I apologize for not telling you earlier. Once you post your VBS information on LifeWay’s “Find a VBS” site,  it will take approximately 24 hours for the information to appear on the site.

With the biggest week of VBS just 28 days away, are you certain you have spread the word every way possible?  How about the free posting on LifeWay’s “Find a VBS” site?

Seriously, one of the most under utilized ways of publicizing VBS is online. For a moment think about the online possibilities that stretch beyond your church web page. What about community calendars, church member blogs, tweets, and Facebook? And what about LifeWay’s “Find a VBS” site?

Click here and check it out!

You might be surprised at the number of phone calls I receive each summer from parents looking for Bible schools in their community.

Often it is a family who has just moved to the community and has not yet established a church home. Their kids went to VBS every year in their previous community and want a similar experience in their new community.

Sometimes it is a parent who has heard about VBS but doesn’t know anything about it. They Google VBS, and end up at LifeWay’s VBS. At which point they make a phone call to LifeWay’s corporate office and the call is directed to me.

When I receive these calls I frantically go to lifeway.com/vbs. Click on Events. And then click on Find a VBS. Since I can search by by city name and/or zip code the search is quick and easy – at least until there are no entries found.

No entries found means churches in the community did not take advantage of this free opportunity to publicize their Bible schools. Don’t be one of those churches – post your VBS dates today by clicking here.

Please make sure all the information is correct before you hit submit. It is impossible for you to change the information once you hit submit. The only way to make changes is to send me an e-mail (jerry.wooley@lifeway.com) with the corrected info. So three cheers for checking twice and submitting once!

If at first your information can not be found, don’t panic! Once you submit your information it will take up to 24 hours to appear.

Looking forward to seeing your VBS posted today!

This got me to thinking about ways LifeWay VBS curriculum helps face those limitations in a small church, or just those doing VBS in tight spaces or with a tight budget. Here are a few things to remember when attempting to conquer those limitations:

1. A little goes a long way: if you have a small space and not much money to decorate it, things like the Super Duper Sized Backdrop can pretty much fill the backdrop of a Worship Rally space or even a Bible study room. It is complete in and of itself, or can connect to another backdrop to expand it, depending on the size of your space. It’s simple, doesn’t take a lot of volunteers to get it on the wall, and sets the mood since it was designed specifically for the VBS theme.

3. The leader packs often have all that’s needed to make the teacher look he or she really tried hard with visuals that help kids stay connected with that day’s Bible truths.

4. Clear outlines, information on how to prepare, and facts about the age group the teacher will be teaching help even inexperienced teachers prepare to succeed. I know that helped me when I first started teaching at Witt Baptist Church (see last week’s post) when I had little idea of what I was doing, but knew my church was in great need of volunteers. This helps might help you encourage a recruit who says they don’t know enough to actually teach a class, though they really do want to help.

These are just a few things I’ve noticed that can help small churches succeed with LifeWay’s VBS. What other helpful things have you seen? What else would be helpful to you as your prepare for VBS?

In recent months there have been a lot of changes occurring on the Kids floor at LifeWay. One of my favorite changes is the addition of the chalk wall. Chalkboards and chalk walls are fun ways to be creative. I have to give credit to Pam, Courtney, Stacey and Katie who worked hard on this! Our wall is full of words, quotes, and Bible verses that remind us of kids. Our work is all about teaching the gospel to kids and this is a great reminder. What are some of your favorite kid quotes?

Jeffrey Reed is the new Director of Kids Ministry at LifeWay. He officially joined us on April 1, 2013.

Although Jeffrey has served as a student pastor, worship pastor, executive pastor, and senior pastor; he says his role in children’s ministry has had the deepest impact on his faith and life. As a speaker and influencer at camps and conferences, Jeffrey has helped churches across the country develop strategies for vibrant and sustaining children’s ministry and leadership.

Jeffrey and his wife, Katherine, live outside of Nashville with their four children, Ella, Maddox, Owen, and Addison.

Jeffrey brings with him a wealth of knowledge and innovative ideas. We are so happy he is with us and wanted you to get an opportunity to welcome him, too!