5 Good VBS Resources
Michael Krauszer
To offer a good Vacation Bible School during the summer, much planning is needed. For many churches who host one, they may start planning for VBS many months before the actual event (larger churches even start shortly after one VBS ends!). Part of the planning, without a doubt, is researching good resources. It’s not enough to recycle through a handful of select VBS materials, though. That’s exactly why it’s a good idea to find current resources for the calendar year. Many different organizations and churches come up with materials for sale (and some for free) each year, making it a little easier on VBS planners around the globe. To help even more with planning, here are 5 good VBS resources for 2015.
1. Answers in Genesis
Known as a solid Bible teaching organization, Answers in Genesis (AIG) puts out great VBS materials year in and year out. Many churches even decide to use their Sunday school curriculum throughout the entire year, which may help put on a VBS with their materials, too. It’s important to do your own research over their material, as some people tend to disagree with some of the focal points of the ministry as a whole—most notably, their stringent stance on a Young Earth View of creation. Aside from this, however, Ken Ham and company do a great job at presenting Biblical truths to children and getting them trained in apologetics at an early age. For 2015, the VBS material is called Camp Kilimanjaro. You can find more information about it on their website https://answersingenesis.org/store/vbs/.
2. Lifeway – Journey off the Map
Lifeway puts out a variety of Christian resources, including VBS materials. For 2015 they are focusing on obedience to the Lord. Their website describes the VBS materials this way: “Journey off the Map takes your kids to uncharted territory where they will begin to understand that obedience to God can lead them beyond the expected. So, toss the map, stick close to your guide, and prepare to listen for God’s direction in this journey that is unknown to us, but known by Him.” Learn more on their website http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/LifeWay-VBS/Journey-Off-the-Map.
3. Your Own Church Body
Although many churches tend to use outside resources for their VBS each year, the people within your own church body should not be neglected. It certainly takes more effort and time, but people in your church who have the gifts and talents can come up with a curriculum specifically for your church. After all, you guys will know how to reach the specific kids in your area better than a national/world program. Those programs certainly help, but sometimes they can be very general and age-group specific. Coming up with your own program will allow you to make it completely customizable.
4. Christianbooks.com
Christianbook.com usually has some VBS materials for sale. They will sell things each year, from curriculums to crafts and even some decorations. It’s a great place to start your searching, especially if you want to know what popular materials are out there—after all, they usually sell things that people are buying! To see what they have to offer take a look at their web page http://www.christianbook.com/page/vbs.
5. Amazon
Never underestimate the power of Amazon—they will sell pretty much anything. This includes some of the resources I’ve already listed, along with pointing you in the direction of appropriate decorations and other supplementary materials for an awesome VBS in 2015. If you don’t find specific items or curriculums through Amazon, I’m very confident that you will find some other materials that will be necessary. For example, I’ve known VBS teachers to buy little gifts to hand out to kids for participation and even people who bought craft supplies through them for certain activities that the kids will do throughout VBS. Go to amazon.com and type “vbs” in the search bar and see what they have to offer.
Conclusion
No matter the size of your VBS, it’s always important to plan ahead and to stay current with the variety of resources that are available. More often than not, the best plan is to be balanced—use some outside resources, some resources that come from inside of your church, and websites that can give you solid information and products. Above all, however, the kids must learn about Jesus. Anyone can entertain children for a few hours out of the week, but the hardest and most important part of VBS is get children to know their Savior and want to continue getting to know him. Children, and even their parents, can have their lives changed as a result of VBS—so be in constant prayer over your event, preach the gospel, and do your research before picking a specific curriculum or resource.
From: www.christianmedia.com web site. April 2015.
The above article, “5 Good VBS Resources” was written by Michael Krauszer. The article was excerpted from www.christianmedia.com.
The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.
This article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes, “Eat the meat. Throw away the bones.”
