2012 VBS Timeline: 4-6 Months Before Your VBS

Welcome to February! It's not too early to begin planning for your 2012 Vacation Bible School program. After all, summer will come sooner than we think.

Here are some things to begin doing now in preparation for your 2012 VBS. First, start praying. You may want to organize a prayer team to start praying for potential leaders and workers for your VBS. Then set a budget. Take a look at all the VBS options available and start deciding which ones look best for your church and community. Start choosing VBS Starter Kits to preview. Visit Shop VBS to select several kits to preview for 30 days, risk free. Starter Kits have already started shipping and will continue to ship this month and those following.

Decide how many VBS programs you will hold this year. Will you do a traditional VBS plus a sports camp? Perhaps a weekend VBS? Some churches hold a VBS week during Easter break in addition to one over the summer. You may want to keep several Starter Kits so you can plan for multiple special events throughout the year. 

Also pray about whether to include preschoolers in your VBS program this summer. Many of the VBS Starter Kits come with a separate preschool director's guide. Pray about who will lead your preschoolers and who God is calling as your preschool helpers. Including preschoolers can become a great way to meet new families in your neighborhood. Visit Shop VBS to preview some of the VBS programs written especially for preschoolers such as Jesus in Nazareth and Joseph in Egypt. If you decide to hold a completely separate preschool VBS, either of these All-in-One Preschool VBS Programs will fit the bill.

Click on the VBS Planning Timeline below to see the larger and expanded view. Print a copy for each of your VBS team members.

When you order your VBS Starter Kit from Shop VBS at eChurchDepot.com, you'll be guaranteed of the best price anywhere. When you spend over $99 you'll also receive FREE shipping! Visit Shop VBS to listen to music and video clips, see the daily Bible lessons and Bible points, and download the complete VBS Planning Timeline. Watch for a VBS Comparison Chart we're putting together to help you decide which program(s) you'd like to review.

Celebrate Christmas with an Outreach to Your Community

The Church Family Christmas Celebration is a complete program book with CD-ROM to help you easily plan and  organize a complete Christmas outreach to your church and community. The easy-to-use instruction guide tells you all you need to know—whether you've been planning church events for 25 years or this is your first time! Includes worship ideas, an instant Christmas pageant, promotion and programming ideas, printable family devotions, recipes for refreshments, craft instruction sheets, CD-ROM, and lots more:

• Step-by-step instructions for planning and set-up
• Reproducible instruction sheets and patterns
• Christ-centered crafts
• Worship service guides
• Quick and easy decorations and centerpieces
• Nativity Pageant scripts
• Missions project ideas
• Printable family Christmas devotions
• CD-ROM included!

The Church Family Christmas Celebration can be used during the advent season to prepare the hearts of your congregation and community for Christmas. You choose the time frame and programming options that work best for your church. 

The reproducible bulletin inserts, posters, song sheets, recipes, pageant instructions, and much more will help you put this memory-making event together in no time at all. When your volunteers see how well organized you are, recruiting will practically take care of itself. The Church Family Christmas Celebration