Have you ever wondered where we keep all of our fun VBS sets? Or do you want to know what items we keep from each yearly theme (everything if it was up to my friend Pam)? Well, you’re about to find out.

We really have never shown our beloved cage to the outside world, but we just couldn’t keep it a secret anymore. Let me introduce you to the cage. It’s a seriously fun world.

Do you keep all of your fabric for decorating VBS? Do you have bins of all sorts of fun props? How do you organize it all? Leave a comment below!

Ready to take your VBS to the next level? Turn the chaos into the best game a kid’s ever played – Organize Mass Chaos. We call it OMC, and we believe it can add loads of amazing and wonderful fun to your VBS kick-off event, family night, or culminating recreation activity!

How It Works

Organize Mass Chaos is the signature game of CentriKid Camps and come become at staple at your VBS!  During the game, everyone works to complete different task cards, but all at the same time.  It’s organized, but it feels like complete chaos.  Just for VBS, we have created all new task cards relate specifically to Amazing Wonders Aviation and Space Quest.  Combine these new task cards with the official game pack to make OMC the perfect fit for your VBS!

We’ve included instructions, a supply list, game decorating ideas, and 24 unique OMC task cards for each VBS option.  Just print off several copies of these cards and combine them with your official OMC game cards.  Don’t have the OMC game?  Order a game kit for your church online at lifeway.com or pick one up at your local LifeWay Christian Store.

Questions? Email centrikid@lifeway.com or post your questions here in the comments and we’ll do our best to answer them!  We always love to see your OMC pictures, so post them on our facebook page. Come experience the real OMC at camp this summer – check us out at lifeway.com/centrikid.

Meredith and the CentriKid team keep readers up to date with camp info, ministry tips, leadership lessons, and more at centrikidblog.com. Want to experience the real OMC? Come to a CentriKid Camp in 2012! Dates and locations are available online at lifeway.com/centrikid.

Whew! It has been a fun week here in Nashville at the Kids Ministry Conference! There were so many fun moments, but I have to share some of the fun VBS happenings during the conference.

One of my favorite things was a VBS scavenger hunt we had around the building. It’s probably my favorite, because many times I was the one getting to hand out the prizes (Amazing Wonders Aviation Goggles) for completing the scavenger hunt.

We started off with 16 logos …

And then we hid them! Now, we were nice and we didn’t make anyone find all 16, just 5. Once they found 5 logos and took a picture, they received their very own Amazing Wonders Aviation Goggles! If you follow LifeWayVBS on Twitter, I’m sure you’ve already seen some of these pictures …

Also, I had to share this video of some of the VBS Music Pre-Conference attendees randomly breaking out in song before one of the main sessions with Jeff Slaughter.

Were you at KMC this year? What was your favorite VBS moment?

Do you love clip art? How about getting ideas from other VBS directors and volunteers? Do you love VBS so much that you’ve been counting down the days until you can get your hands on the AWA wallpaper for your desktop? Or are you ready to see the new Amazing Wonders Aviation promotional videos?

It’s all here at the Amazing Wonders Aviation Web site.

And while I’m here, I have to show off the new Amazing Wonders Aviation Overview Video. I’m sure you saw Roberta’s blog post a few weeks ago about how we created it! Here’s the final products:

Also, there’s a new Club VBS: SpaceQuest site as well!

Check out the new sites, and let us know what you think in the comments below!

I went to do a Big Apple Adventure training event in Johnson City, TN recently. We had a great turnout and there was a ton of excitement about all the Lord has in store for the summer. Well, we didn’t realize that HE had something HUGE in store for us that night as well!

The morning Jeremy (my good buddy and road manager) and I left, I found out my mom’s sister, Linda, was having surgery to remove a malignant brain tumor that day. All through the day I was getting text reports from my cousins saying things were going great. I had total peace that the Lord was going to deliver her through the surgery just fine.

We arrived in Johnson City; I led the opening rally then went to teach the music class. During that class the Holy Spirit fell and we began to pray for one of the people in the class who was going through a difficult time.

Right after the prayer, I got a text saying my aunt was hemorrhaging and the doctors couldn’t get the bleeding to stop. She is a carrier of hemophilia. I immediately asked the class to stand with me in prayer for her.

Afterwards, I left the class, went in the bathroom and began to ask the Lord to help me not be afraid or panic… to let my “faith and life connect” in this situation. He reminded me about the peace I had felt earlier in the day.

As I walked back into the sanctuary to do the closing rally, I gave Jeremy my phone. I knew that if bad news came, I would collapse on the stage; so I told him to keep it and if bad news came, I would take it when we finished.

I led the crowd in “Love You More.” Suddenly, I felt the Lord tell me to stop and have everyone pray with me for Aunt Linda. I stopped, told them all the story, and we began praying for a miracle… pulling on the hem His garment, asking the Lord to stop the hemorrhage just like He did in the Bible.

As soon as we finished I paused for a few moments. I looked up to Jeremy in the sound booth to let him know to start the next track. He was looking at my phone – my heart stopped for a moment.

Then Jeremy looked at me with the sweetest smile! He leaned out of the booth and said, “Your cousin just texted…the bleeding has stopped!” The whole place erupted in praise. People were shouting, crying and clapping! We had just prayed for a miracle and IT HAPPENED!

There were several kids there and their faces lit up with amazement. I told the crowd it was time to go to the Throne Room and thank the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness. I headed to the piano and we had a beautiful time of “soaking” in His presence.

I called my cousin. She told me they still didn’t know if there would be any brain damage or if Linda would have any use of the left side of her body. So Jeremy and I prayed some more in the car driving home. About 20 minutes later my cousin called me back to tell me Linda was awake talking to them.

They told her how worried they had been and she said, “Don’t be worrying about me; I told y’all I was going to be fine!” She is s woman of great faith and joy!

She is now out of ICU and doing great. Thank You, Lord!

Another lesson learned in letting “faith and life connect!”

———————

Jeff Slaughter is a songwriter/worship leader who has been a part of the Nashville music community for 25 years. Jeff also writes for his own blog, www.jeffslaughter.com.

Next week we are starting a brand new feature here on the VBS blog, and we hope you’ll love it as much as our very own VBS geeks here at LifeWay do! Each week we’ll be featuring a VBS fan as the VBS Geek of the Week! Not only will we be featuring a little bit about you here on the blog, but there’s a pretty cool gift in the works for anyone featured (more on that coming soon)!

I’m sure you’re wondering, “What does it take to be selected as a VBS Geek of the Week?” I’d say you could look to some of our very own VBS bloggers for some ideas:

• You may be a VBS geek if you … dress up like a kangaroo for VBS.
• You may be a VBS geek if you … get really excited when you see previous VBS shirts around town and post them to Twitter (yours truly).
• You may be a VBS geek if you … find a thousand uses for the VBS inflatables.
• You may be a VBS geek if you … can never throw anything away because it MIGHT be useful to decorate for next year’s theme.
• You may be a VBS geek if you … have already Photoshopped your picture into this year’s AWA stand up.
• You may be a VBS geek if you … can name all of these tunes.

But, the biggest must have to be a VBS geek, is to be passionate about sharing Christ with kids! Don’t you love that we get to do what we’re passionate about and have so much fun!

So here’s your chance, let us know who you think deserves to be an official VBS Geek of the Week! You can nominate yourself or a friend, just leave a comment below!