Vacation Bible School

Missional Monday: Vacation Bible School

/ Steven Ruff / Leave a comment

vbslogo2017My favorite time of the church year is less than a week away: Vacation Bible School. Hard work is on the menu this week as we make final preparations. This week of hard work prepares us for a week of hard work of a different kind. I enjoy everything about this week. I enjoy watching the sanctuary and other rooms being transformed from their traditional look theme-related masterpieces. I enjoy the opportunity to work closely with teachers and other volunteers as they prepare for the arrival of our students. I enjoy having kids running up and down the hallways. I enjoy the noise that children generate when they’re excited and having a good time. I enjoy being there when the first student arrives and watching the last one leave. I enjoy having all age groups (Kindergarten – Adults) on campus at the same time. I enjoy interacting with our students. I enjoy talking with them, laughing with them, and hopefully praying with them.

Our theme this year – Galactic Starveyors; Discovering the God of the Universe – is, in my opinion, one of the best I’ve seen in long time. Focusing on Colossians 1:15-16, our students will look to the heavens and discover the wonder among all wonders – that the God who created everything there is – the knowable and the unknowable, visible and the invisible – desires a personal relationship with them. Their journey starts with a look at how God’s relationship with man had its beginning. They will then discover how that relationship was broken through rebellion and disobedience. Next, they will learn of the promise of restoration through Jesus Christ and how that restoration challenges and equips us to live for Him every day as we look to our future home with Him. The emphasis on a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ is desperately needed today and I am thankful Lifeway chose to highlight it during the Bible study rotation this summer.

Monday is for Missions : VBS, Pastorally Speaking

/ Steven Ruff / Leave a comment

AgencyAgencyD3_Badge-4color D3 is in the books. The investigation of the evidence surrounding the person of Jesus Christ has been completed. As I walked around the church building this past Sunday morning, I could not help but think that it looked as if Vacation Bible School had never happened. No more colorful decorations and screaming children. Vacation Bible School makes for a very long week around the church. If you take into account the weeks leading up to the actual teaching week, many long, long hours have been logged over the past three weeks. I heard one of our workers say this past week, “There is tired and then there is Vacation Bible School tired.” This is absolutely true. Although it is physically and emotionally draining, it is worth it. When it comes to Vacation Bible School, I’m all in. I’m sold on its ministry value. I fully understand how important this week is in the life and overall ministry of the church. Now that Vacation Bible School 2014 is over, allow me to make a few observations.

1. Attendance: For better or worse, this is often the marker by which Vacation Bible School is judged as a success or a failure. I am not completely sold on this. I am not exactly sure what our average attendance was for the week. I do know that is was down from last year. Although lower, I was encouraged by our attendance. I know that may sound odd. My reason for being encouraged is not so much about how many, but who was here. It is obvious that our people were active in inviting others this week. I know this because as the kids passed through the Missions Rotation that I was leading, they wanted me to meet their friends they had brought with them. Again this year our students met the same week as our children. I was encouraged to see the largest number in Youth VBS than I had seen in years, about 16 each night. This does not count the high school students who were assisting in other areas. We had the children who were members of other churches. That is perfectly fine. We are happy to have them for a week. We also had students who were unchurched and not affiliated with a local church. This is one of the markers by which I judge success. If I can answer the question “Were we able to have children with no church affiliation on campus with us for a week and be exposed to the gospel?” positively, then we were successful. Our Adult VBS was not only made up of our own church members. One of goals in Adult Vacation Bible School is to give parents who are not involved in a local church a place to go instead of dropping their children off and going home. We accomplished our goal here. Parents had the opportunity to interact and meet other people in a non-threatening manner and be exposed to the gospel message. I believe this was a success as well.

2. Volunteers: I am thankful to all of the volunteers who worked this week. As I mentioned earlier, it was a long week. It was also very hot. I am especially thankful and grateful to all of our teachers who worked full-time jobs who left work and came straight to church for five straight days. I want to especially mention and thank those who worked in the kitchen all week. During our Vacation Bible School, we skip the Snack Rotation. Instead, we choose to provide a meal for parents, children, and workers every night. Our kitchen workers came out early, set everything up, served the kids, and stayed until all was cleaned up. This year we had many new faces working in Vacation Bible School. This is always a good thing. I say to all of our 30 plus workers, thank you. I also want to thank the summer student missionaries who are a part of the Savannah River Baptist Association Low Country Ministries who came out and helped with our big kick-off event. To all those who worked so hard, your pastor wants you to know that you are appreciated.

3. Ministry: Any time you have kids on campus you have an opportunity to be engaged in real, one-on-one, life-changing ministry. It was good to be able to spend some time with these kids one on one. During our Worship Rally, our students take up an offering each night. There is anticipated and spirit-filled battle between boys and girls to see who can raise the most money for our designate ministry cause. This gives us an opportunity to further educate our students on the importance of missions. I am excited to report that this year we raised almost $300 for M28 Church in Atlanta, a North American Mission Board church plant that we have the pleasure to partner with. To the best of my knowledge we did not have any public professions of faith. I can’t explain it in human reasoning. For many who read this, you might say we failed as a church in Vacation Bible School. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are here to share a message and plant a seed, understanding that it is God who gives the increase. We trust God’s Word knowing that it will not return unto Him void. Real ministry takes place when you take time to listen, talk to, and show love toward a child in the name of Christ. This is what we did this week. If down the road a year or two or five, in God’s timing, a gospel presentation is given and a child responds because of something that was planted in their heart this week, then we were faithful to have done our part.

Overall, we had a great week and look forward to what comes out of the efforts of this week. Again I want to thank every teacher, worker, and parent who allowed their child to be a part of our Vacation Bible School. We are eagerly looking forward to Lifeway’s VBS 2015; “Journey Off the Map” in only eleven short months.

A Pastor’s Take on Vacation Bible School 2013

/ Steven Ruff / Leave a comment

ccwColossal Coaster World Vacation Bible School has pulled into the station for the final time this year. Our theme park inspired adventure is complete. The screams and shouts of kids running through down the hallways and in the sanctuary are now a distant, but treasured memory. Decorations have come down and the once vibrant and colorful rooms, hallways, sanctuary, and common areas have now been returned to their traditional look. Sadly, it looks as if Vacation Bible School never happened. Vacation Bible School makes for a very long week around the church. If you take into account the weeks leading up to the actual teaching week, many long, long hours have been logged over the past three weeks. I am a huge fan of Vacation Bible School and am sold on its ministry value. As a pastor, I fully understand how important this week is in the life of the church. Now that Vacation Bible School 2013 is over, I have a few observations that I would like to offer here.

1. Attendance: For better or worse, this is often the criteria by which Vacation Bible School is judged as a success or a failure. I am not completely sold on this marker of success. Our average attendance for the week was approximately 115. As far as the numbers go, our attendance was down slightly from last year. I was encouraged by our attendance this summer. My reason for being encouraged is not so much about how many, but who was here. It is obvious that our people were active in inviting others this week. We did something different this year with our teenagers. Instead of Youth Vacation Bible School occurring the weeks before the children’s, our youth met the same week as everyone else. This was a success and we averaged 8 teenagers nightly. This does not count the high school students who were assisting in other areas. We had the expected students who were members of other churches. That is perfectly fine. We are happy to have them for a week. We also had students who were unchurched and not affiliated with a local church. This is one of the markers by which I judge success. We averaged 53 elementary aged children this year. I was further encouraged by our Adult Vacation Bible School class. We had an average this week of 30 adults. Our adult class was not only made up of our own church members. One of goals in Adult Vacation Bible School is to give parents who are not involved in a local church a place to go instead of dropping their children off and going home. We accomplished our goal here. Parents had the opportunity to interact and meet other people in a non-threatening manner and be exposed to the gospel message. I believe this was a success.

2. Volunteers: I am thankful to all of the volunteers who worked this week. As I mentioned earlier, it was a long week. It was also very hot. I am especially thankful and grateful to all of our teachers who worked full-time jobs who left work and came straight to church for five straight days. I want to especially mention and thank those who worked in the kitchen all week. During our Vacation Bible School, we skip the Snack Rotation. Instead, we choose to provide a meal for parents, children, and workers every night. Our kitchen workers came out early, set everything up, served the kids, and stayed until all was cleaned up. Thank you. I also want to thank the summer student missionaries who are a part of the Savannah River Baptist Association Low Country Ministries who came out and helped with our big kick-off event. To all those who worked so hard, your pastor wants you to know that you are appreciated.

3. Ministry: Any time you have kids on campus you have an opportunity to be engaged in real, one-on-one, life-changing ministry. I believe with all of my heart that is what happened this week. During our Worship Rally, our students take up an offering each night. There is anticipated and spirit-filled battle between boys and girls to see who can raise the most money for our designate ministry cause. This gives us an opportunity to further educate our students on the importance of missions. I am excited to report that this year we raised $510.00 for the Connie Maxwell Children’s Home. Vacation Bible School is intentionally evangelistic. We are diligent to make sure that we communicate the gospel message all week long, not just on the night of the “evangelistic” lesson. With that being said, we did not have any public professions of faith (to my knowledge) this week. I can’t explain it in human reasoning. For many who read this, the assumption will be that we failed as a church in Vacation Bible School. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are here to share a message and plant a seed, understanding that it is God who gives the increase. We trust God’s Word knowing that it will not return unto Him void. Real ministry takes place when you take time to listen, talk to, and show love toward a child in the name of Christ. This is what we did this week. If down the road a year or two or five, in God’s timing, a gospel presentation is given and a child responds because of something that was planted in their heart this week, then we were faithful to have done our part.

4. Sharing: Once again this year we had the opportunity to share and pass on the decorations and other resources we used to another church that was in need of them. The bulk of our props, supplies, and decorations will be utilized by at least two additional churches before the summer is over. I believe this is a stewardship issue. Lifeway Vacation Bible School material is not inexpensive. It does not make sense to spend all of that money and then store everything in a closet. I am pleased that we were able to help others in this way.

Overall, we had a great week and look forward to what comes out of the efforts of this week. Again I want to thank every teacher, worker, and parent who allowed their child to be a part of our Vacation Bible School. We are eagerly looking forward to Lifeway’s VBS 2014; “Agency D3: Discover. Decide. Defend.” After all, it is only 11 months away.

Big Apple Adventure : Day #4

/ Steven Ruff / Leave a comment

Well, day number four of Big Apple Adventure VBS is in the books. What a night. It rained, and rained, and rained. No doubt that our attendance was affected by the storm that come through right at dinner time. We ended with a total of 127. As I talked with other leaders, one statement that was made by all was that it was “strangely quiet” for a VBS night. I agree. None the less, a good times was had by all. Our students were challenged to embrace the importance of Connecting with Others. The story of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well served as the backdrop for this lesson.

I learned something about VBS last night. Vacation Bible School possesses the ability to bring out the child in every adult. As i walked around last night observing, I could feel the infectious spirit of VBS. I saw adults on the floor interacting with and teaching on their level. As I watched some very tired adults leave the building last night, they did so with a smile on their face. Moments like those are special and reinforce my belief that VBS can be life-changing, for everyone. Tonight is our final night and is also family night. It should be a great night. Thank you Lord.

Big Apple Adventure : Day #3

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Night number three of Big Apple Adventure VBS is in the books. All I can say is WOW! Tonight was our largest night so far in terms of total number with 169 present. As I walked around I saw classrooms bursting at the seams. I saw teachers scrambling for extra books and supplies. I saw teachers and leaders take a genuine interest in the lives of our students. I witnessed ministry taking place among the hand motions of the music rotation, through the cut-outs and paint of the crafts station, and the missionary videos of the missions rotation. For all of this, I am proud to be serving how and where I am.

I had the privilege of leading the bible study for adult VBS tonight. It is refreshing to see adults of all ages engaged in bible study, small group interaction, and crafts. Tonight our students were challenged to Connect with Trust. We walked through the story of Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus. Opportunities were taken to present a clear gospel presentation to all of our students, both children and adult. I want to thank the teachers who are leading our rotations. A big thanks to missions rotation leaders. Missions education is vital and I appreciate our leaders who share that passion. I  want to thank you our leaders in the crafts rotation. You never know what impact you will have on a child while helping them make the simplest piece of art to take home to their parents.  Excited to see what the rest of the week will bring.

Big Apple Adventure : Day #2

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Well, night number two of Big Apple Adventure VBS is in the books. Another great night of meeting students and their families, energetic music, and kids running down the halls with their hair on fire. OK, not really. Our night started off with a taco dinner served by our kitchen staff. They have served the Lord wonderfully in this capacity. Great job. We moved on to the Worship Rally as our kids were introduced to the lesson theme for the night. Students were challenged to connect with love the same way that the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet did. Her devotion was an act of love. Our students were challenged to love Jesus in the same manner. Rotations of crafts, music, and missions reinforced the bible story. One of the many highlights of the night, in my opinion, came from adult VBS. It was a real treat to see adults working on a craft project, and loving it. It was also a great blessing to see some of our adults drop their children off and stay for bible study. A big thanks to our adult VBS leaders. Great job. Our attendance was 127. I am thankful for every student, parent, volunteer, and teacher who helped make tonight a success. I am expecting God to continue blessing our efforts as we continue this week to pour our lives into these children.

Big Apple Adventure : Day #1

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Night number one of Big Apple Adventure VBS is in the books. I have only two words: Chaotic Beauty. It is an amazing thing to see how months of planning come together. It is amazing to see teachers and other volunteers serving in areas in which they have a passion for. It is as equally amazing to watch children invade the church campus and make themselves at home. Our first night was a good one. We had an opportunity tonight to meet new families and strengthen existing relationships. Although our number are not final, we had approximately 120 present tonight. I was especially proud of the nearly 50 adults who were involved in Adult VBS.

Students were challenged tonight to Connect with Faith. Our students studied the story, in missions, music, and crafts, of the centurion who reached out to, and trusted Jesus by faith. A big thanks goes out to our two summer student missionaries (Crystal and Mandy) working with Low Country Ministries who led our music tonight. Great job. A big thanks as well to our VBS Director (Nancy Duncan) who helped to pull everything together and keep things on track. Great job. I look forward to tonight and what day number two holds. God is most definitely good and we are expecting Him to do great things this week.

 

The Problem With The Associational VBS “Expo” Model

/ Steven Ruff / 1 Comment

VBS training is in full swing. State conventions are training associational leadership, and associational leadership are in turn preparing to train church leaders to have evangelistic and life-changing Vacation Bible School’s. These times of training take on different looks. One of primary ones is the clinic on the associational level where, traditionally, the local church is trained on how to lead the individual age groups and rotation sites.  Recently I learned that a few of the associations across our state are employing an “expo” style of VBS clinic. What this means is that the association will set up a display of some or all of the other publishers, in addition to Lifeway, who offer Vacation Bible School material. Some of those publishers include Group, Gospel Light, Standard, Regular Baptist Press, Concordia, and Cokesbury. Once the seven or eight options are presented, churches from the association “shop around” for the curriculum that best fits their need. In my opinion, this process of selecting a Vacation Bible School is flawed on several levels.

Now let me say up front, as a disclaimer, that I don’t believe that Lifeway is perfect. It would be unwise for me to say or to infer that. I believe that Lifeway is the best of all the rest. I personally have areas that I struggle with within the area of publication choices. Some of my children’s Sunday School teachers have some valid concerns with teaching material that I hope to see addressed one day in the future. I have pastor friends of mine who struggle with the cost of curriculum that is passed on to the churches. I have been involved in the teaching of VBS leaders at the state level for many years for two state conventions. I have intentionally studied other publishers VBS materials. In years past, I have used publishers other than Lifeway for our church’s VBS. I feel confident and qualified to say here, and hereafter, that Lifeway VBS is the best of all the rest. I don’t expect everyone to agree, and that it fine. I’m OK with that.

I want share why I think the “expo” style of clinic for the association is flawed. The reasons I believe this style of clinic is flawed are the same reasons I feel Lifeway VBS is the best one for our churches. Two come to mind.

1. The Issue of Doctrinally Integrity

Lifeway’s VBS is doctrinally sound. Churches that choose to use Lifeway curriculum won’t have to worry about the biblical content. There is a confidence in knowing that the material is written through the lense of the Baptist Faith and Message. The flaw of the “expo” model is that the DOM or some representative of the association would have to make sure that each of the publishers they were allowing to be modeled was doctrinally sound. Someone has to ask a question like “Does this curriculum present Jesus Christ as the sole means of salvation?” Someone has to ask a question like “Does this curriculum present the Bible as the perfect word of God?” Someone has to ask a question like this one “Does this curriculum acknowledge that man is lost and in need of a Savior?” In an associational “expo” clinic, that someone should be the DOM.

2. The Linking of  Southern Baptist Missionaries

In addition to being doctrinally sound, Lifeway VBS draws attentions to the work of our Southern Baptist missionaries. With the inclusion of a Missions rotation, students have the opportunity to study real life missions and missionaries from around the world and understand how Cooperative Program monies work. I believe this is invaluable for our children and adults as well. In the “expo” clinic model, this is absent. I cannot for the life of me understand why a Southern Baptist association would choose to model for its churches a VBS that does not highlight what our Southern Baptist missionaries are doing.

Some may say that it is “just” Vacation Bible School, it is no big deal. I don’t buy that. Some would say just pick the best looking theme that the kids would like. That should never be basis for a decision. Some would say that cost should be the deciding factor. I don’t believe that should even be the deciding factor. VBS has the potential to affect and change the lives of children, adults, and churches. I believe that within the ministry of VBS our future teachers, pastors, missionaries, and lay leaders will be called out. This is the reason why that as a pastor I am so passionate about VBS . It is also the reason why I believe it should not be treated so lightly and as carelessly as it seems to be treated at times.

My Reflections on VBS 2010

/ Steven Ruff / Leave a comment

Vacation Bible School has come to an end. The screams and shouts of kids running through the hall, Family Life Center, and the sanctuary are now a distant memory. Decorations have come down and the once vibrant and colorful rooms and hallways have returned to their natural look. It seems as though VBS never happened. It has been an exceptionally long week, longer than normal. I am a big fan of VBS and understand how important it is in the life of the church. Now than that VBS is over, I have a few observations I want to make from a pastor’s perspective.

1. Attendance: In the eyes of many, this is the criteria by which VBS is judged a success or a failure. I don’t believe in that line of thinking. Our average attendance for the week was 113. Our average attendance was up significantly over the past few years. I was encouraged that our kids were active in inviting their friends to attend VBS with them. Two of our classes doubled from one night to the next. We held Adult VBS the same time as the kid’s VBS. This was a huge success.  I feel is it so important for our adults to be on the grounds while VBS is going. It enables them to see the church taking steps to connect and minister to those outside the walls. They have the opportunity as well to experience the controlled chaos that is VBS.

2. Workers: I am thankful to all who worked this week. As I mentioned earlier, it was a long week. It was also very hot. I am especially thankful to all of our teachers who worked full-time jobs, left work, and came straight to church for five straight days. I appreciate so much those who worked in Crafts and Music. Thank you for reinforcing the daily lessons through these avenues. I want to especially mention and thank those who worked in the kitchen all week. During our VBS, we skip the Snack Rotation. Instead, we choose to provide a meal every night. Our kitchen workers come out early, set everything up, served the kids, and stayed until all was cleaned up. Thank you.

3. Ministry: Anytime you have kids on campus you have an opportunity to be engaged in real, one-on-one, life-changing ministry. I have to believe that is what happened this week. VBS is intentionally evangelistic. We were diligent to make sure that we communicate the gospel message all week long, not just on the night of the “evangelistic” lesson. With that being said, we were privileged with four professions of faith in Christ. We are so grateful for these four. We are here to share a message and plant a seed, understanding that it is God that gives the increase. Real ministry takes place when you take time to listen to a child, talk to a child, and show love toward them in the name of Christ. This is what we did this week. If down the road a year or two, in God’s timing, a gospel presentation is given and others respond because of the message that was  planted in their heart this week, then we were faithful to have done our part.

Overall, we had a great week and look forward to what comes out of the efforts of this week. I again want to thank every teacher, worker, and parent who allowed their child to be a part of our VBS. You are my heroes.

Vacation Bible School is Here

/ Steven Ruff / Leave a comment

The days leading up to Vacation Bible School are always filled with activity. There are teachers decorating, lessons being finalized, and many “quick trips” to Wal-Mart for needed supplies. I always enjoy this week. I enjoy walking around and visiting with our teachers. I enjoy the plans that go into our largest outreach event of the year. This is a unique opportuity for me to spend some time with them in a different environment. I enjoy watching the sanctuary and other rooms being transformed from their typical look into theme-related masterpieces. Hard work is the descritpion for this week. This week of hard work prepares us for a week of hard work of a different sort. Our Vacation Bible School begins tonight. Tonight our students will saddle up and spend some time at Saddle Ridge Ranch Below are some pictures of the work that is in progress around our church as of today.