Over the past years, I've typically taken a week about this time of year to focus on ideas for family ministry events /activities . . . all on a shoestring - so any church can do these things! While I know I have shared these ideas before, I am going to share them again - you may be new to About the Children's Department and this would then be the first time you see these ideas. You may have read them before, but did not try them at the time - perhaps they now fit better with your summer goals. Do you plan family ministry events/activities? While there are some which can be very expensive, there are also lots of ideas which are very affordable . . . just may take some planning. With Summer just a few months away and children out of school, it is the ideal time to kick your Children's and Family Ministry into high gear! As families continue to look for ways to make their dollars stretch, this gives you additional opportunity to reach out to children and families; so over the next few days, I'll look at some ideas for Children's and Family Ministry you could do on a shoe-string!
Let's begin with Vacation Bible School . . . yes, VBS! Many churches plan VBS each year . . . most of you are evaluating curriculum, planning to recruit your volunteers and have your week of VBS scheduled. If you have not already done this, take a moment to think about how you might be able to offer a VBS ministry to the children in your church and community . . .
- Use VBS for Sundays - this will allow you to utilize volunteers you already have and will give a shot of energy to your Summer Sundays!
- Plan your week of VBS for the second or third week in August - by August children are feeling bored and are looking for something to do to get out of the house.
- Determine which VBS resource you would like to use - check my reviews and comparison chart - and then purchase just the Director's guide and the station leader books for the learning stations you want to use. This allows you to offer a VBS on a shoe-string! Have the people in your church donate the supplies for crafts or in place of crafts, focus on serving others and involve your children in a hands-on service project . . . they could assemble coloring books for children in a local shelter - check all the free coloring pages you can download from Ministry-to-Children.
It isn't too expensive to offer VBS to the children and families in your church and community! Tomorrow I'll talk about another family ministry on a shoestring idea - involving the children and families in your church and community in Summer Service Days!
another less expensive option is to look for older VBS programs that are still available from suppliers. Those that are a year or two old are still a great option and usually marked down a measurable amount, making them cost effective for tighter budgets. While you may not have all the bells and whistles available, the core of the program is still solid :)
ReplyDelete