VBS, Jesus, and You!

January in the Kids Training & Events office here at LifeWay means Vacation Bible School Training! We have been traveling the country giving church leaders and volunteers a taste of what’s to come this summer on Amazing Wonders Aviation. We’ve been having a blast! We have one more event next week at First Baptist Church, Kissimmee, FL. I love to see people’s faces as they come through the door so excited about getting a chance to see and hear all that VBS has to offer. It brings 30, 40, and 50-year-old men and women back to their childhood days and their faces light up like they just entered Santa’s workshop!

But in the midst of all of that, when I hear stories of how God has moved in VBS programs across the country, I am filled with joy. It's humbling to know that I am a part of something much bigger than myself, and it causes me to remember Christ and to worship Him for all He is.

VBS is so much bigger than just your church or your community that you live in. If you participated in VBS last year alone, you were a part of a story that included over 80,000 decisions made for Christ. WOW! Take some serious time today to pray for those kids that made that decision to follow Jesus. Maybe you know some of them by name. Pray for those that made decisions last year to find people to surround them with Godly wisdom and teaching.  Maybe the Lord is drawing you to someone specific from last summer that you need to follow-up with and ask them about their walk with Jesus. If you are actively seeking His guidance, God will use you. He wants to work through you in order to draw more people to Him. God is all about bringing glory to Himself...and that is certainly a relief! In all you do, whether VBS, camp, or everyday tasks, do it all in a way that brings glory to His name! 

Greetings from VBS!

A few weeks ago, I attended my first VBS training event of the year. We are so excited about Amazing Wonders Aviation! I really love the theme verse for this year. It so clearly teaches kids about how powerful our God is but also how much understanding He has for his people. 

"Our Lord is great, vast in power; His understanding is infinite." - Psalm 147:5

The VBS event was so much fun! I had a great time on the road trip to Ridgecrest, helping JE hang 5 huge globes in the Registration area, and meeting all of the VBS fanatics!

Here are some fun pictures from VBS Events:

Jen Hall, our camp intern, loves to travel and be a part of VBS events. She will direct CK2 at Campbellsville this summer. Keep up with Jen via twitter.

Video interview about the VBS ideation process

The process of preparing for VBS is a fascinating journey... check out this interview where Andy from CentriKid asks Jerry Wooley about the ideation process.

Learn more about LifeWay's VBS online, or by watching Jerry explain Amazing Wonders Aviation in 67 seconds!

Keep up with all the VBS news and ideas on the VBS blog, and there's still time to sign up for one of the VBS Preview events.

Andy Dukes serves as a Camp Specialist and works closely with Jerry and our VBS Preview Events. Dukes loves to work on his iPad... so look for him with an iPad if you're going to one of our VBS events this winter. If not, keep up with Dukes' travels on twitter.

Amazing Wonders Aviation in 67 seconds #vbs @lifewayvbs

Summer planning is in full swing here at LifeWay because CentriKid and VBS are two of the biggest ways to make the gospel clear with kids in your ministry.  In case you haven't heard the details about LifeWay's VBS, here is a 67 second overview of what is coming this summer! 

(It could have been under a minute...but we felt it was important that Jerry be able to take a breath!)

How VBS Got It's Start

We got the chance to catch up with Jerry Wooley and ask him to tell us the story of how VBS got started. If you haven't heard the story, I think you'll agree its a pretty fascinating one. Our CentriKid Camps team has the priviledge of working with Jerry and partnering with him and the VBS team to execute our VBS Preview Events that happen at the beginning of every year. For more information about these awesome events, visit www.lifeway.com/vbs.

VBS is right around the corner!

Jerry Wooley is our VBS guy here at LifeWay. He works in our department with us, and he has a passion for what the Lord does at VBS every summer. He wrote this blog post for you!

What do you remember most about attending Vacation Bible School as a child? For many, including me, it is the crafts, snacks, recreation, and music. Back in my day the music and snacks were much different than they are today, but still memorable.

These elements, along with the theme and decorations, are like the colorful wrapping paper of a birthday gift. The wrapping creates anticipation and a sense of celebration but everyone knows the real gift - the item that will be saved and cherished long after the wrapping has been discarded – is what is inside just waiting to be revealed.

During LifeWay’s Big Apple Adventure VBS the gift that will be revealed this summer is the truth that our faith in Jesus Christ connects at every intersection of life. Through a series of Bible passages that tell the stories of individuals who stepped out at moments of extreme need and connected with Jesus, children, teens, and adults will learn that they too can make life-transforming connections with Jesus.

VBS continues to be one of the most successful evangelistic opportunities most churches have all year. Between 60,000 and 100,000 people each year make professions of faith during VBS, and many more are introduced to the Gospel for the first time.

Begin praying now for the approximately 3 million people who will participate in VBS this summer. Pray that workers and children alike will look beyond the VBS wrappings and discover the true gift. Pray for the teachers who will be tasked with sharing the truth that at every intersection of life we can connect with Jesus. Specifically pray that the evangelistic message – Admit, Believe, Confess - presented during VBS will be heard and accepted.