VBS 2022 - Group Publishing - Monumental

I'm delighted to announce today Group  Publishing's VBS for 2022 - Monumental - Celebrating God's Greatness - which is great fun, but most importantly, has solid Bible teaching and learning to impact lives for a life-time!

Monumental

Group Publishing

https://www.group.com/childrens-ministry/vbs/monumental/

1. God loves you no matter what - Psalm 89:2 - Your unfailing love will last forever. - Joseph's family feuds - Genesis 37
2. God is with you everywhere - Joshua 1:9 - For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. - Joseph is imprisoned - Genesis 39 & 40
3. God is in charge - Psalm 147:5 - How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! - Joseph gets new responsibilities - Genesis 41
4. God is stronger than anything - Romans 8:38 - And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. - Jesus dies and comes back to life - Luke 23-24:12
5. God is surprising - Psalm 66:5 - Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles He performs for people. - Joseph reunites with his family - Genesis 42-45

Setting – Go off-road for a Monumental adventure through the colorful canyons and sunbaked trails of the southwest. 

Message – By exploring God’s awesomeness, kids form a rock-solid faith for the road ahead.

Focus – Evangelism, Application, Content

 Strengths –

• As I would expect, Monumental has amazing, creative and engaging Bible lessons! I would love to see all publishers write lessons as engaging as are these. I’m so glad to see strong Bible content in the Bible lessons and activity to engage children in paying attention so they will remember what they learn.
• I really like KidVid Cinema - especially how during this, station leaders and children are encouraged to open and read from their Bible – this helps children make the visual connection the lesson they are hearing/ experiencing is from the Bible!
• I love the Imagination Station!!! Kids will LOVE the “Sciency-Fun Gizmos”! Another huge “plus” for this is how affordable the gizmos are - $1 or less per child, per day!!! Thank you Group for keeping it affordable.
• Love the “Why it Matters” portion of the volunteer’s daily devotions!
• Love the “God Sightings” – great way to get kids to focus on noticing how God shows His greatness and love in their lives!
• I love the unique setting and I love all the creative resources to help churches decorate - who knew paper plates could go together to make such cool cacti . . . apparently Group does! They make decorating for a Monumental theme look easy and fun!
• “Huddle and a Prayer” time is great – love the way it helps kids see their crew leaders are praying for them!
• Group once again has the best Opening and Finale – with lots of energy and an abundance of creative ways to engage kids! Love it!
• Operation Kid 2 Kid is an excellent mission project again this year where children donate money to provide school supplies for Native American children on reservations - excellent project!
• So glad to see a variety of children – boys and girls of different races – in the video . . . and particularly glad to see elementary age children as well.

Would like to see –

• ideas to help kids serve in their own communities – perhaps in the Missions station also have a portion of it focused on the kids doing things to serve their own communities - maybe also collecting and donating school supplies to give to children in your community? I believe this local service component would be an amazing addition to Group VBS.
• I like the Bible Memory Buddies, but I do like them better when they are a item which is able to be clipped to a backpack - more likely to be seen and used longer perhaps?
• A more affordable “basic” kit option for churches on a very tight budget.

Group says, "Give kids a Grand-new perspective! Each day at Monumental VBS, kids trek through field-tested rotations which reinforce relevant Bible Points and immerse kids in new adventures. At Monumental, one memorable Bible Point is reinforced throughout each station, each day—making it easy to apply long after VBS is over." 

If I did not use Monumental for VBS, I would absolutely find a place to use it - Summer Sundays, family fun days throughout the summer, or year, mid-week, special opportunity for children during Christmas break - I'd definitely find somewhere to use it. Group says their lessons have "transforming experiences, easy-to-learn truths, and the lessons are interconnected" as children "discover important truths in fresh new ways by digging into the Bible, they will see the vastness of God's love and a God who is bigger than everything." I whole-heartedly agree. 

I love the focus in each lesson; each station on the Greatness of God and how children are truly loved by God! Certainly this is a message children – and adults - need to hear.  Monumental is a great option for a VBS with a strong focus on creatively engaging children in every learning station, solid evangelism, strong Bible content, and application! If you are looking for a VBS with a focus on engaging children and a strong message about trusting God, most certainly take a look at  Monumental from Group as it is truly a fantastic resource!