VBS 2016 Top Three - Ocean Commotion by Answers in Genesis & Kit Give-Away!

Today we are looking at Ocean Commotion from Answers in Genesis - it is a resource well worth taking a close look at to see if it is a good "fit" for your ministry!

Ocean Commotion

Answers in Genesis

https://answersingenesis.org/vbs/2016/

1. Stand for God! - Genesis 1-3;6-9 - Like Noah, we can rely on God to help us stand for Him
2. Obey God! - Genesis 6:9-22 - Like Noah, we can rely on God to help us obey Him
3. Trust God! - Genesis 7 - Like Noah, we can rely on God to help us trust Him with our lives
4. Thank God! - Genesis 8 - Like Noah, we can rely on God to help us thank Him
5. Fear God! - Genesis 9:1-17 - Like Noah, we can rely on God to help us take Him seriously

Setting – The ocean and under the sea

Message – "At Ocean Commotion children will dive into Noah's flood and learn important life lessons from Noah."

Focus – Evangelism, Content – Jesus is our "door" to salvation
Strengths –

• As I would expect, Ocean Commotion has a strong emphasis on teaching the infallibility of the Bible and salvation through Jesus! 
• I'm very happy to see children opening and reading the Bible during the Bible event.
• I'm also very happy to see AIG use the terminology, "Bible account" instead of, "Bible story" 
• I love the “Go and Do” portion of each lesson where children have specific things to go and do to live what they learned!
• The director’s info is very complete and full of extra information, tips and trivia - love the 20 Tips for the VBS Director!
• I LOVE the science projects included in the craft time - children will love these!
• I love the Top Ten Tips for a VBS Prayer Ministry! Excellent!
• Love the idea for “Praying for you postcards”!
• The Contest portion of the closing is fun – sure to generate enthusiasm!
• Music is available again this year with a Contemporary or Traditional sound giving churches options
• The "Terrific Trivia Tidbits" are great fun!
• I'm very happy to see two kit options, so churches on a limited budget are able to make this work for them, too!
• I'm happy to see more engagement of the children in the lessons!
• I love the Creature Feature portion of the Closing - overall, while more engagement of the children in Opening and Closing would be a good thing - the Opening and Closing are interesting and I think children will be engaged - a science project at the end would still be a great idea or an activity from the kick-off event might be a fun way to add excitement and "wow".

Would like to see –

• Ideas to help children serve in their own communities.
• More options for crafts.
• A Bible lesson book for multi-ages – this would make things easier for churches where they do not use a classroom teaching model for the Bible lessons. If you use a learning station format, I'd use the Primary Teacher's Book for the lessons and activities.

As Answers in Genesis says, “At this monumental Vacation Bible School program, your children will dive deep into the account of Noah and the Flood from the book of Genesis! They’ll learn to apply the spiritual lessons from Noah’s life to their own. And, along the way, they’ll uncover earthly lessons from the Flood: how all the animals fit on the Ark, how the Flood covered the whole Earth, and how we can still see the effects of this Flood today. They’ll also learn the flood legends from around the world are based on the true account in Genesis! Prepare for a boatload of excitement at Ocean Commotion, VBS for 2016!" 

I found all the information on the ark to be very interesting - so did my seven year old grandson! You may also want to look at Ocean Commotion as a resource you could use for mid-week ministry . . . Answers in Genesis offers their materials past the end of the summer, so you would still be able to find the components you need.

I am happy to say, Answers in Genesis is making available one Ocean Commotion Super Starter Kit for me to give away (USA only)! If you are over the age of 18 and would like to be included in the drawing for the Super Starter Kit - which will be on February 4, 2016, please comment below to share something which you can thank God for - I am extremely thankful for my family and for the opportunity to serve God with the Legacy Coalition!

In addition if you have followed on Google Friend Connect, followed by liking on facebook with the tab in the "Find us on Facebook" box ON THE BLOG or at this link (not just liking the post) and/or have followed About the Children's Department by email you will receive one entry for each of these which you have done. Plus, if you "share" this post, you'll receive another entry (please let me know if you share). This will help me be able to draw names from among people who would like to win Ocean Commotion Super Starter Kit and it gives you several ways to enter the give-away! Thank you for reading About the Children's Department and for sharing it with the people you know!