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Helping VBS Run Smoothly

By July 31, 2012June 17th, 2014No Comments

WINFIELD, Ill.—At Faith Baptist Church, Joel Stutzman, family pastor, heads up the church’s VBS program, and he’s constantly trying to make VBS run more smoothly. He began organizing for VBS back in January, and throughout the following months, church members worked to spread the word. The church advertised on the radio and in a local newspaper while members posted information on Facebook and e-mailed their friends and family.

The church also used the Internet for online registration this year. Parents registered their children via an online survey software, which allowed parents to list the necessary information about their children, including allergies. “People seemed to really like it,” Stutzman says. “It keeps it cleaner and simpler. If we just simplify things and make it easier for everybody, it lowers the stress level.”

Having three co-directors helped lower the stress level too. Stutzman listened to those ladies discuss their strengths and weaknesses before the group agreed to divide up the VBS responsibilities. “Each of the ladies has something they’re good at,” Stutzman explains. “They’re able to be comfortable and do their best when they’re doing things they know how to do and enjoy doing.”

One lady supervised the decorating and storytelling aspects of VBS, while another managed the snacks and crafts. The third lady handled the administrative details, including online registration.

All of those aspects came easy by using curriculum from Regular Baptist Press. “I like that it was simple, straightforward. I’ve used a lot of other companies’ stuff, and it gets bogged down by all the details to make it happen,” says Family Pastor Joel Stutzman. “I really like the focus on the gospel, and that’s why I picked it.”

Pastor Stutzman says his church switched to RBP for its gospel-centered focus. Faith Baptist recognizes that VBS attracts children who normally wouldn’t come to church, including some out-of-state families who planned their vacations to coincide with VBS.

Regarding all of the new efforts this year, Stutzman says, “I’d do it again. The Scriptures talk about different parts making the whole body, and I think we kind of forget about it and don’t utilize what we have. And what I’m finding is, . . . people are willing to do different things if they know they’re not the only one doing it.”

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