Treasure Your Volunteers . . . "Notice"!

Do you treasure your volunteers? Volunteers are a gift from the hand of God . . . it is completely appropriate for us to appreciate these "gifts". As we finish the month of June, we'll look at a variety of topics related to how we treat our volunteers. Today I want to focus on some things we might do to "notice" our volunteers so they know - beyond a shadow of a doubt - they are most sincerely appreciated! Consider the following ideas -

Sneak Peek VBS 2014 - Jungle Safari from Standard Publishing

Yesterday I listened to Standard Publishing's announcement of their 2014 VBS on blogtalk radio and I am very happy to share it with you today! Standard is planning to take you and the children in your ministry on a Jungle Safari where they will explore the nature of God! Standard says, "High above the jungle floor, amid a dense tangle of treetops, kids experience the sights and sounds of the jungle canopy as they learn who God is. They’ll dig into Bible stories to discover that no one but God could be their Creator, Provider, Protector, Savior, and King. Hands-on activities and meaningful small-group discussions will help kids work through how and why they can always count on God. They will also have the opportunity to put that faith into action by participating in practical mission projects to help out kids across borders or friends just down the block. With daily and weeklong service ideas designed for all ages, and accompanying discussion material, you’re sure to find something that meets your needs—and someone else’s!"

I'm looking forward to reviewing this resource so I can see how they put a stronger focus on resources to help children with special needs and an even stronger focus on getting kids involved in serving others! Take a look at their scope and sequence . . . 

Summer Ministry - Family Fun and Growth Night!

Each year as we work to develop genuinely effective ministry to the children in our ministries we look at ideas, programs and possibilities for ways to grow and strengthen our ministry. There are many options to choose from, but as you look at the choices you have available to you, keep the following tips in mind . . .

Sneak Peek VBS 2014 - SonTreasure Island from Gospel Light

I have another sneak peek at VBS 2014 for you today . . . SonTreasure Island from Gospel Light! If you have ever used a Gospel Light VBS you know they do a good job of connecting everything to their setting and more importantly, to their Bible theme. Gospel Light says, "Who wouldn’t want to explore a tropical island, with its glittering turquoise waters, warm white sands and cool ocean breezes? Visitors to SonTreasure Island are welcomed by the scent of exotic flowers, the taste of tropical fruits and the captivating sound of island music. But this is no ordinary tropical escape! There is treasure to be found here. More precious than gold, more lasting than diamonds, it is the greatest treasure of all—God’s love! At SonTreasure Island, your treasure seekers will play island games, create colorful crafts and enjoy tropical snacks. But more importantly, they will discover the rich treasure of God’s love through the life of Jesus."

Take a look at their scope and sequence and please join me in January for an in-depth look at SonTreasure Island . . . 

Sneak Peek VBS 2014 - International Spy Academy from Answers in Genesis

I have one more sneak peek at VBS 2014 for you today . . . this time from Answers in Genesis - International Spy Academy! Sounds interesting! AIG has this to say about it; "Grab your secret decoder ring and put on your rear-view mirror glasses because next summer, your kids are heading to the International Spy Academy where they’ll train to become special agents for the one true God! This exciting new Vacation Bible School program is filled with fun mysteries your kids will love and the Bible-based apologetics you trust to teach them truths they won't forget! With International Spy Academy, your mission is to instill in your children an understanding of the one true God of the Bible they can carry with them for the rest of their lives and share with those around them. They'll uncover the clues that lead to the one true God who is the Creator of all and who calls people from every tribe and nation to have fellowship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ.Synchronize your watches for next summer and join us at the International Spy Academy, where your special agents will learn to know, love, and live for the one true God!"

Investigate their scope and sequence and take a look at what kid's will learn at International Spy Academy VBS . . . 

Sneak Peek VBS 2014 - Workshop of Wonders from Cokesbury!

It wasn't that many years ago when publishers didn't release the theme/setting for their next VBS until the end of the year, now we are able to get sneak peeks at the themes/settings for next year's VBS far earlier - in many cases before you even hold your VBS for this year! I'm very happy to share another of these sneak peeks with you today . . . this time it is for Workshop of Wonders from Cokesbury . . . and I have to say, just the name of the VBS has me looking forward to the day when the kit arrives and I can dig into it to see exactly what it will have children learning and doing in the summer of 2014!

Cokesbury has this to say about Workshop of Wonders; "At Cokesbury's Workshop of Wonders (WOW) VBS, kids will discover how to imagine and build with God!

At WOW VBS, discover how the ordinary becomes extraordinary with God. Experience the love of Jesus. Start an adventure. Use your imagination and creativity to build your faith. Meet people from the Bible who used what they had to produce something amazing with God. Use your heart, mind, and imagination to participate in the creative life of God, the one who works wonders!"

Looks great to me! Check out their scope and sequence here . . . 

Sneak Peek VBS 2014 - Wilderness Escape from Group Publishing

While you are likely focused on VBS 2013 right now, I'm happy to invite you to join me in taking a sneak peek at Group's Holy Land Adventure for 2014: Wilderness Escape! Group has this to say about it; "At Wilderness Escape VBS, you’ll reinforce Bible truth in a big way because the daily Bible Point is carefully integrated into each activity. God’s Word comes alive through engaging interaction with Bible history!"

Look at their scope and sequence . . . 

Sneak Peek VBS 2014 - Weird Animals from Group Publishing!

I'm very happy to share another sneak peek at VBS 2014 with you today - this time from Group Publishing . . . Weird Animals! Group has this to say about their 2014 VBS; "God filled the world with a lot of crazy creatures...including you! When kids feel weird, different, or even lost in a crowd—nothing compares to the extraordinary love of Jesus." 

I LOVE the theme Group has come up with for 2014 . . . take a look at the scope and sequence . . . 

Start Now and Plan a Volunteer Holiday Open House!

As you have noticed, I am a strong supporter of making volunteer support and encouragement a big part of your children's ministry. Volunteers give of themselves and their time to serve in our children's ministries . . . they could choose to do something else with their time, yet there they are . . . week after week . . . serving in our children's ministries. We could not do what we do without them, so it is entirely appropriate and right to take time to show our appreciation to them!

Last week I wrote about planning a Volunteer Holiday Open House, so today I want to talk a little more about this. If you decide to do this, you will likely find it is one of the biggest things you could do to show appreciation to your volunteers! It is not difficult to do, but it does take some time and planning to pull it off. I'll outline the basic plan and encourage you to get a team together now to start working on your volunteer holiday open house!

Take the Blinders Off!

Okay - today I'm writing about something I care so very much about . . . children's ministry. Some of you who read this need to know, what I'm writing doesn't really apply to your children's ministry . . . but before you read a bit further and decide your ministry isn't the ministry I'm talking about, read the whole post and ask God to remove your "blinders" and help you honestly evaluate to see if there might be at least some of what I say which applies to your ministry.

I don't have horses . . . the one time I rode a horse the entire camp laughed about it all summer long (I was a counselor at a camp and they thought it would be nice for the counselors to have an opportunity to ride the horses . . . I just couldn't get my horse to go straight and we kept getting "stuck" in the bushes - it was an experience!) However, even though my personal horse experience is limited - and not highly successful - I do know about "blinders". They are put on some horses to help keep them from being distracted by the things around them. Blinders can be good, but I think in children's ministry they can also keep us from being effective.

Far too often we don't know what we don't know. We think we know what we are doing and we move forward, but when we look back for results - children and families with changed lives - we see our youth ministries still ended up being a "salvage ministry" because we really missed the mark in our children's ministry. So, what can we do to keep from "missing the mark"? Consider the following -