In Big Trouble...

[MissElle]

:mad:Okay, so I have a big problem. Our church partners with another local church to do VBS in a small community. Each year, we alternate which church it is held at (which also means we alternate responsibility for getting materials, etc.)

Our VBS (located at our partner church) is early this year - it starts on Memorial Day so as to not interfere with summer sports. They've asked me to act in the director position this year again, however, but only gave me a few weeks notice.

So we ordered our materials for VBS, but we didn't order everything available. Our small congregations can't afford it. I was told by the committee that since we ordered the Reproducible Resources CD, that we were not to order the Skits and Assemblies book, because the RR CD supposedly had all that on there. By the way, we received the materials YESTERDAY.

Well, the CD had some of the information. It had the skits but not the assemblies. The company we went with last year had the assemblies in the Director's Guide, which made it MUCH easier to plan, having everything in the same place. Long story short - I have no opening or closing assemblies for the week. Does anyone have a way they can help me get the assemblies before this week??? I have the skits on the CD, but not the assemblies.

Note to GospelLight - make materials such as the assemblies available for download, even if you have to charge a fee. When you end up in my situation, and you don't have any opportunity to get the materials you need, you end up having to do everything yourself - thus negating the reason we went with a pre-planned VBS in the first place.

[brutgers]

Openings are easy! Don't sweat it. Play the music, greet the children, pray, do the skits(or play the video), talk about the skits and the daily choice, take offering, and send them on their way. You can even march in the flags and do the pledges if you have more time. Its vbs...just smile and way and show enthusium.....you'll be wonderful!

If you have a closing (we never have time) talk about the bible story, ask kids to repeat the bible verse.....revisit the skit and daily choice.....pray...go home...and get geared up to do it again.

[TrinityJen]

MissElle - I have seen you other posts but must have missed this one!

WOW - what an early VBS! I hope all is going well and I hope to hear all about it when you have a chance to take a breath!

[nana]

Our opening is always exciting and full of music and activities. But for our closing, I always try to calm them down and get more serious. I talk about salvation and we use the serious song (this year it will be "I Believe In Ever After") and prayer to end the day. Of course, always an invitation to come back tomorrow for more fun.
Nana

[MissElle]

So here's how it's gone this week...

I have done the openings with a couple of the songs the kids already know and the help of a high school kid who plays guitar. They are singing songs like "Trading my Sorrows," "Lord I Lift Your Name on High," and others like that. This way even the kids who are first timers to VBS are pretty familiar with the tunes, and they all get into singing.

Then I've been doing offering - instead of the project in India, we're collecting for a local child who was badly burned recently.

Then, we do recognition of those kids who've brought their Bibles and brought a friend. They get a small treat (and if they're the friend that came that day, their friend gets a treat too!).

Finally, we've been closing our opening with "Choose Jesus" before they head off to class. They love that song (even the older kids) and are always enthusiastic about joining in.

For closings we usually only have about 10-15 minutes by the time kids actually leave their last station and head back. We've been making sure that everyone has the parent newsletter, the invitations for their friends and closing assemblies, etc. Then we pray and sing Choose Jesus, and they're off!

So, all in all, it's been okay. I just really enjoyed last year's curriculum, because it had an "object lesson" to help apply the day's message.

I'm looking forward for tomorrow - I hope we can pull off the final assembly!

[Judy N.]

It sounds like it went fine after all! I too missed your "in trouble" post. After seeing that I thought I would post some "object lessons" that we are doing during opening assembly. (Our 4 day VBS is in 3 weeks, so it is a work in progress) Some details will be on power point, but I will make visuals also...
There will be a large figure of a "SonWorld Kid" with t-shirt, hat, etc. but it will be missing certain "body parts". One part will be added each day.
MONDAY:
BELIEVE- Jesus heals blind man- EYES will be added to figure...this gives clue to Bible Story (can even ask kids to guess what Bible story is about) Talk about what the following means: blind but now I see, seeing is believing, if I could just see it with my own eyes, etc...tell kids they will all get a grab bag to take home, they can't see the prize inside but they should BELIEVE it is in there. We can't always see in order to believe. For Teacher Stunt on this day, we will have several come up blindfolded and punch a brown paper bag pinata. It will be filled with some sample prizes like they might get in their grab bags. Show them examples. When they are dismissed, remind them to use their eyes to see what God has to show them about believing.
TUESDAY:
ACT-Jesus heals 10 lepers- HANDS will be added to the figure. Give Bible story clues about hands and disease. Talk about using our hands for action, helping others, opening doors, writing thank-you notes, carrying a little brother, opening the Bible, folding them in prayer, etc. Tell kids they will get a rubber bracelet with a Bible message on it. Each time they look at their bracelet, it can remind their hands to ACT! Teacher Stunt for the day, have to get hands messy, have to search behind their back for marbles in bowl of cool whip, can trick one teacher and have their bowl empty but give kids heads up ahead of time! When dismissed, remind kids to choose to use their hands to ACT for Jesus.
WEDNESDAY:
FORGIVENESS, paralyzed man. Add FEET to the figure. Give Bible story clues. (Weds. will be silly ***** day also, so that will be one of our clues.) Talk about how Jesus is always ready to forgive us, but we must STEP forward and ask. We should also step up and ask others to forgive us. Teacher Stunt: smelly feet contest? Or pick up a lollypop with their toes. Remind kids they will get a lollypop (I ordered through OTC) to take home to remind them that forgiveness is sweet! Remind kids as they "Step" out of assembly time to see what Jesus teaches about forgiveness.
THURSDAY:we do two in one day.
OBEY-Rich young ruler. JESUS-doubting Thomas- add MOUTH first, HEART later.
Talk about deciding to obey and love Jesus. Our MOUTH has a choice to say YES to Jesus. We can also obey Jesus by choosing to use kind words, not saying selfish words, not lying, etc. We can obey and love Jesus by praying and speaking words of love. Teacher Stunt: food contests- use mouth to blow a miniature marshmallow, fastest one to eat a hotdog or mini-pie,eat cracker and whistle,etc. Remind kids they will get a red, white, & blue pinwheel to take home. When your mouth blows on the pinwheel think about how even the wind obeys Jesus, so why shouldn't we? In closing time, put HEART on figure, talk about asking Jesus into our heart, Kids will also get "He Lives" balloons, remind them Jesus is with us wherever we go.

[Judy N.]

not sure why my above message bleeped out "silly ***** day".

[Judy N.]

try again using different but similar word...silly sneakers day

[jruckman]

But it sure got me to thinking what your "silly *****" might be! Too funny!
Janet

[MissElle]

Oh that idea is so cute! I wish I had that at the beginning. Adding body parts to a drawing... wow.

[kidsmatter]

...I thought I would post some "object lessons" that we are doing during opening assembly.... [see object lesson in Judy N's comment on this post]

Thanks, Judy, for this amazing object lesson! I used it at one of my VBS's last week and the kids really liked it. I found that it tied together all the daily choices better than anything provided in the curriculum, so I'll be using it the rest of this summer (have 3 more VBS's to go). I also shared the idea with two other ladies and I've already heard from one that she loves it too. So thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!