VBS 2015 - Top Ten - G Force from Cokesbury

Today I'm happy to share with you G Force from Cokesbury. This is a VBS curriculum filled with resources which will help you engage the children in living what they learn by using the gifts God has given them. G Force is well worth taking a thorough look at to see if it might be a good "fit" for your ministry -

G Force

Cokesbury

http://2015.cokesburyvbs.com/

1. God calls Moses - Exodus 3:7-12 - Move!
2. Solomon builds the temple - I Chronicles 28:20, 21 & II Chronicles 5:1, 13 - Act!
3. Four friends help - Mark 2:1-12 - Care!
4. Healing of Bartimaeus - Mark 10:46-52 - Follow!
5. Women find the empty tomb - Luke 24:1-12 - Share!

Setting – An exciting adventure park

Message/Theme – "Through this program children will discover they can use God's power in their lives to help them Move! Act! Care! Follow! and Share! This fun, interactive Bible-based program equips children to use their talents, skills and momentum in a Christ-centered direction."

Focus – Application, Service and Bible Content
Strengths –

• G Force has strong Bible content with a focus on application
• There are two options for each lesson - a Drama option and a Single Storyteller option - so you are able to chose the one which best "fits" your ministry. I would, however, like to see open Bibles and lessons which engage the children more. The Single Storyteller option does engage the children more than the drama, but I'd like to see more engagement.
• The director’s book is pretty complete and provides most of the information you need to plan and present your VBS
• I LOVE the "Science Station" this year with Steve Spangler!!! I am truly impressed; well done Cokesbury – excellent science projects and activities to get kids thinking and talking.
• I LOVE "Active Learning Options" - focus on helping children understand what they have learned and how it lives in their lives!
• I found the options for crafts to be creative, varied, affordable and fun – options for crafts you can buy as kits and crafts you make from items you collect!
• LOVE the abundance of mission ideas for each day which involve children in projects to help their community and/or world! Excellent!
• I absolutely LOVE "Reflection Time" and "Fuel Up" activities at the close of each day to help children think and talk about what they can do the following day to live what they learned!

Would like to see –

• More excitement and engagement of the children in the opening and close - perhaps add some of the science projects from the "Science Station" which you didn’t use, to the closing to finish each day with a "WOW" moment.
• As I already mentioned, I would like to see open Bibles and more engagement of the children in the Bible lesson. It would be very easy to have the teachers read the Bible lesson rather than paraphrase it for the teacher teaching and for the dramas as well.
• Last year you had excellent info on engaging children with special needs; I'd like to see it again this year.
• Information about how to keep your VBS safe with volunteer screening, severe weather/fire, etc.

Cokesbury says, “At Cokesbury’s G-Force VBS, kids explore how to put their faith into action. In this mission-focused VBS, kids experience God’s unstoppable love and discover how to fuel up and move in and through life with God. Watch your church come alive with movement and images of all sorts of kid-friendly transportation, such as skateboards, running shoes, roller blades, and more! Watch the G-Force meter climb illustrating how God is at work around the world and how God’s people are on the move.” 

I really love how G Force focuses on helping children learn they can use the gifts God has given them and does a great job of challenging them to, "Move! Act! Care! Follow! and Share!" If you are looking for a VBS with a focus on living what you learn and a theme which is thoroughly woven through each part of the day, take a good look at G Force!