Posts Tagged ‘VBS director’

Four Weeks and Counting…

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Hopefully it is looking a lot like – and sounding a lot like – Christmas where you are today. It certainly is here in the VBS office! But it is also looking and sounding a lot like four weeks until the first national VBS Preview at Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina.

We are in perpetual motion putting the finishing touches on a not-to-be-missed event! We have now hit capacity at Ridgecrest and the Nashville Friday/Saturday events, but there is still room at Fort Worth, Nashville Thursday/Friday, and Kissimmee.

A complete list of breakout sessions is now available at lifeway.com/vbs/events. Check it out today!

In addition to the basics for Colossal Coaster World and Club VBS: Jungle Jaunt, you will have the opportunity to explore decorating options with Mark Jones and the VBS Design Team, be introduced to LifeWay’s newest VBS resource Backyard Kids Club, be challenged by the preaching of Dr. Shane Garrison, and participate in worship with the Austin Adamec Band.

I’m looking forward to seeing you soon for the Colossal Coaster World Experience!

Coming with VBS 2013 – Backyard Kids Club™

 One of the most exciting things about my job is watching God put the pieces together to make something great happen. That’s what it has felt like as the plans for a Backyard Kids Club resource have come together. Here’s a sneak peak at the why, what, and who of Backyard Kids Club.

Why offer a Backyard Kids Club option? 

Many churches are looking for ways to take VBS outside their church and into their communities. Whether those communities are down the street or around the world, our Backyard Kids Club Directors Guide and Backyard Kids Club Kit provide portable resources that can be used easily wherever you can gather a group of kids!

What will be available to help organize and conduct a Backyard Kids Club?

The Backyard Kids Club Directors Guide is designed for the person or team who will be coordinating and planning the Backyard Kids Club or Clubs. Based on expert advice from folks who have held successful Backyard Kids Clubs, this guide gives easy, step-by-step instructions.

The Backyard Kids Club Kit is an all-in-one box designed for a club of about 25 to 30 kids. The traditional VBS curriculum is simplified to fit a limited outdoor setting. The kit includes leader resources for worship and music, Bible study, crafts, and recreation. A special “Host Folder” even includes snack ideas. Music CDs and a choreography DVD are included!

What if a church wants some of the “extras” that go with a traditional VBS?

Because our Backyard Kids Club uses the same Bible content, music, and theme as our traditional VBS, all the fun accessories used for a large scale VBS will coordinate with your Backyard Kids Club!

Who will be able to benefit from the Backyard Kids Club resources?

  • Churches who are looking to take VBS outside the church walls and into communities where kids are
  • Mission groups who need a pack-and-go VBS option for local community centers, campgrounds, or mission locations in other states or around the world
  • Small churches who may have twenty or fewer children, but wish to provide a summer VBS experience that will reach the kids and their families

I know there are even more ideas about how this resource could be used. What are some of your ideas? Have we gotten your wheels turning? We’d love to hear from you!

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Today on Kids Ministry 101, learn more about LifeWay’s Kids Ministry Conference! 

Easy Peasy 2012 VBS Director's Evaluations

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I know you’ve just seen months of planning come to fruition and all you really want to to is sit back and relax. But if you could, do one more thing. Just one and I promise to make it as easy as possible.

We want to hear from you. Please fill out the VBS Director’s Evaluations online here or you can complete a paper copy from the 2012 Administrative Guide and mail it in to the address on the form. That’s it! Easy peasy, right? And I promise I will read every one and pass along all your comments, thoughts, and suggestions to the VBS team to help us evaluate what you need for VBS to be easy for you.

Now Back to 2012!

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Yesterday we had great fun revealing Colossal Coaster World, the hair raising theme for VBS 2013. I heard from many of you who are already planning “research” trips (a.k.a. family adventures) to amusement parks to prep. I have visited a couple myself in the past few months – purely for “research” mind you – and hope to visit one or two more by the time we introduce the theme for VBS 2014! So little time, so many roller coasters to ride!

But before we get too carried away with VBS 2013 we need to fly back to VBS 2012. More Bible schools will be held this week than any other week of the year. This means in the next few days I will start receiving thousands of VBS Reports. Actually, I have already received a few from churches holding VBS during Spring break.

Each year we mail a personalized VBS Report form to every church in the Southern Baptist Convention – some 46,000 plus. The 2012 Report Form was mailed out last week and should be arriving at your church any day now. WATCH FOR IT!

This form will already have your church name, address, and Southern Baptist Directory Services (SBDS) identification number and password. Using the ID and password you can enter your VBS information directly into the SBDS reporting system. You can also use the provided contact information to mail or FAX your completed report form.

This report is a Southern Baptist Convention report and not a LifeWay report. We encourage you to report your VBS whether you use curriculum from LifeWay, another publisher, or create your own. We also encourage you to report your VBS even if you call it something other than VBS.

In the event you can not locate the personalized report form you can always use the one provided in the Administrative Guide for Directors.

The data from this report helps us evaluate the effectiveness of the VBS ministry. Did you know VBS has been around for over 100 years and is still the largest outreach ministry conducted by most churches.

Thanks for all you do to promote the life changing ministry of VBS, and I look forward to reading your report!

Appreciate Your Leaders

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You’ve enlisted them, you’ve trained them, and they’ve done their jobs! Now it’s time to show them a little appreciation for all those long hours, last minute errands, and loving’ on the kids.

No matter who you are or how long you’ve invested in the lives of kids, it never gets old to be appreciated, so we’ve complied some clever ways to say, “Thank you for all you do.”  Check out our “Teacher Appreciation Board” on the LifeWay Kids Pintrest site.  Some of my favorites include:

 

Or check out specific VBS theme appreciation ideas on the enhanced CD in the front of the VBS 2013 Administrative Guide for Directors.

What are some ways you’ve thanked your teachers?

More VBS Decorating Ideas Coming Your Way

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With VBS and camps just weeks away, we have some great tips and ideas to share on tomorrow’s Kids Ministry 101 Show.

Ann Oliver, preschool ministry leader from Paris, Tennessee, will share great preschool decorating ideas and fun extras for Amazing Wonders Aviation. Mark Jones, decorator extraordinaire from Oklahoma City, has AWA site ideas for even the most artistically challenged (which includes me).

CentriKid Camp specialists Jeremy Echols and Mary Carlisle will be on hand to help you get yourself and your kids ready for camp.

Also on the show will be Brian Haynes, author of Shift: What it Takes to Finally Reach Families Today, and Scott Kindig who will present three basic strategies parents and the church need to raise radical kids.

Join us tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. Central at lifeway.com/kidsministry101show.

We’ll be looking for you.