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.

VBS Appreciation Idea & Thank-You Note

Print this thank-you card to let your VBS volunteers know they are appreciated. Feel free to replace the star with your own VBS logo. Then copy or print the page for every two workers and cut the page in half. Fold each card in half and add a personal note or VBS memory inside.

For an inexpensive gift, purchase an All-Stars for Jesus water bottle for each of your volunteers. Place a plastic bag of chocolate hugs or jellybeans or a single-serving sports drink mix inside. Twist the lid back on. Punch a hole in the card and slip a ribbon through the hole. Tie the ribbon around the water bottle. Give a bottle to each of your workers on the last day of VBS (or midweek so they can use the water bottle during VBS). Explain that you appreciated the way the volunteers helped the children feel like stars in Jesus' eyes. Then present a bottle to each worker.

Click on the image above to download the card.

VBS Follow-Up Program: All-Stars for Jesus

Winding down your VBS program? Looking for a way to invite those same children back to your church for another exciting event? Take a look at All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs. There's a Bible club program for children from age two through grade six. Plus, Christian Ed. Publishers has downloadable programs for middle school and high school with the reproducible Bible Basics and Christian Basics curriculum.

God loves his children. He commanded parents to "train up a child in the way he should go" (Proverbs 22:6). We want each child to know that he or she is a star in Jesus' eyes, no matter what the child's skills and abilities are. Jesus loves children just as they are. Share that love with the children in your community. Begin a Bible club program at your church or in your neighborhood. It's easy to get started.

All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs are designed to help churches and parents teach children to know God, to believe in Jesus as their Savior, and to live for Him. All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs help children to feel loved and accepted so they, in turn, can share the love of Jesus with their friends and families. Researchers say that 43% of people who are Christians accepted Christ as Savior before the age of 13! We want to help you reach that 43%...and more!

Bible clubs also offer a non-threatening place for children who might never attend a regular church service or Sunday school class to learn about Jesus in a fun, casual atmosphere. In a whole where children are exposed to a variety of bad influences coming from all directions, All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs are places of love and encouragement, where kids can safely learn how to say no to those bad influences and learn how to live a victorious life in Christ!

So...what exactly IS All-Stars for Jesus?

All-Stars for Jesus provides everything you need for an exciting ministry to children!

All-Stars for Jesus is:

• A multi-use Bible curriculum in a fun club environment for age 2 through grade 6, with an optional awards program.
• A program that provides solid Bible teaching in a fun and interesting way for kids—one that directs them to know and follow Jesus.
• Curriculum that is easy to teach and includes helpful options for teachers, giving you maximum flexibility.
• Age appropriate memory verses to help children hide God's Word in their hearts.
• Bible- and curriculum-based, rather than activity-based. Each part of the lesson focuses on God, Jesus, and God's Word.
• Age appropriate and fun for kids of all ages.
• Bible-centered—every activity helps kids focus on God's Word and begin to share what they learn with others.
• A way to help churches reach the children and families in their communities for Christ.

The All-Stars for Jesus Bible Club program is designed to lead children from age two through sixth grade to a personal faith in Jesus, to teach them about God's love and care, to encourage them to grow spiritually, and to give them a solid biblical foundation for their lives.

All-Stars for Jesus partners with churches to extend their outreach from just Sunday school to mid-week, Sunday evening, or other times children can gather to learn about Jesus. All-Stars meetings are fun, less formal time with a variety of interesting and fun activities to direct the child's attention to God's Word. The optional awards program offers a further way to extend the Bible learning into the home.

What unique features does All-Stars for Jesus have?

Each All-Stars for Jesus age-level Flex-lesson Leader's Guide has everything you need for two meetings a week—to use for Sunday morning and mid-week, Sunday evening and after-school Bible club, or whenever great Bible lessons are needed. Or, you have extra options for one meeting a week!

• Easy-Trac meeting plans direct the leader step-by-step through each weekly program, and let you see at a glance which activities and materials to use.
• The optional awards program provides more opportunities for kids to learn about Jesus by completing Bible learning activities in their award books at home. When each activity is completed, children earn colorful awards to place on a cap or pennant. Plus, each child could have ALL first-year awards for as low as 82 cents per week!
• All-Stars for Jesus offers not only five age-level programs for children age 2 through grade 6, but also the All-Stars Explorers program for combined grades 1 through 6 in one classroom and the Preschool All-in-One Kit for combined ages 2-5 plus reproducible activity sheets.
• There are no membership fees, dues, or doctrinal requirements—just fun, Bible-based, solid Christian learning.
• The All-Stars Promo Kits (included with your Starter Kits) offer great resources to promote your clubs: promotional posters, clip art, fundraising ideas, and club kickoff plans!
• All-Stars for Jesus offers lots of colorful "fun stuff" as gifts, awards, and promotions.
• All-Stars for Jesus is an affordable program. The Flex-Lesson Leader's Guide provides two lessons a week!
• Christian Ed Warehouse offers Standing Orders on All-Stars for Jesus quarterly curriculum so you don't even have to remember to order! Plus, Standing Orders receive FREE shipping on their orders over $150.
• There is no requirement that you use all available materials—just choose the options that will work best with your group and your finances.

Does all this sound like something you would like for your church? Visit eChurchDepot.com and order your Starter Kits for a 60-day risk-free review! Or download FREE samples of each age level before you purchase the kits. Use Coupon Code ASFJ10 to save $10 on each age level Starter Kit. May God bless you as you lead children and their families to a personal relationship with Jesus.