Regular Baptist Ministries
Vacation Bible School
VBS 2021: Wrap It Up with Follow-Up
With the passage of Labor Day, summer is fading fast, and VBS 2021 is history.
Or is it?
Consider wrapping up VBS 2021 with follow-up throughout the fall and into the new year. Here are six ideas for now,…
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Tagged Conserve the Results of VBS, Follow Up, VBS Follow Up
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9 Questions for You to Ask after VBS
Ask these nine questions to evaluate the execution of your VBS strategy.
Did you reach your goals? Why or why not?
Did you choose the best workers for each department? (Review the job descriptions on the Director Resources CD of…
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Tagged Conserve the Results of VBS, Evaluation, VBS Strategy
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Thank VBS Workers for Their Service
Your church family prayed for VBS. Don’t leave them ignorant of how God answered. If you haven’t already done so, hold a special service, or set aside time during a regular service, to report on VBS and express appreciation… Touch Base with VBS Families
Your Vacation Bible School touched a number of people, not just kids. How can you touch base with them? Here are ways to follow up with individuals in three categories: all who attended VBS, those who made decisions at VBS,… An Awesome Australian Adventure Awaits at VBS
Volunteers Make VBS Glow
To pull off a black-light VBS, a small team of volunteers must start working two to three months ahead. As VBS gets closer, invite more and more volunteers to be involved.
Alisa Greene, wife of Pastor Jimmy Greene at Higher… Create the Glow!
With your black lights, background material (black plastic or cardboard painted black), and glow chalk purchased, you’re ready to take the next step to create Big Fish Bay, with its shops, church, seafood restaurant, harbor master’s office, lighthouse, marina,… Shorter Program, Same Power: A Three-Day VBS
VBS is famous for its exciting, eternal impact. But can you pack all that bang into three days? Yes! If God leads in that direction for your church, you can get every inch of the mileage in terms of fun,… Glow in VBS: Use Black Lights
For over 20 years Alisa Greene has been helping churches hold VBS in the dark by presenting black-light VBSes. “I guess the idea started with my two daughters when they were young and decorating their room with glow-in-the-dark stars on… A VBS That Keeps Working: Growth with Goals
CHILDREN ARE FASCINATED with growing. They love to measure themselves against how tall they were last year (or even against Mom or Dad)! It makes them feel “all grown up.” Growth is also a big part of what a church…
Posted in Ministry Highlights, Vacation Bible School
Tagged A VBS That Keeps Working
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A VBS That Keeps Working: Family Discipleship
WATCH WHAT HAPPENS just after a VBS leader has led a student to the Savior. Both are absolutely “walking on air”! There’s nothing like it in the world. At first, much of what happens with that student is one-on-one.…
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Tagged A VBS That Keeps Working
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A VBS that Keeps Working: One-on-One Discipleship
A HIGH POINT in the year spiritually for many people is Vacation Bible School. That’s largely because of the relationship factor and God’s love being poured out on children and their families at VBS. Students are impacted forever! That depth…
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Tagged A VBS That Keeps Working
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Make Big Fish Bay Your Back-to-School Event
Children love to celebrate being more grown up! And birthdays aren’t the only time to celebrate. Enjoying the end of summer and looking forward to a new school year is another. What better way to celebrate than with a supercharged,… Kids Given Opportunity to Bless Orphans This Summer
Now more than ever orphans in developing nations need a safe harbor. They were needy before the spread of COVID-19 resulted in more illness, death, poverty, and need. This summer, American kids can help these orphans by giving to Operation… News Releases Invite Your Community
Send news releases to local newspapers, radio stations, and local cable television stations. If you’re not sure how to do that, read about sending a press/news/media release. Also post information on your church’s website and social media sites.
VBS 2020… Charting a Course for VBS 2020
Yes, VBS May Be Unique This Year—but also the Most Evangelistic Ever!
Many things stand out about VBS leaders, but one amazing skill is their ability to adapt and work with almost anything. Part of the giant stage decorations could…
Posted in Ministry Highlights, Vacation Bible School
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Six Ideas for Family-Directed Advertising
Editor’s Note: In light of current shelter-in-place orders, you may think some of these suggestions are unattainable, but you can still look to some of these methods with creative thinking and see results. The second idea listed here is likely… Enter a VBS Float in a Community Parade
Advertise your church’s VBS program by entering a float in a Fourth of July or other community parade. Decorate your float like an Eastern Seaboard fishing village. Check out the Director Resource CD Set for patterns and decorating ideas to… COVID-19 and Vacation Bible School
Editor’s Note: Since the publication of this article, a resource for Charting a Course for VBS 2020 has been released.
Perhaps more than anything else in recent history, the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the uncertainty of life. As James wrote,… Recruit a Great Team
Who can teach the Bible in an exciting, memorable, and relevant way? Who loves twos and threes? Who is good with crafts? Who loves to decorate? Who is kind and smiles often? That’s who you want on your VBS team!… 12 Weeks’ Worth of VBS One-Liners
Editor’s Note: We understand that many churches are not currently meeting due to COVID-19. With the uncertainty of when shelter-in-place orders will be lifted, consider ways to incorporate these invitations into your current practices. Try integrating these into the slides… Interact with Your Community to Publicize Your VBS
Take your publicity to where the people are! Here are three ideas for using Big Fish Bay resources to promote your VBS in your community.
Big Fish Bay Display
Set up a Big Fish Bay! Hooked on God’s Mercy display… Publicity Overview: Countdown & Checklist
Don’t let publicity fall through the cracks as your team prepares for VBS. This countdown overview and checklist will help you and others keep on top of publicizing your Big Fish Bay VBS.
Time
Vacation Bible School Publicity Countdown
3… Set a Goal, Reach a Goal in VBS
by Joshua Mason
If only there were no limits on what could be done in ministry—unlimited hours in each day, a rich donor to pay for every financial need, always plenty of volunteers—but enough of dreaming. In real life it…
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What You Wear Says a Lot!
In certain restaurants, all the waitstaff wear white shirts, black pants, and nametags. Or maybe they all wear a certain color or style of shirt. Or hats. Likewise, all the employees of your favorite grocery store may wear the same…
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Thinking Ahead: When It’s Time to Say Good-Bye to Big Fish Bay
Before you say good-bye to Big Fish Bay, host a cookout, picnic, or fish fry. Be sure lots of friendly church members are there to greet and interact with guests. Sing some VBS songs and quote VBS verses.… Game Time: Leviathans vs. Otters
Invite VBS families back to Big Fish Bay for a game or sports day.
Divide volunteers from your church into two groups: leaders/teachers/workers and everyone else. Choose a two-team sport that your church members enjoy. Teams should choose names from… A Puppet Matinee!
If you only do the Will Ketchit Skits during VBS, consider presenting a matinee performance of the Big Fish Bay Puppet Skits. Here are three possible ways to present the skits:
Have your church’s puppet team present them.
Invite… Have a Family Fun Fair in Big Fish Bay after VBS
Keep having fun and learning after VBS! Use the Big Fish Bay postcards to invite students and families back to your church for a Big Fish Bay family fun fair. And when you visit students for follow-up, invite the family… Summer Days in Big Fish Bay
RBP’s 2020 VBS program, Big Fish Bay: Hooked on God’s Mercy, has so many great ideas that no church could include them all in one week of VBS. So why not stretch the fun and learning to include more… Rotation Names in Big Fish Bay
When you call rotations by theme names, every place in VBS becomes part of Big Fish Bay. For example, snack time is now Tall Ship Treats, and that little extra touch helps students become sailors! Decorating the locations according to…
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‘Operation Safe Harbor’ Missions Project
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—Regular Baptist Press is once again emphasizing orphans. As the RBP team prayed about next year’s VBS missions project, God led them to choose orphans as the offering recipients. Then, tying it in with the 2020 theme, Big …
Posted in Ministry Highlights, Press Releases, Vacation Bible School
Tagged Operation Safe Harbor
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When VBS Goes Dark
LEXINGTON, N.C.—Higher Ground Baptist Church added to the excitement of Giddyup Junction: Taking God’s Love to New Frontiers by going dark.
Nighttime in the city can’t compare to a starlit night on the prairie. Using fluorescent paint and fabrics, glow-in-the…
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Still Looking for a Missions Project?
Already had your VBS? Consider the Character Count missions project as a special offering for a Labor Day picnic, harvest offering, or a Christmas giving project! The need doesn’t end when summer is over.
What do prisoners in local jails… Spread the Good News of God’s Love through Follow-Up
The Good News went to many new frontiers through your VBS. Students were reached with the gospel, to the glory of God. But after VBS, how can you help them grow and keep the good news of God’s love spreading?…
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Don’t Trash Your VBS Decorations
Your students loved riding into Giddyup Junction, and the decorations were a big part of taking them out West. But it’s true—what goes up for VBS must come down. After VBS, what do you do with all those crepe paper… Regular Baptist Press 2020 VBS Available for Preorder
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—The 2020 Regular Baptist Press Vacation Bible School, Big Fish Bay: Hooked on God’s Mercy, is available for preorder at 2020.rbpvbs.org.
Big Fish Bay features a nautical theme built around Psalm 103:8, “The LORD is merciful and…
Posted in GARBC Conference, RBP News, Vacation Bible School
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A Refuge for Ourselves and Others