While there certainly are excellent and compelling reasons for churches to plan and present a Vacation Bible School to the children in their churches and communities, the realities of the Dollars & Cents can impact if a church is able to do so. If your church chooses to go ahead with VBS for Summer 2014, the Dollar & Cents of it all can again come into play as you determine which resources you will use.
I once had someone from a publisher tell me if a church really cared about the children in their ministry, they would spend whatever they had to, to have the best curriculum possible. I disagree. While I absolutely believe churches care about the children in their ministries, budgets are a very real and difficult reality as so many churches struggle to meet their budgets. VBS can be expensive and yet, it is a very important - and in many cases the only - outreach of the year for many churches.
Obviously a starter kit is the first place to begin when purchasing VBS materials and from there you'll need to determine what - if any - student materials you will utilize. As far as student materials, I like the idea of being able to give children something each day which will remind them of the Bible lesson. I especially like the objects/cards which can be clipped or pinned to a backpack as these things make great reminders! I also like the idea of being able to give children their own copy of the music - of course these things take money and your budget just might not have room for them. So, what will it cost and how can you move ahead with VBS on a budget?
Jungle Safari
Standard Publishing
Cost of kit -
- $199.99
Cost per student -
- Pass-along Music CDs - pack of 10 for $19.99
- Jungle Bible Pals - $5.99 per child
- Student Books - $2.99 per child
My Dollar & Cents Thoughts . . . Standard does not offer a basic starter kit, so unless you decide to purchase just the Director's book and individual Station Leader guides, you will have to buy the one kit they offer. For children I'd buy the Jungle Bible Pals for a cost of $5.99 per child. The music CD could be given to families instead of each child for additional savings.
Wilderness Escape
Cost of kit -
Group Publishing
Cost of kit -
- $139.99
- Music is not reproducible, so you have to purchase CDs to give kids ranging in cost from $4.99 to $6.99 per CD depending on how many you purchase.
- Bible Memory Buddies - $3.19 per child
- Carabiners - $6.99 for 10
- Bringing it Home: Family Faith Builders - $16.99 for 10
- Banduras - $9.29 for 6
- Crafts range in price from $9.99 to $14.99 for 10
My Dollar & Cents Thoughts . . . Group does not offer a basic starter kit, so unless you decide to purchase just the Director's book and individual Station Leader guides, you will have to buy the one kit they offer. For children I'd buy the Bible Memory Buddies and carabiners for a cost of $3.89 per child. The music CD could be given to families instead of each child for additional savings and I really loved the Family Faith Builders, they are definitely worth the $1.70 per family. Depending on what you do for crafts/stations, you would have an additional expense, but this depends on which ones you buy and how many you need. Group has a variety of additional items available; you would have to decide which items you wanted to buy.
Weird Animals
Cost of kit -
Arrow Island
Regular Baptist Press
Cost of kit -
Group Publishing
Cost of kit -
- $169.99
- Music is not reproducible, so you have to purchase CDs to give kids ranging in cost from $4.99 to $6.99 per CD depending on how many you purchase.
- Bible Memory Buddies - $3.29 per child
- Carabiners - $7.29 for 10
- Bible Bands - $19.90 for 10 children
- Imagination Station Crafts range in price from $5.99 to $7.99 for 10
My Dollar & Cents Thoughts . . . Group does not offer a basic starter kit, so unless you decide to purchase just the Director's book and individual Station Leader guides, you will have to buy the one kit they offer. For children I'd buy the Bible Bands, Bible Memory Buddies and carabiners for a cost of $6.01 per child. The music CD could be given to families instead of each child for additional savings. Depending on what you do for the Imagination Station, you would have an additional expense, but this depends on which ones you buy and how many you need. Group has a variety of additional items available; you would have to decide which items you wanted to buy.
SonTreasure Island
SonTreasure Island
Gospel Light
Cost of kit -
- $169.99
Cost per student -
- Music is reproducible, so you have the option of purchasing the Reproducible Music CD at a cost of $24.99 or buying already recorded CDs to give kids at a cost of $19.99 for 10 CDs.
- Connection Cards - $5.99 for five children
- Student books - $12.99 for five children
- Fish Carabiners - $5.99 for five
My Dollar & Cents Thoughts . . . Gospel Light does not offer a basic starter kit, but they do offer the SonTreasure Island Reproducible Power Pack which has everything on CD so you can print out at a cost of $99.99 which gives you the option of buying the full kit or the Power Pack at a cost savings. For children I'd buy the Connection Cards and Carabiner clips for a cost of approximately $2.40 per child. Crafts use supplies you collect, so cost varies depending on what you have donated and what you have to purchase. The music CDs could be an affordable extra at $1.99 per child or family.
Gangway to Galilee
Gangway to Galilee
Concordia Publishing House
Cost of kit -
- $149.99
Cost per student -
- Music CD/DVD is available at a cost of $4.99
- SOS Collectibles - $3.29 per child
- Crafts range in price from $7.99 to $9.99 for 12 children
- Fish Carabiners - $7.99 for 12
- Jesus Loves Me Buffs - $16.99 for 10
- Student leaflets - $2.99 each
My Dollar & Cents Thoughts . . . Concordia does not offer a basic starter kit, so unless you decide to purchase just the Director's book and individual Station Leader guides, you will have to buy the one kit they offer. For children I'd buy the SOS Collectibles and Carabiner clips for a cost of approximately $4.00 per child. The music CDs could be an extra at $4.99 per child or family.
Arrow IslandRegular Baptist Press
Cost of kit -
Cost per student -
- Music is available - $24.99 for 10
- Crafts range in price from $4.99 to $17.99 for 12
- Student books cost $2.99 per child
My Dollar & Cents Thoughts . . . Regular Baptist Press does not offer a basic starter kit, but their full kit is priced at a very affordable price point. For children I'd buy the student books at a cost of $2.99 per child, but I would really rather see an item children could receive each day which would remind them of what they learned and could be fastened to a backpack or zipper. The music could be given to each family for a cost of approximately $2.49 each.
Agency D3
LifeWay
Cost of kit -
- Preschool Kit - $99.99
- Elementary Kit - $99.99
- Jump Start Kit - $34.95
Cost per student -
- Music CDs are available at a cost of $1.89 to $2.29 each, depending on how many you purchase
- Daily Mission Insignia Buttons - $8.99 for 10 children
- Student books - $2.69 per child
- Craft kits - $4.99 to $9.99 for 10 children
My Dollar & Cents Thoughts . . . LifeWay separated their kits this year so if you use both preschool and elementary, you have to order one of each for a total cost of $199.98. If you really only need the elementary children's materials, you can experience a savings by ordering just the elementary kit. For children I'd buy the Daily Mission Insignia Buttons and student books for a cost of approximately $3.59 per child. The crafts vary in cost and are affordable, so your cost depends on which ones you use and how many children you have. The music CDs could be an affordable extra at $1.89 to $2.29 per child or family. Plus, this year LifeWay has a CD which children can take home each day and listen to with their parents/families. This CD is included in your starter kit and you are welcome to make as many copies as you need - I hope you make this a priority if you use LifeWay. Whatever it costs to make the copies is absolutely worth it!
No comments:
Post a Comment