What Exactly is a Successful VBS? Ingredient #8

Hello again VBS folks! This is the eighth installment of a 10 part series on what makes a successful VBS. This weeks ingredient is Baptism:

The subject of baptizing children is approached with hesitation by some or complete rejection by others. I agree that for a person to partake in a sacrament such as baptism that they should realize the seriousness of the act. But I don’t think there is an age limit. If anyone feels the pull of the Spirit on their heart, realize they have trespassed against God and desire to receive Christ’s pardon then by all means let them be baptized! If we are doing our job of teaching the Gospel to kids then those who want to follow Christ will be in the same situation as the Ethiopian who heard the Gospel from Phillip:

36 As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” 38 He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. – Acts 8

So here is a major part of an evangelistic endeavor that I think we should consider implementing. We ask for those to repent and follow Christ and then invite them to be baptized at the Unity Service. To reinforce new believers we capitalize on the timing of the event and seal their commitments through the waters of baptism. If the parents are okay with it, the committee agrees on the mode then I say lets baptize them! I envision getting a metal livestock watering troth and baptize kids during the Unity Service while we worship with the VBS Praise Team!
Next week we will turn to another ingredient for success that has been brought up every summer concerning VBS.

What Exactly is a Successful VBS? Ingredient #7

Hello again VBS folks! This is the seventh installment of a 10 part series on what makes a successful VBS. This weeks ingredient is a Call to Repentance:

Now I know we are dealing with kids but it is definitely Biblical to call people of all ages to repentance. In fact Jesus began His ministry with a call to repentance:
2 “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. – Matthew 3

12 So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God. – Mark 6

38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. – Acts 2

I (Paul) have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus. – Acts 20

The approach I have always taken with VBS is like the sower in the parable Jesus told. We share the Good News and let the Holy Spirit apply it to the hears:

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 4 As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they did’nt have deep roots, they died. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! 9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
18 “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: 19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts.
20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” – Matthew 13

I still believe in our "seed flinging"model but it is quite clear in the verses above on repentance that we are to make a serious call for kids to turn and follow Christ:

20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” – 2Corinthians 5

So here is a new aspect of our outreach we need to incorporate in our ministry. Of course we will do this without fear or guilt tactics but with a deep love and concern for the children. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on applying the repentance ingredient.

Next week we will look at the eighth ingredient that may have some serious theological implications for the parents and the churches .

Correction!

Ooops! The next VBS meeting will be April 13th @ 5:45PM @ the Junction Loft. Sorry folks!

All Roads Lead to "Rome"

Hello folks!

the first VBS meeting is in the books and we are off and running for 2009. I am excited to announce we will be using Group Publishing's "Rome" this year. The cool thing about this curriculum is that the Bible points all come from the book of Romans and Jesus remains the focus of each nights lessons.

The challenging part of this theme is to turn the Grove into Rome. The idea is to create an experience for the kids of what it would have been like to live in Rome when the church was just a baby and growing with the help of Paul.

We will need creative people who; enjoy sewing., people who like to do drama and all the Christmas pageant robes we can get our hands on.

Please keep VBS in your prayers and mark your calenders for our next meeting, Monday April 6th @ 5:45PM @ the Junction loft, when we will discuss the stuff we need to purchase and our staffing needs

11 That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.” - Act 23

What Exactly is a Successful VBS? Check Up!

Hello again VBS folks! This is a ten part series on what makes a successful VBS. This week I want to review what we have covered over the last 6 weeks: So let us see how we are doing in being Biblically successful;

Prayer – check
Christian guidance from adults and kids - check
Outdoor forum– check
Preaching to everyone – check
Teaching the Word to kids – check (well of course! It is Vacation Bible School)
Singing and giving thanks – check
Cranking up the volume on praise – check
United body – check

We are doing a great job so far! In the next 2 weeks I will be revisiting the Great Commission and a couple other evangelistic verses to see if there are some other things we may need to work on.

What Exactly is a Successful VBS? Ingredient #6

Hello again VBS folks! This is the sixth installment of a 10 part series on what makes a successful VBS. This weeks ingredient is Praise Songs & Thanksgiving:

The Bible has a lot to say about praising, singing and giving thanks. The Psalms alone has 86 references while the New Testament has 36 with the majority in Revelation which gives a hint of what Heaven is going to be like. Here are some more verses on the topic of praise and thanksgiving:

*12 that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever! – Psalm 30

*1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to the Most High. – Psalm 92

*16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. – Colossians 3

Every year we get feedback that the music is too loud. I am not trying to be insensitive to folks but check out these verses!:

*8 Let the whole world bless our God
and loudly sing his praises. – Psalm 66

*4 Sing praises to God and to his name!
Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.
His name is the Lord—
rejoice in his presence! – Psalm 68

What Exactly is a Successful VBS? Ingredient #5

Hello again folks! This is the fifth installment of a 10 part series on what makes a successful VBS. This weeks ingredient is Preaching/Teaching:

Here is what Jesus says about sharing the Gospel:

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28

15 And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. - Mark 16

These are a couple of my favorite verses. Our Lord Jesus has given us authority and a command to go forward and make disciples. Discipleship includes teaching the commands of Christ from the New Testament. It is awesome that Jesus is with us as we go about this in VBS or in our respected churches and lives! He said in Mark to preach the Good News to everyone! That means kids, teens and parents that show up at Community VBS!