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Vacation Bible School

Discussion in 'Polls Forum' started by FriendofSpurgeon, Jun 10, 2008.

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Does your church do Vacation Bible School?

  1. Yes

    24 vote(s)
    77.4%

  2. No, never have

    3 vote(s)
    9.7%

  3. No, used to but not this year

    4 vote(s)
    12.9%
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  1. FriendofSpurgeon

    FriendofSpurgeon Well-Known Member
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    Does your church do Vacation Bible School (VBS) during the summer?

    If so, please share any details, tidbits, advice, etc.

    If not, why not?
     
    #1 FriendofSpurgeon, Jun 10, 2008
  2. ccrobinson

    ccrobinson Active Member

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    We don't, but I think it has far more to do with our location than anything else. You wouldn't be wrong in saying that we're in the middle of the woods. Since there really isn't a neighborhood around us, I don't think it makes a ton of sense for us to do VBS. However, what we do is something simply called "Summer Program". It's really nothing more than a church service with a couple of extras in the middle and afterwards.

    Every week we have different musical groups and a different preacher. This year it was moved to Tuesday so we could get some preachers in that we couldn't get in past years.
     
    #2 ccrobinson, Jun 10, 2008
  3. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    Yep - We do VBS and in a pretty big way. We have 450 kids, 150 workers plus parents who hang out and eat my good yummy food. :) I am in charge of all refreshments so I know those numbers.

    We've done it for years and we will have ours again the last week of July leading into August. We have a huge skit each year with the same underlying theme (it involves tickets to the VBS fair on Friday, a sinister bad guy "El Gato", silly guys who try to steal the tickets and the "Silver Fox" (aka our senior pastor) who saves the day. "Never fear!" LOL

    We have the fair on Friday night (VBS is during the morning) and it has carnival games, moon bounce, face painting, hot dogs and soda. Everything but the food can be done with VBS tickets which the children earn all week by bringing friends, dressing up on dress-up day, memorizing their Bible verses, bringing their Bible, etc.

    It's been a wonderful ministry and we've had many come to the Lord through the VBS - even adults remembering our VBS years later and coming back to find out more about God. It's a privilege to be able to serve in this way.
     
    #3 annsni, Jun 10, 2008
  4. FriendofSpurgeon

    FriendofSpurgeon Well-Known Member
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    Sounds great! Our church started VBS this week -- with loads of kids who are not part of our church. Here are the notes from the web page:

    "As you drive into the church parking lot this morning, you are warmly welcomed by the sight of over 500 children wearing bright green T-shirts, marking just the beginning of our annual VBS Week!!! These children will be playing all kinds of games while they learn about God's great love for each one of them. This week-long camp, featuring fun characters such as Fizz, Dewd, and the Circuit Breakers, aims to prove children how powerful and loving God is. We ask that members of our church pray for these wonderful children as well as the 200+ volunteers that are helping out this week. "

    We do a few really neat things. We take up an offering every day. The kids' offerings go to a mission group supported by the church. In prior years, it was Camp Hope in Ecuador. Last year & this year, the offerings will go to the Sanctuary of Moses in Benin West Africa. There is always a contest between the boys & girls -- which group will bring in the most offerings.

    On Friday night (after the last day), we have a family night where the kids come back with their parents. It is a great way to invite the parents to church & they get to see their children sing all the songs they learned during the week. There is normally some kind of skit that accompanies this. However, I love your idea of a fair.

    Lastly, we have VBS Sunday. All of the sets used during the week are left up in the sanctuary & the kids sing all of the songs they learned. It's always way out of the box (especially for us) and always a lot of fun.
     
    #4 FriendofSpurgeon, Jun 10, 2008
  5. Bible Believing Bill

    Bible Believing Bill <img src =/bbb.jpg>

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    I am really dissapointed. Our chruch will not be doing VBS this year. Jeanne and I are doing the association Camp this year and there is not way we can plan and excute both VBS and camp.

    NO ONE else in the chruch would step up to be VBS director. That is a huge dissapointment. Eveyone says the youth are important, but it seems no one wants to make a commitment to do anything.

    Bill
     
    #5 Bible Believing Bill, Jun 10, 2008
  6. I Am Blessed 24

    I Am Blessed 24 Active Member

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    We have it every year, it used to be in the morning. The last few years, we have had it in the evening and there are classes for the adults too.

    VBS...it's not just for kids anymore!
     
    #6 I Am Blessed 24, Jun 11, 2008
  7. David Lamb

    David Lamb Active Member

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    We have held holiday bible clubs for children in the past, and are considering the possibility of doing so again. Is that the save as your VBS?
     
    #7 David Lamb, Jun 11, 2008
  8. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    How cool! We do very much the same thing - except our contest is a little different. We do the money offering to go towards a project - we've sent money to repair wheelchairs to use in third world countries, dug wells, and last year we raised enough money for the school that meets in the Managua city dump to feed their children one meal a week for the entire year! It is neat to give the children a concrete view of a missions project and to see how God will use them to supply a huge need. Every year we exceed our goal and it's just so amazing.

    For our contest, we always do something for local ministries. We've brought in school supplies for a local mission that assists the needy in a poor area near here. We've also brought in underware and socks for this same mission. Last year was cereal and juice boxes for a camp in upstate NY that brings in underprivileged kids from around the state so they can have a camp experience for little to no money.

    It sounds like our VBS programs are really similar! :) Very cool!
     
    #8 annsni, Jun 11, 2008
  9. FriendofSpurgeon

    FriendofSpurgeon Well-Known Member
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    Very cool. Yes, the offerings also go toward a specific project -- last year it was for a well so the children at the Sanctuary of Moses could have fresh water. This place has a special place in our hearts since this school was started by a woman in our church -- see picture below.


    [​IMG]​
     
    #9 FriendofSpurgeon, Jun 11, 2008
  10. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    It's great to be able to get the kids involved in a missions project like that, isn't it? Those faces are just too sweet. :)
     
    #10 annsni, Jun 11, 2008
  11. Gayla

    Gayla New Member

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    Monday afternoon we passed a Methodist Church that had put their VBS banner out.
    We noticed that across the very bottom it said "Free of Charge."



    Guess the Denomination really doesn't matter. Just have never seen that before.
     
    #11 Gayla, Jun 11, 2008
  12. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    On another board I go to, some of the moms said that churches in their area charge as much as $40 per child! Can you imagine having 3 kids and having to pay $120 for your children to go to VBS??? I was shocked.
     
    #12 annsni, Jun 11, 2008
  13. SaggyWoman

    SaggyWoman Active Member

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    The church I am attending right now hasn't done one because they are a new church plant, but all of the churches I have been involved in have had Bible Schools.
     
    #13 SaggyWoman, Jun 11, 2008
  14. Jon-Marc

    Jon-Marc New Member

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    My answer would be "I don't know since I'm new there." We have only a few people and no children to speak of, and I doubt they have it.
     
    #14 Jon-Marc, Jun 12, 2008
  15. SaggyWoman

    SaggyWoman Active Member

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    I hate that for you. If I lived near you, I would plan it myself.

    My favorite times as director is when we did a big focus on what used to be termed as the joint worship, but we made it a bit more kid friendly. We had a daily skit going on, and a contest to bring in missions monies between the boys and girls. It rocked!
     
    #15 SaggyWoman, Jun 12, 2008
  16. GrapeApe

    GrapeApe New Member

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    We're not having VBS this year, or at least, not a week of it.

    Instead, it's going to be a huge one night event filled with activities, crafts, snacks, and a presentation from this woman that teaches about the birds of the Bible and nature.

    I kinda wish it was going to be like last year, but oh well.
     
    #16 GrapeApe, Jun 12, 2008
  17. FriendofSpurgeon

    FriendofSpurgeon Well-Known Member
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    Our VBS concluded this past Sunday with VBS Sunday -- quite a different service than the norm. All of the sets were left up in the sanctuary and the worship was led by our VBS team (almost all teens). The music was definitely more energetic to say the least.

    This past week we had over 500 kids -- one of the largest ever -- with over 200 volunteers -- a lot of them our teenagers. The kids raised over $12,500 in offerings to help build a health clinic at the Sanctuary of Moses (a Christian school in Benin, West Africa - which was started by one of our members). Plus, they purchased over 150 French Bibles (each with a personal note & picture) to send to the school. Very cool.

    BTW, we do not charge for VBS - it is an outreach ministry. However, we do have VBS shirts for sale - which are optional, though most kids end up getting one - only $10.
     
    #17 FriendofSpurgeon, Jun 17, 2008
  18. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    FoS - That's awesome!! It sounds like it was a complete success.

    It's funny for me to think of having VBS already since we still are in school! In NY, we don't end until the end of June.

    Our VBS is at the end of July so we still have some more time but my prayer is that our program can be as successful as yours. :)
     
    #18 annsni, Jun 17, 2008
  19. NaasPreacher (C4K)

    NaasPreacher (C4K) Well-Known Member

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    Just an idea. We too are a church plant, but we have done VBS since before the plant was even planted. It gave us so many contacts and open doors. They might think about a small neighbourhood Bible time if workers are limited.
     
    #19 NaasPreacher (C4K), Jun 18, 2008
  20. FriendofSpurgeon

    FriendofSpurgeon Well-Known Member
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    Wow -- our last school day was May 22nd -- before the Memorial Day weekend. Our kids have been out for three and a half weeks already. However, Warrior Week (the first week of school) starts on August 17th, so only a little more than two months of summer left.
     
    #20 FriendofSpurgeon, Jun 18, 2008
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