Touch Bases on VBS - Decorate and Promote!

Each month until Summer I will "Touch Bases on VBS" and provide some tips, ideas and info which will hopefully be helpful for you as you plan your Vacation Bible School for 2011. Today I want to encourage you to begin meeting with your decorating and promotion teams. Once you determine which VBS is the best "fit" for your church and ministry, it is time to begin thinking about how you are going to decorate and promote your VBS. Think about the following questions -

• Do you have any props and/or resources at your church which will help you create the atmosphere you want for your VBS? 
• Do you know anyone who is particularly "crafty" and/or who is able to build sets and props?
• Which areas of your church you want to decorate and how you want to decorate each area. 
• Do any of the ideas for decorating VBS in your director's manual "fit" your church?
• Are there any business in your community who might donate supplies and/or materials for your VBS?

As you consider these questions, be sure to think about how your decorating and promotions teams can work together - 

• Does your community host a "community days" type celebration with a parade? If so, could you sponsor a float to promote your VBS and decorate the float to fit your VBS theme?
• How might you decorate outside your church to promote your VBS while also generating enthusiasm for your VBS?
• Which flyers and promotional materials do you want to use and how can they "fit" well with your decorations?
• Will you make use of the internet with web information and pre-registration for your VBS?

These are just a few things to get you thinking about decorating and promoting your VBS. I also want to remind you to check out VolunteerSpot.com to help you with your VBS recruiting. They enable you to quickly mobilize and coordinate volunteers in your church with their simple sign-up to make it easy for your church members to say "Yes" to volunteering! VolunteerSpot plans to release their special features for VBS soon, but check them out and see how they can help you organize and recruit for VBS 2011! And, if you haven't determined which VBS resources are the best "fit" for your church and ministry, it isn't too late to do so! Check my VBS posts - reviews and side-by-side comparison chart to help you find your best "fit"! Next month I'll focus on one of the most important parts of your VBS preparation . . . finding your team of prayer partners!