick with the “supply” theme and use the passage that reminds us that “God will supply all our needs.” This is a good time to provide pencils with the name of your children’s ministry on them or even a simple “Jesus Loves You” pencil is a great reminder for any of us while we are hard at work.
• Fall Festival packages are available from most of the publishers as well. While a Fall Festival is a little distance away, if you advertise it well and keep the excitement level high, you could be extremely successful in bringing your visitors back.  

Whatever you plan, be sure to send a postcard soon so the families that just visited your VBS have something tangible to remind them. Then publicize with announcements and flyers, and as with VBS, make publicity fun and memorable!

 

Keep those visitors - and regulars - coming back to church!!! 

 

Posted in Follow-Up, Planning ~ 1 Comment

By Patricia Meyers

How many more days to VBS? How well is that number displayed? Is everyone excited?

Here are some thoughts about last minute details:

Prayer

Have you scheduled prayer partners leading up to and during your event? Don’t forget this important step. VBS is a lot of work, a ton of planning, and a load of fun; but it is first and foremost an outreach. Prayer affects impact.

Many churches schedule people to pray during VBS. It is a wonderful ministry for some folks in your church that might be unable to work with the children or for those that are housebound. Tell them how important this aspect of the ministry is. And don’t forget to give them feedback on the success of your VBS.

Bigger Crowds than Expected

What will you do if your promotional campaigns work extremely well and you are met with many new faces on day one? What will you do regarding crafts and snacks and chairs and prizes? Make a plan now. Be prepared for some extras, but you do not have to over-extend your budget now; just having a plan and knowing who will jump in and take care of those items if it is needed is all you need for now.

Final Schedule Review

The schedule can make or break your VBS. Starting with the oldest age group and working down to the youngest (one bracket at a time), mentally walk through the kids’ schedule.

When a schedule isn’t well planned and reviewed, the last activity of the day may suffer, and you will have a worker somewhere that gets unnecessarily offended because their time was eaten up.

Here are a few questions to ask as you go through the schedule. The stuff that gets missed here turns into stress for your core team. Eliminate as much as you can ahead of time (it’s a nice thing to do)

• How much time is allotted for each segment? How much time is allocated for moves in between segments? Is that enough time? Too much? Too little?
• Is there a bathroom break built into the schedule?
• Do the teachers know (for sure) how much time they have for each segment? Do they know how you feel about abiding by their time allotment and how it will affect the day if they go over?
• Do the workers know where the kids go when they are done with their segment and how the kids will get to the next location? Never assume they know – actually, assume they don’t and be extra clear.
• Does everyone know where supplies are kept?
• Does everyone know where the first aid kits are?
• Does everyone know who is responsible for snacks from preparation to serving to clean up?
• What do you have planned for the kids as they come in each day? We have covered this before, but it is critical. If you lose control at this moment, it might be very difficult to retrieve. Be extremely prepared.

Double checking the schedule flow will give you peace. Peace is a great thing to have; priceless really. It will free you up to enjoy and bless the children and workers during VBS.

Enjoy! Have the best VBS ever!

Posted in Planning, VBS ~ 2 Comments

Posted by: Kathryn Good

Tony Krummer just posted a great article called “How to Do a Vacation Bible School on a Tiny Budget.” See the article here:

http://ministry-to-children.com/vbs-budget/

A side comment from me: working with a budget is always tough, but it is very important to remember that each child may learn about Jesus in a different way. Some may pick up the point during crafts while others may really get it during story time. I find that going through each station in my mind and thinking about what that station will need to make the most of that time for the child is very helpful. Then I can make lists of what we have, what might be donated, and what needs to be bought. Planning before buying is crucial for maximizing a budget of any size!

Posted in Budget, Planning ~ No Comments

By Patricia Meyers

If asked, I’m sure you would say “Our VBS is open to everyone.” But is everyone actually invited? Aggressively pursuing visitors is a project. This month we’ll address that project by giving you some tips for inviting new children to this year’s VBS.

Begin by reviewing your past methods and successes. What worked well? What did not? Be very honest — this is no time for mincing words. After your review, brainstorm your plans for this year’s publicity.

There are tried and true methods, and there are dozens of other avenues to pursue. Here are some ideas that you may not have thought of:

Community Papers

If someone on your team is a good writer, community papers are often looking for articles. Perhaps you can do double duty: purchase a small ad and submit an article about how summer events give children exciting landmarks through the school-less season. There are also sections of the paper that list church activities for free.

Local Schools

Call local schools - perhaps there is a newsletter they send home at the end of school. If so, purchase an ad. (They are usually very inexpensive.) Or ask if they would send home a flyer with the kids. Do not assume that you will not be allowed to; call and ask. You might be surprised.

Flyers

Create a flyer to hand out at places where there is a concentration of children. We asked some children’s pastors where they have handed out flyers with great success. Answers included libraries, restaurants, ice cream shops, public swimming pools, day camp programs, daycares, before/after school programs, gymnastics gyms, tennis clubs, YMCAs, and neighborhoods around the church. Be sure to ask the organization if they mind you distributing your flyer there. And make your flyer bright, colorful, inviting and fun. Keep in mind that a flyer doesn’t have to be a full-sized sheet; it can be card-sized and be very effective.

Word of Mouth

The single most effective marketing tool is word of mouth. But how do you get people talking? Here are two proven techniques. Both have been tested in a variety of church sizes and demographics and have been extremely effective (really!).

1. Make your in-church announcements a hoot. Pull out the stops. Make them more like a commercial or mini-play rather than just an announcement. The more laughs you get, the more interest you’ll stimulate. Skits that are short, punchy, and powerful is the key. Be over-dramatic and funny; the crowd will love it. Or maybe have a puppet popping up from behind the drums. How about a couple of costumed characters throwing candy to the audience? A slide show of pictures from last year’s VBS flashing on the screen is an attention grabber as well.

2. Invest in a really terrific prize to be awarded to the child bringing the most visitors. Make flyers available for them to hand out to their soccer team, t-ball team, class (before school lets out for the summer), neighborhood, etc. You really have to over-do the “selling” of the contest. The parents need to be on board as much as the children. Encourage parents to be transporters of friends and neighbors. Make suggestions of extras the parents can do, like popsicles at their house before they deliver the kids back home, a trip to the park one day, etc. Money spent on a prize for the most visitors is money well spent. It could be the most productive advertising dollar of the year! As an added bonus, it makes everyone (including the kids) part of the evangelistic team. That is an excellent seed to sow in their hearts. Like the visitor contest idea? A similar contest among your workers would be an exciting challenge. Those that serve in your department need to be involved in inviting children to your church!

Promoting your VBS is crucial to attracting new children. Attracting new children to VBS is a great door opener to attracting new families to your church. What a great way to spread the Good News!

Posted in Planning, Publicity ~ No Comments

By Patricia Meyers

How does a Vacation Bible School without the endless runs for “one more thing” sound? Our goal this month is to trigger your thoughts regarding every aspect of VBS so your list is complete. This is the year of the smooth running VBS!

Remember those silly phrases we used as kids to help us remember things? Well, here’s one to help you keep some VBS tasks on your mind. Using the acronym MAT’S GECKO, spend some time doing some thorough thinking. Let your mind roam over each segment completely. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s get started:

M – Music
Where do you need music? Before service, during worship, for puppet songs? What about during craft and snack time? Do you need to order CDs or sheet music? Who needs copies? What about visuals for the words? What kind of music equipment do you need?

A – Arrive early, finish fast
Early arrivers and early finishers can equal trouble. What will you do with kids before VBS begins or those who finish their crafts and activities fast? Extra projects, puzzles, and preparedness can help avoid tense moments.

T – Teachers and Helpers
How will teachers get lesson materials? Are copies needed? How is the daily schedule being communicated? Who takes the kids where? What do you need during assembly time, music time, games, etc? Clear instructions will make everyone feel successful, encourage helpfulness and increase the desire to assist again next year.

What about thank you’s? Will you send form letters, hand write a note, host a luncheon, send a gift card? Do you have up-to-date addresses and phone numbers? Have everything ready ahead of time and you’ll thank yourself later.

S – Safety
Child safety is huge. Think through every area: parking lots, admission, dismissal, etc. Review your registration paperwork. Do you have emergency contacts for each child? Does the paper work include allergy alerts and all other important medical information? What about first aid kits? Are they well-stocked? Does everyone know where they are? Does someone know CPR? Put everything under your safety-scope.

G – Games
Think through every age group’s games. What equipment is needed for indoor games? Outdoor games? Do you need whistles? Stop watches? Score cards? Prizes? Boundary markers?

Do you have kids with health issues? What will they do during this time? They need to have something exciting and invigorating scheduled.

E – Eats
Snack time can be a great memory maker. How creative do you want to be? Some brainstorming now can add zip to your snacks. Who will handle the snacks? Where will they be served? Who is responsible for clean up? How are supplies being gathered? Snacks do not have to be expensive or sugary to be fun and memorable - just thought out.

And back to safety for a moment, how will food allergy information be communicated from the registration table to the snack preparers/servers?

C – Crafts
A major stress-reducer is ordering complete craft kits. Craft time headaches virtually disappear! Check out what Guildcraft is offering for your theme by clicking here: http://www.guildcraftinc.com/vacation-bible-school-vbs-crafts.html. Themed-related items often sell out quickly, so order early so you can be sure that you get what you want! In addition to the main projects, this is a good time to freshen your basic supplies: glue, crayons, pencils, markers, construction paper, etc.

K – Kids’ Eye View
Mentally walk through the day from a kids’ eye view. For example, what happens upon arrival? This is a dangerous time to have nothing planned. Perhaps your puppet team or a theme-related character could host Q&A time. Maybe have silly contests, trivia questions or puzzles going on the PowerPoint. Think through what they will do each day and what item(s) will be needed to keep that time from getting out of control. How will they travel from segment to segment?

Kids have a blast at VBS. Then what? How will you follow up? A letter? A theme-related follow up event? Now’s the time to decide. Attempting to pull something together during VBS will be stressful and haphazard, and not planning something is like leaving fruit on the vine.

O – Object Lessons and Other Visuals
From promos to décor, make a note of every visual needed: outside signage, registration table, hallways, classrooms, etc. Decide who is responsible for what, and be very specific - from the big visual pieces down to the adhesive.

Next, think through all the visuals needed for each lesson from large-group assembly time to small-group story time. Visuals are a great way to help get across your message, so take the time to think about what will work most effectively. Decide who will provide the visuals – you or the teachers?

We hope you enjoyed our acronym of Mat’s Gecko! Just remember it to help you stay on top of that never-ending VBS task list. You are going to have a fabulously organized VBS!

Posted in Crafts, Decorations, Games, Music, Planning, Safety, Snacks ~ No Comments

By Patricia Meyers

Earlier this month we discussed some VBS planning tips. How did you do with getting your planning off the ground? Did you review curriculum? Did you pick your dates? Are you ready to jump in to the next segment?
We said we would talk about recruiting next, and so we shall! As you know, there are a few methods that most of us use year after year:
• Call on the folks that worked last year
• Call on your regular Sunday school or children’s church workers
• Call on your friends
These are good tricks that should not be abandoned, but we should look at ways to supplement them. Wouldn’t you like to have some new ideas, talents, view points, stories, and faces in your mix this year? Or, perhaps, you would just like to have “enough” faces in place this year! Here are a couple of ideas that you can put to work right away. Hopefully these simple thoughts will stir bigger ones in your heart.
• Talk to the pastoral staff about helping during VBS. It means so much to the kids as well as your regular workers to see the pastors teaching and playing with the kids.
• How about the worship team, the choir and the office staff? These are often folks that don’t serve in the children’s ministry on a regular basis.
• How about scheduling your VBS so the working moms and dads can help this year? Perhaps you could consider an evening or Saturday VBS. This will require quite a shift, but maybe you’ll get the fresh faces you are after.
• Look at your entire church’s roster and see where you can approach ministry groups or individuals, then jump in.
I also want to discuss communication in this issue, as communication is a major point for obtaining and maintaining volunteers. This year, put a fresh touch on your written communication. Some ideas:
• Use bright paper
• Add graphics that invoke smiles and lightheartedness
• Fold the paper weird
• Pick a fun “buzz” word for this year’s VBS and put it on all correspondence
Also, make sure your information is clear, concise, and consistent. People are busy; help them out by making your communication easy to read and understand.
Think through ways that you can make volunteering smooth and easy, and communicate those solutions with your volunteers. Divide the jobs into small segments, especially for the newcomers. Make it very clear what the segments are and who will be handling what. For example, if you have teenagers moving the kids from station to station, make sure the adult workers know who the teenagers are, when they will be gathering the kids and what their timeframes are. Not knowing what comes next or dealing with surprise changes is very stressful to many personality types and can be the sole cause for disgruntled helpers in many instances.
Don’t forget to pass on changes or alterations of any sort to your workers IN WRITING. You need to realize and acknowledge that poor communication is usually the number one complaint among volunteers. Strive to not let that be true in your department.
Communication is a two-way street. Listen to the workers, and pay attention to what the kids are saying. You might hear something wonderful!
With a few new faces on your roster and great communication you are paving the way to a smooth enthusiastic volunteer base. Who knows what great things will happen?

Posted in Planning, Recruiting ~ No Comments

By Patricia Meyers

VBS looms on the horizon – already - are you kidding? As you know, once something hits the horizon, it is right in front of you in no time. 
 
Now is the time for planning, making decisions, and setting the stage for one of the best VBS events of your church’s history.
 
Where to begin? Let’s start with two basic, yet important decisions:  Do you want to do a traditional VBS or a VBS alternative? Do you want to shop around or use the same company as last year? Maybe you haven’t stopped to think about it and you plan to do what you did all the previous years. Take a few minutes and consider the options. Ask God (great idea, huh?) and listen.  When you are ready to begin planning, start by asking the following questions, and take them seriously. So go ahead, grab some paper and a pen:
1. What did I like the best about our VBS last year?
2. What one thing would I change if I could?
3. What was the best part and worst part of the lessons?
4. What was the cumbersome part of the daily schedule?
5. Did the kids enjoy the music, skits, memory verse activities, etc.? (It is very important to consider how the kids felt!)
6. What was the kids’ favorite craft project?
7. What was the thing more parents commented on above the others?
8. Did the follow up event work out well? (Did you plan a follow-up event?)

Now, after reliving the highlights and lowlights of last year’s event, you are ready to begin again. Look at the program options available this year with the answers to your questions in mind. 

If you like one company’s music best, but the lesson plans and teacher aids are not your favorite, is it worth it? If you like the lessons from one, but the music is not to your liking, can you add music from another source and still have the lessons you like?
 
What about the crafts? Did you have kits that were easy to use, where the kids felt successful and they were thrilled to bring them home? While it may seem like a small thing, most kids really enjoy this tactile aspect of VBS. They like getting in there and creating something, so don’t skip over that part.
 
What about the skits? Did the program you chose have quality skits that engaged the children? Did your workers have fun with them? 
 
These are all really good questions that you should be asking. The worst thing you can do is not be honest about how you felt about last year’s event and not be honest about how your workers and church families felt.  The second worst thing you can do is to postpone thinking it through until it is too late to have good options.
 
Here is the beginning of a task list to work on over the next couple of weeks.  We are sure that you have a few things to add to it as well!
1. Order and review VBS program samples.
2. Meet with lead volunteers to discuss the upcoming season and really listen to their input.
3. Review the results of your meetings with the pastor.
4. Choose and calendar the dates for the event, coordinate with neighboring churches if you can.
5. Order VBS curriculum and promo materials.

Now, sit back and take a few deep, relaxing breaths. You have started in plenty of time, and you are going to have a smooth running, high successful, fruit-laden VBS this year. Congratulations!

Posted in Planning, VBS ~ No Comments