All posts tagged Summer

Questions from a Reader: Summer Ministry

By Lindsey | January 9, 2012 | Holidays and Events, Ministry Ideas, Vacation Bible School | 2 Comments

Flickr by William Arthur Fine Stationery

Just got an email from a reader with some great questions about our VBS alternative Summer programs. I thought I’d repost her questions and my answers in case anyone else was wondering the same things!

Q) Overall, how did the programs go?

A) Story time in the park was GREAT. It was so exciting to see the same families week after week and start to develop relationships. I was especially encouraged when I started seeing those families in other places: the library, the grocery store, the fourth of July parade. It gave them a chance to see that “these church people” were real people who were doing mostly the same things they were. There were no “spiritual” conversations, but I felt like we finally got out in the community. Our church mostly does things “inside our four walls”, so it was nice to actually get out a bit!

Story time at the church didn’t really take off. Our regular kids of course still came, and the occasional friend, but no one from the community. Still, I thought it was good for our church kids to hear “The Big Story” of the Bible. Admittedly, I did not put my full effort into this program, being very pregnant at the time (my son was born on July 21, right in the middle of all the summer programs), so perhaps with a little more concentrated advertising, it would have taken off better.

We are planning on doing a Winter story time at the church, the same time the park story time was, Monday’s at 10AM. We hope to reach the “stay-at-home-mom” crowd again and perhaps bring the park story time people one step closer to becoming part of the body of Christ. One thing we should have done was take names/emails/addresses during the summer to let people know about other upcoming events. We wanted to be non-threatening, so we didn’t do registration or anything, but a voluntary sign up sheet would have been a good idea. We did hand out literature, so hopefully they will check the website once in awhile and come to another event.

Movie Nights… well, it seemed like such a good idea at the time. By the time you buy the licenses and go through that whole headache, it is a sizable budget for a experimental program. We had a projector and borrowed a screen, so that helped, but we still used up around $800 ($200 a movie!) to show the flicks. We had to wait till dark to show the films, so they didn’t start until around 9PM. I don’t know if that was TOO late for families with young children, people were just busy, there wasn’t good “word of mouth” or what, but even our own church families didn’t show up. The most popular night was the 1st movie and that drew around 20 people. We did have a few visitors and a couple people who saw the screen and came on in, but not really worth the huge budget.

Now, onto your other questions:

Q) Did you develop your own curriculum for The BIG STORY? Or did you use a guided program? Or other resources (other than the obvious, Bible)?

A) I mostly developed my own “curriculum” drawing on resources from all over the web. I picked “the big stories” (some of kids had never even heard the story of David and Goliath!) using the Read and Share Bible and My Awesome God Bible as a guideline. Once I picked out the stories, I googled for activities, crafts, etc. Ministry to Children is very helpful, and I bet Pinterest would be great for something like this (I didn’t know about it at the time). I posted some ideas here.

Q)Did parents participate with their kids during the BIG STORY?

A)Parents did not participate. We invited them to, but no takers. We have not really established a “parents are always welcome” culture just yet. That’s something we will really be pushing this year, so maybe that will increase participation next year.

Q)What movies did you use for your Movie Nights?

A)Despicable Me, Ramona and Beezus, The Black Stallion, Doug’s 1st Movie, and Bringing up Bobby

Q) What other books did you use for the Story Time in the Park? Could you share any of the resources you used?

A) There are a few “Hubpages” that give great ideas for story time books and activities (including this one about starting a story time). Again, google was my friend. Try to keep it really simple if you do a craft — since the kids can be really young. For example, if you read “If You Give a Pig a Pancake”, have the kids color a picture of a pig, or color a picture of pancakes, or cut out a pig nose and glue it on. We did paint for a few weeks, and parents weren’t especially appreciative. Our park had a great playground, so sometimes kids would make crafts, leave them to dry, play on the playground and come back in 30 minutes or so. Also, Mommy and Me Book Club has soon good ideas.

Q)What was the reaction from your congregation? And volunteers involved?

A) The congregation seemed very supportive, but I was a little surprised at the volunteer turn-out. We usually get around 30 volunteers for VBS, and for these events, we probably got 6 volunteers across the board and they were the “same 20% who do 80% of the work”. At least with VBS, we get some new people in the mix. Perhaps it was the timing — if people work, they couldn’t help during the day, and who wants to volunteer on Friday night in the Summer? Hmmmm… so, that’s something to think about for next year.

Hope it helps!!!

Got your own questions? Head to the Contact Page!

Best of Summer: Cast Your Vote!

By Lindsey | September 10, 2011 | Ministry Ideas | 2 Comments

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How’s Your Summer Going?

By Lindsey | July 6, 2011 | Elementary Age, Preschoolers, Vacation Bible School | Comments Off

This year, we decided to take a break from Vacation Bible School, and here’s our letter to the church explaining why:

We’re Taking a Break from Vacation Bible School

We love seeing all those kid faces flood into the church on VBS week. The singing, the crafts, the games, and the costumes – what could be better, right? We asked ourselves that same question — could we make a program that’s even better than VBS? Something that might keep kids with us longer or something that might draw families as a whole in more? As a Christian Education committee, we decided to give it a try. These were our priorities:

Design a program the whole family could participate in. Even though VBS was designed to be a family-friendly affair, it still seemed pretty kid-oriented. We wanted something parents would feel comfortable attending as well.
Create a program that engages the community more. So often when we create events, we hold them inside the four walls of our church. We wanted something that stretches us out a bit more. Maybe some kind of outdoor event? Maybe something in the local neighborhoods? We wanted to be out where people simply passing by would see that the church cares for the people around it.
Build a program that is longer-lasting. Because VBS is so often seen as “an event”, kids often swoop in for the week, and then swoop out at the end, never to be seen again. Certainly, there’s value in the things they learned while they were with us. Some of you may have even been saved during a Vacation Bible School program. Praise God! We want to see kids saved, and we also want to see them grow in Christ. We wanted to build a program that encourage growing relationships – with church members, other kids, and of course with God.

So, with all that to consider, here’s what the Lord brought to our minds:

Monday Morning Story Time at Whitford Park, 10:30AM (Story, craft, snack) (All summer)
Five Fabulous Friday Family Movie Nights, Dusk -11PM (July)
Wednesday Night “The Big Story” at ELRAC, 6:30PM (Story, hands-on activities, snack)

Good News for Volunteers

We know VBS was intense and exhausting. Now, you have an opportunity to serve once a week for a few weeks, once or twice the whole summer, or become a big part of one program. There’s a lot more flexibility for you! Check out this Sunday’s bulletin for job descriptions (also on the Kids Ministry bulletin board) or give me a call to learn more! Please pray about being a part of this exciting new step we’re taking to be a light to the world. We’d love to have you on the team.

So, How’s it Going?

I’m so glad you asked! We’ve done one movie night and a month of story time. I’ve seen a number of story-time families out and about in the community, and it’s been fun being able to say hi and connect with them as a normal person! I’m really excited about the connections we’re building and the relationships that are forming. Though I must say, volunteer power is SERIOUSLY low on this front. Final report still in the works!

How About You?

What is your church doing this summer? Traditional VBS? Sports Camp? Backyard parties? I’d love to hear how it’s going! Leave a comment and let me know!

Our Teens Go To Youth Adventure Camp

By Lindsey | July 3, 2011 | Ministry Ideas | Comments Off

Check out the highlight video!

The Big Story: Lesson Ideas for Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph

By Lindsey | June 21, 2011 | Bible Study, Elementary Age, Ministry Ideas, Preschoolers | 2 Comments

For our summer Wednesday night program, we’re doing a Story Time approach (check out all our summer plans here). We will be covering the major stories in the Bible and showing how they are all one big part of God’s redeeming plan of love. Sometimes I read out of the Read and Share Bible, sometimes the kids act out the story using the Big Action Bible Skits book, and sometimes leaders act it out for the kids. After the story, the kids head to stations.

What are Stations?

Each night, kids can choose from between three and five stations, all of which relate to some part of the night’s story. For our most recent night, the focus was on the Isaac & Rebekah, Jacob & Esau, and Jacob & family. Here’s the stations we had available:

Logical: Ask the Pastor

For this, kids wrote down questions about our story to try to “Stump the Pastor”. This was a great to use whenever kids asked a story during story time. I would simply say, “That would be a great question to ask the Pastor!” Pastor made a guest appearance and talked with the kids at this station about different aspects of the story.

Drama: Recreate the Story

I assembled a variety of props that related to the story and set them all out on the table. I was hoping the kids would free play a little more, but they wanted me to read the story again (out of the Read and Share Bible) as they acted along. Either way, they are getting into the Bible, so it suits me fine! Here’s some of the props we used:

Soup bowl and spoon
Gold Coins
Play mustaches and beards
Egypt head dress (left over from our Egypt VBS last year!)
Tulle
White sheets
Bathrobe of many colors
Rock

Cooking: Cookie Map of Egypt (from Forget Me Not Bible Stories, Group Publishing)

At this station, kids used an overhead projector to trace a map of Egypt onto a piece of wax paper. Then they shaped some sugar cookie dough (we just used a roll, premade from the grocery store) to look like Egypt. They baked it and then added details with frosting such as the Nile River, etc.

Art: Joseph’s Fancy Coat

A classic Bible craft, kids used a coloring page of Joseph and his coat to start. After they colored Joseph, they cut out felt to design a coat for him. They could also add little embellishments such as glitter, sequins, etc. Needless to say, this was a popular station. They don’t call them “old standbys” for no reason!

Piecing the Story All Together

Next week, I think I’ll help the kids put together a family tree based on the stories we’ve heard so far. I want them see how the Bible is connected throughout the Old and New Testament, and this might help solidify the continuity between stories. We’ve also been working on the Bible Timeline for the same reason.

What About You?

Got a great idea for these Bible accounts? Send me an email and let me know!

First Story Time in the Park: What we learned

By Lindsey | June 6, 2011 | Holidays and Events, Vacation Bible School | Comments Off

Today was our first story time in the park, and boy what a great weather we had for it! Praise God for that!

Getting Set Up

We selected a shady spot and laid out a few blankets and sheets for kids to sit on. I brought along a fold-up lawn chair to sit in while I read (partly so everyone could see the pictures, partly because I’m 34 weeks pregnant!) Nearby, we put a fitted sheet on a picnic table to make a crafting space. Anne, our outreach director, made up a sample craft and Michelle handed out freezee pops as the kids made their way to the story-area. Bernie did all those little last minute things that you always forget about (paper plates for the paint? oops!) Thanks ladies!!

Story Time in Shifts

We already had a few families gathered by 10:25, so we started right at 10:30 as advertised. After the story, we invited them to the craft table to make a frog puppet (the story was “Let’s Go Froggy!). I had reserved a few other Froggybooks at the library, but didn’t have time to pick them up. A few kids asked for another story, so it would have been good to have more.

Around 10:40 a few more families ambled in the story area, so I just read the story again. I read it a third time for another family around 10:50. It worked out pretty well this way, since it kept the craft table from getting too crowded and didn’t make families who were a few minutes late feel left out.

Punch Cards

We handed out Punch Cards to the kids with 10 holes on them. If they fill out the card, they get a free book. We’re still debating on a book to hand out. We’ve narrowed it down to I Can Pray or Pogo’s Prank-a-Paloosa (if you’ve got a great idea, let me know in the comments!) Looking back, we should have put our church information on the punch card as well.

Who Are You Guys Anyway?

We wore name tags and have literature about our church available on the craft table, however one team member came up with another great idea. For next week, we’ll print our church name and information on address labels and then stick them on the back of the craft. That way, the parents have something if they’d like to follow up with us. Some people thought we worked for the park, so we want to make sure to get our name out there.

Don’t Forget the Basics

I gathered up all the supplies for the frog puppet this morning — scissors, copies of the template, paper bags, green paint, etc. We got all the way to the park and realized I forgot glue! How are we supposed to attach the tongue, eyes, and arms? Oops. It’s a good idea to stock a small tote with all the art basics: glue, brushes, paper plates, crayons, scissors, etc. Stick it in your trunk and you won’t be caught without these basics. We also brought a few paint smocks with us (old men’s shirts), even though the paint was washable. Hand wipes are a plus as well!

Draw a Little Attention

We had a sandwich board up with a poster, but it couldn’t really be seen from the main playground area. For next week, we’ll be making a different sign with BIG BOLD letters and adding some balloons to the sign. I might even through some glitter. That should do the trick.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Want to start your own storytime? Here’s the Froggy lesson plan we used. We’d love to hear what kind of summer plans you have for the ministry!