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It's VBS week.... and I'm not excited.


kentuckymom
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This is my deep, dark secret. I'm an evangelical Christian. I love Jesus. I love the Bible. I love kids. I love teaching kids about Jesus and the Bible. But I don't love VBS. I don't even really LIKE VBS. The themes are corny an theologically shallow. The fun activities tie into the theme very loosely. The leaders are way too enthusiastic. The kids in the videos for the songs are way too happy. And, when it comes down to it, the amount of effort to effectiveness of ministry ratio is pretty low. Most of the attendees are kids that our church is reaching anyway. Yes, sometimes kids bring friends - who go to other churches. 

 

Yet, every single year, I find myself pressured into helping with VBS. My kids love it. My husband loves it. All my friends from church seem to love it. One year I purposely scheduled our vacation to coincide with VBS. I wanted to schedule our trip to Sweden during VBS this year, but DH wouldn't hear of it. Both last year and this year I thought maybe I'd bow out of helping. Last year I almost made it. DH was leading a station. Squirrelboy was attending. I had an excuse for not going. Kittygirl was too young to attend. Then the Sunday VBS started (ours always runs Sunday through Thursday in the evening) the director told me that they really needed more help and reminded me that there was childcare available for the children of volunteers who were too young to attend. So I gave in. This year I gave in weeks ago after I was asked by 3 separate people if I would consider leading a "zoo crew."

 

Maybe next year will be the year I manage to "just say no". In the meantime, you can pray for me this week if you want to. I managed to put up a pretty good front last night with my crew of preschoolers (including Kittygirl, who is loving her first year of VBS). Only four nights left!

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I am not a VBS fan.  Our church can't decide if it's a community outreach or for "our" kids, so I think we're pretty ineffective at both.

Since we live in a different town than our church, I've always managed to beg off (the distance! we'd get home too late!  gas is too expensive to go each night!)

 

We did, however, find a nice church in our town that has "drop off" VBS.  So I take advantage of that; I get a week of freedom and my kids spend their mornings at VBS.  (This church is where my kids went to preschool for several years, so I feel fine leaving them there.  This church also goes *above and beyond* in terms of decorating and activities -- much more than our church can afford. :o  It's a great time for my girls!)

 

Anyway, just chiming in with my condolences.  

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My kids are all too old, but I totally get what you are saying. They always have cutesy themes and try way too hard to tie the theme to theology. All the songs, games, etc., have to be about ocean animals, or movie making, or what-have-you. It ends up being...corny IMHO. Yes, there is a ton of work for possibly little outcome. Someone has to do all the decorating, buying and organizing craft supplies, planning meetings, baking cookies, etc. I would prefer something much simpler, less theme oriented.

 

I hope this week goes smoothly (and quickly!) for you, and that next year you can just say no, if that is what you really want to do.

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I'm sorry. I just finished directing our church's VBS a couple weeks ago. VBS is one of those things..... I am not overly enthusiastic about it, and honestly it did completely wear me out. As far as its effectiveness.... maybe you can't see the results in the short term, but you are planting seeds that may not mature for years to come. I also started looking at it as a service and a gift to the community. Our vBS is in the morning. Our church is in a smallish, poor, gang-ridden town. Children are bored in the summer. Parents may need to find daycare, or at least something constructive for their kids to do. We can provide that. Yeah, some parents send their kid to every VBS in town. I sent my kids to 2 others this year besides ours (we don't live in the town we go to church in, and the VBSs were in our town). That used to bother me until I changed my perspective.

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Oh my goodness, OP, so feel you! For all the same reasons you listed above. Every member of my family LOVES it--loves attending, loves serving, etc. I can't handle the chirpiness and smiles necessary to convey the love of Jesus to these little kids. Was He chirpy and smiley? Dunno, but it's rough going for me. Good luck, and thanks for your ministry!

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I didn't volunteer this year--or last, or the year before.

 

I didn't even visit our decorated rooms this year.

 

And I'm the "Pastor's Wife"-- you know, the one who should be doing it... :laugh:

 

It's not that I don't like it, I just don't want to volunteer with it. I can't take off work, and ours is during the day (which I like much better b/c I think many littles are too tired at night to do VBS, but it's def nice for getting working parents to volunteer).

 

All to say, you get a pass from me.

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I joined a really small church that doesn't do a VBS. Problem solved! DD9 has gone to a couple with friends, and they're just too noisy and chaotic for her. She did want to do the Weird Animals one this year because several of the creatures are ones she's entirely passionate about, so since my mom's church did it this year, my mom is bringing the VBS materials with her on vacation, and DD can pick and choose what she wants to do from them.

 

Around here, VBS tends to be used for cheap/free summer child care. Some churches seem to embrace it (one actually has full-day VBS, complete with water slides and bounce houses, and a couple have VBS from 9:00-12:00 and summer camp from 12-00-5:00, for a small fee), some do theirs only at night or try to all schedule for the same week to avoid them. A lot of times if you meet people at VBS who you like, they don't go to that church anyway.

 

The person who made me go huh? was the one who asked on our secular/inclusive homeschool group board if anyone knew of any secular VBS. Uh, that's called day camp, and there are a lot of them. Of course, you'll have to pay, because while church members will give free labor and their tithes pay for VBS, camps have to pay their staff and don't have a large group of people donating to pay for you to drop off your kid....

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Yes, its a zoo.  Part of it is outreach and part of it is training though.  My teens have learned a lot by organizing parts of it, teaching crafts, doing object lessons, and doing skits.

 

I used to take off of work to help at one at a previous church (they did half days in the morning), and I always took off the full day on Friday because I was so tired.  

 

The next church we went to actually didn't do them because they felt like they were largely a babysitting service, but they did have a large Awana program.

 

The current church does 2-9pm on a Friday with pizza for dinner.  I like that.  One big effort!

 

I vote for figuring out what you do like to do, and making sure that you volunteer very, very early for that.  Friends of ours always volunteer for the dinner part of ours because they enjoy buying tableware and food, setting up, and getting the pizza.  Working with kids is not their thing, and that's fine.

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Children are bored in the summer. Parents may need to find daycare, or at least something constructive for their kids to do. We can provide that. 

 

Honestly, I feel like a "good" church does things that are as much about community building and helping its members in their everyday lives as they are about the religious message.  So to me, VBS is really just this.  I think if you go into it with that perspective, then maybe it's less disappointing.  The themes are still cheesy though.  No one can stop that.

 

We don't have a church home at the moment and our previous one didn't do a VBS type thing.  But I have fond memories from when I was a kid and especially from when I was a teen and my mother was children's minister at a church.  It was so community-driven and fun.  So I think a lot of the seeds, as someone said above, pay off way later...  in that kids have happy associations with their church or church in general and their church friends.  And that's a positive goal all by itself.

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I volunteered for the first time at VBS (As a head teacher. Not sure but I may have been an assistant or craft person in the distant past) and I absolutely LOVED it.  I can't wait for next year to do it again. I got so many ideas of things I'd like to do differently to reach the almost-Kindergarteners better.  It's a LOT of work. And exhausting. And I was tired every night. But after the second night I couldn't wait to go do it again.  And it really felt like the children "Got it" (The verse, the ideas we were teaching) better when they were coming everyday than once a week on Sundays. I felt it was entirely worth the work, though of course I wouldn't be able to have the energy to do it all summer!

 

And it was so... uplifting? Encouraging? to see so many of our youth helping out and how much that meant, not just to my kids in my class but also to my son in the 1st grade class.

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I used to belong to a huge church who did VBS every year. It was crowded with children. The volunteers took about 2 days to decorate and a class to prepare materials. Thankfully, I did enjoy it, but it was a lot of work. I didn't think it was effective at sharing the Word though. It just seemed like a fun summer camp with an opportunity for the kids to be saved on our last day.

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I managed to put up a pretty good front last night with my crew of preschoolers (including Kittygirl, who is loving her first year of VBS). Only four nights left!

 

You can do it! Just keep thinking about how much your kids love it and, secretly, count down in your head the number of nights until you'll have peace and quiet again. I've volunteered for some things I really didn't like so that my kids could do them and it's just part of the parental deal. You can do this and keep a bright, totally fake smile on your face!

 

 

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Shhh. . . .I don't like VBS either and I'm the pastor's wife. LOL

 

And our church has the most organized, calm, fabulous VBS I've ever been part of!

 

I am not volunteering this year--dh and ds are and 2 of my others are attending. When we all participate we are a train wreck of a family for a week.

 

Dd and I are staying in our quiet home (and I am going to get ready for the school year and our week at the beach)!

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Where we used to live parents would enroll their kids at every churches VBS, so you could 5-6 a summer. We did one and I dropped him off, not even our church. 

 

I remember as a kid attending a church that thought it was a weekly VBS, loud & obnoxious. I mean I was 9 and it was too much. I'd go home with a headache, finally I talked my mom into letting me sit with her in the adult service (which she got grief about even though I sat quietly and drew in a notebook ). 

 

So bless you all that volunteer. Really. 

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I don't "love" VBS either, 'cause it's exhausting, but I volunteer every year, and look forward to it.

 

In our area, there are lots of kids who attend VBS who don't regularly go to church. We do VBS in the evening, so parents love dropping their kids off for free babysitting while they go out. There are lots of kids that make the rounds and attend allll the area VBS's because their parents are taking advantage of the "free babysitting". Some do morning VBS, some do all day VBS, and some do evening VBS.

 

When we were kids, my dad moved us all over the place. And he was *not* one of those "help with the kids" dads. My mom usually didn't have any friends when we first moved, my dad never gave her relief, and she couldn't afford a sitter- so she would always sign us up and drop us off at a VBS or two during the summer. Honestly, it was the only Bible exposure we had- and the only time we were told about Jesus- and my sisters and I loved it! I remember several times, we wanted to keep going to church on Sundays, after VBS ended, and members from the church would pick us up and drop is off (after talking to my parents of course). I remember going to lock ins, and bowling, and horse back riding with those churches.

 

My mom was a SAHM, we were pretty normal and had a decent upbringing- but my parents fought A LOT. And after we left our hometown, we never really lived anywhere long enough for my mom to establish friends, or a "community". Attending VBS was free and gave her a break, and if it was a good church, they filled that community gap for us. I have so many good memories of a few of those VBS's and the churches that took us in and did things with us- I don't remember their names, but I remember their faces- and I remember that feeling of community, and all the things they did with us, and learning about God. It was a much needed escape from the fighting at home. And I totally credit that early VBS learning, at least in part, to who I am today. It stuck with me all through my teen years, even when I was doing wrong- and brought me through "all that".

 

Anyways, that's why I always volunteer. I'm not saying that you should volunteer if you really don't want to- just putting my experience out there- just in case :)

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My children have been invited to attend several different VBS programs, all evening programs.  Each church has its own session, some the same week.  They seem to have elaborate themes and decorations. I read through the information about one of the programs. The drop off and pick up procedures are a sad commentary on our society.  The children are pretty much under lock-down during the hour and a half of the program.    Thus far, my children have declined all invitations.  A morning program might tempt them, but they would rather play with dad in the evening. 

 

I remember enjoying VBS as a child.  It was one week, mornings, in the middle of summer, in a small town where there was nothing else for children to do.  It was a joint venture of the town’s three protestant churches. All children in town were welcome and most attended.  We played a few games – Farmer in the Dell, Red Rover, Simon Says; listened to a Bible story; made a craft; ate a snack; sang a couple of songs; and went home.   I am sure it was a lot of work for the organizers but far simpler than the programs in our current town.   Drop off – children walk to church, older sibling take younger sibling(s) to appropriate room(s) then go to their own class.  Pick-up – reverse of drop off. 

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I'm sorry. I just finished directing our church's VBS a couple weeks ago. VBS is one of those things..... I am not overly enthusiastic about it, and honestly it did completely wear me out. As far as its effectiveness.... maybe you can't see the results in the short term, but you are planting seeds that may not mature for years to come. I also started looking at it as a service and a gift to the community. Our vBS is in the morning. Our church is in a smallish, poor, gang-ridden town. Children are bored in the summer. Parents may need to find daycare, or at least something constructive for their kids to do. We can provide that. Yeah, some parents send their kid to every VBS in town. I sent my kids to 2 others this year besides ours (we don't live in the town we go to church in, and the VBSs were in our town). That used to bother me until I changed my perspective.

 

My church didn't do VBS, but the neighbors and friends invited me to their one at the Baptist church.  My parents were neutral on the idea.  Even mumble mumble decades later, I still have a mostly positive view of Baptists even though it isn't for me.  Without that memory, my view would probably be slightly negative to neutral.  One thing I noticed is that all the big churches in my area have VBS the same week.  That keeps parents from using many of them as free/cheap substitutes for daycare.  

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Our VBS has always been a huge big deal.  We start doing murals for it in March, the entire church gets transformed.  I've been heavily involved over the yearsd, dh when he was able to work-wise and finally backed away to just doing photos for the much beloved last evening slideshow, which, in itself is a ton of work.  I race around every night for 4 nights making sure I get a great shot of every single kid and volunteer at all 4 "stations" and all day Friday editing and putting it together with music.

I am fine once I am there but I really hate leaving the house in the evening, it makes for some seriously crazy dinner issues and there are always extra mouths to feed this time of year already.

Both the girls always went and loved it when they were young and now participate with drama, games, music and decorating. ( Except Rowan last year and this one, too ill.)

I've been doing the slideshow so long that there are actually some photos that are kind of a standing inside joke that get put in for fun. ;)

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I volunteered at VBS in various capacities for many years. I finally just stopped. My husband will still help if his work schedule allows, which it didn't this year. My daughter is now old enough to volunteer and she loves it. For me, it just seems like loud, chaotic activity that has very little to do with actual learning about Jesus. i just couldn't take the noise and hyped-up enthusiasm. So I don't volunteer any more. I help in other areas that fit me better.

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Our church does a humongous VBS.  The entire lobby, hallway, and sanctuary are covered in elaborate decorations. Sometimes they convert classrooms into airplanes (my sons LOVED that).  They have water games outside.  It's pretty amazing.  We're talking tens of hours, if not hundreds of hours (when you add all the helper's work together) of prep for this thing.

 

All of my friends volunteer to help out.  Their kids look forward to it all year.  They all love it--adults, kids.  One of my friends recently became a nurse practitioner after being a stay at home mom and will take time off work just to volunteer at VBS.  

 

But I don't like it at all.  OP, I could have written your post.  I feel the Exact Same Way as you about it.

 

Funny Story:

About 6 years ago, one of the coordinators of VBS (who was only about 20 at the time) called me and asked, "Have you considered helping with VBS?"

 

I'm a logical person and tend to answer the exact question asked.  I had not considered helping with VBS.  It wasn't on my radar.  I answered the question she asked. "No."  I figured she would then say, "Well, if you'd like to consider it, here are the places we need help."  

 

But she didn't.  She just said, "Um...ok.  Thanks." and hung up.

 

I thought it was a weird conversation and went about my day.  About 10 minutes later it dawned on me that she intended to ask me TO consider helping with VBS, not IF I had considered helping with VBS.  She has worded her question in passive language.  My single answer of, "No," must have sounded so rude.  She meant to ask, "Will you help at VBS?"  "No."

 

I considered calling her back and explaining, but then realized if I did, I'd be expected to help and, after my 10 minutes of consideration, I realized I most certainly did not want to help.

 

No one has ever called me back since, even though I was a Sunday School teacher at the time and am still heavily involved in church.  I guess saying a stark, "No" got me out of it for the rest of my life!

 

OP.  I am sorry for you that you've been roped into it.  It's especially bad that your kids love it.  My kids are meh about it (except that airplane), but they're the only ones.  Everyone else's kids love it and give me puzzled looks when I say my kids don't.  I avoid the subject now.

 

 

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P.S.  After reading some people's posts about how VBS was a great memory during their childhood and impacted them for good, I'm developing a new appreciation for it.  (Not enough to volunteer though.  Maybe when my kids move out.  Too much on my plate now.)

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I'm sorry.  :(

 

Particularly when my kids were young, I wouldn't teach VBS. It was all I could do to volunteer in the kitchen. I was around my little kids, schooling them every day, and I KNEW I was not called to be with even more kids just for that one week.

 

I've always believed that if it was God's plan for a church program to succeed, HE would supply the people. "Volunteers" would not need to be pressured by anyone else who was just hoping for a certain outcome.  Even in this thread, it's pretty easy to see the difference . . .   (My opinion is not always popular, I know.)

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I totally understand. You deal with children all year, all day. This is vacation time when you should get a break from scheduling and enjoy activities with your children or just letting them play. Then there comes VBS and now you are organizing 20 kids or so for a week. I was never that excited either. Now, that I have not had children at home for some time, I can imagine I would enjoy it much more.

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I don't like VBS at all.   My church does other things to help in the community and no one seems to miss VBS.  I did it for years, but the last year I was at a church doing VBS I begged off.  My kids helped out but I took my mornings free.  After years of letting other moms do that while I taught their kids, I figured it was my turn!   And I loved it.

 

 

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I'm so glad I'm not the only one who isn't thrilled with VBS.  Our church has a great one, very solid and well attended.  My kids love it.  I was on the committee the last few years and was director last year.  I've been impressed by the number of people I've met who have said how much they loved VBS, and the connections to some neighbourhood families that have been made, but I don't like having an entire week messed up.  This year I planned vacation that week.  Now I'm feeling rather guilty. :huh: 

 

I still teach at AWANA and love that.

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. One thing I noticed is that all the big churches in my area have VBS the same week. That keeps parents from using many of them as free/cheap substitutes for daycare.

Why does it matter what the motivations are of the parents for sending their child to VBS? I don't think working parents could really use VBS as daycare unless they had someone willing to drop-off and pick-up and keep the kids for the rest of the day.

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I have mixed feelings for VBS. I am always happy when our church decides to take a summer off from it. I try to find ways to help that aren't totally centered around the kids as I am around kids ALL THE TIME and helping at VBS wears me out too much.

 

My nephew asked today if I was taking them to a VBS this year. This is the first year I haven't. It just didn't fit into our schedule this year.

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I won't mince words, I hate VBS for all the reasons you stated and then some.  I specifically sought out a church that, among many other more important doctrinal issues, doesn't do VBS.  My kids did a few VBSs where I helped out but I couldn't stand the shallowness anymore.  I have come to the conclusion that I only want to be around serious and systematic theological study for myself and my children if they choose.  That can be at a kid level and done in a pleasant, joyful way, but I'm done with the dumbed down, entertainment focused, shallow, talking in bumper stickers nonsense of every VBS I've seen up close. Maybe there are better quality VBSs out there, but those aren't the ones I've been to.

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Why does it matter what the motivations are of the parents for sending their child to VBS? I don't think working parents could really use VBS as daycare unless they had someone willing to drop-off and pick-up and keep the kids for the rest of the day.

 

I don't know.  It was just my personal observation. Maybe SAHM with kids in public school who hated having kids underfoot all day, but didn't want to pay for childcare.  

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I don't know. It was just my personal observation. Maybe SAHM with kids in public school who hated having kids underfoot all day, but didn't want to pay for childcare.

I have no doubt that moms are sending kids to VBS so they can have a break for a few hours that week. I know - because I have done it myself! I don't understand why that would be viewed negatively as it seems to be. Most VBS seem to want a high attendance and encourage everyone to bring friends, but don't want to be viewed as free babysitting. If the program is open to the community, I don't understand the concern about being viewed as free childcare.

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I have mixed feelings about VBS.  It's true that it's loud and chaotic and there isn't a whole lot of deep theology, but I have good childhood memories of VBS.  I was a very shy child who grew up in a non-religious household and VBS was often the highlight of my summer. 

 

My own children absolutely love to go to VBS.  We get many children from within the church, but there are also large groups of children who come from a nearby low income housing project, so it's both a church activity and a community outreach program. Our church had over 250 children this year as well as 150 teens and adults helping.  I haven't helped for years because of other activities at the same time, but also because I spend so much time homeschooling my own children and working with Scouts that I really need a break from children.

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Last year was the first time my kids went to VBS and I volunteered, but this year, after teaching first grade religious education every Sunday and pulling DS from PS to homeschool, I said no as politely as I could when the youth minister in charge asked if I could volunteer again.  I love my kids (obviously) and I love being involved in Sunday school/RE, but I needed a break.  I used the week to catch up on some big cleaning projects around the house.  It was nice.  

 

OP, I hope the week goes well for you.  I'll say a prayer for you.  

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I have been VBS-free since 2006. My teenagers volunteer - they love it, the kids love them. When one of the coordinators asked me this year if I wanted to help I had no qualms about smiling nicely and saying no.

 

*I think if I heard a few bars I could probably still sing the inane songs from the Rainforest theme in 2002 - nobody should have to live with their head full of years' worth of those!

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Well, my kids do love it. They sing the songs and I had to buy beads so they could keep making more of the craft they learned how to do. Their favorite one this summer was the smallest one, actually. Without all the bells and whistles. It had a live band (a group of college kids who tour around doing VBS type things) and they learned some fun camp type songs.

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*I think if I heard a few bars I could probably still sing the inane songs from the Rainforest theme in 2002 - nobody should have to live with their head full of years' worth of those!

 

Gah!  I can still sing songs from *MY* VBS days in the 80s!  My mom played the piano for our church's VBS (back before churches were cool and used canned music) and I had to listen to her practice the songs all summer, before VBS even started. :D :D

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I am with you on hating it.  Way too much "Rah, Rah, Sis Boom Bah!  Yay Jesus!" and not enough theology and reverence.  Plus, these packaged products are really not geared for our faith (we are Catholic.)  My boys hated it.  Dd liked it the one time she went, she really didn't remember anything but the "theme".  I just thought it was a big waste of resources (we were constantly asked to donate materials for this.)  Our church finally brought in Totus Tuus (a Catholic summer catechism program) as a replacement for VBS and it is a much better fit for our parish.  There were parents who complained because they liked the shallow cheerleading kind of teaching, but I am much happier with something of substance.  The kids had fun and they really learned something.  The teens found it much more meaningful. 

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I dislike it. I dislike crowds of loud children :) However, I have volunteered for the past 6 years. This year, we changed churches and our new church does not do VBS. Yay!!! However, I did send my dds to a VBS in the community, and gave a monetary donation. I imagine I'll help with it in the future. It will be nice when I'm old enough to do the snacks!!

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Our church does VBS in a BIG way. And I participate via the decorating team.

 

That said, if VBS is not your calling, then don't do it. I would much rather see a limit on the number of children that can participate than to see any of the children participating have adult leadership that doesn't really want to be there. There's absolutely nothing wrong with having a different calling. Just smile and say, "Sorry, not what God has called me to do." and then move on. No one can argue with what you believe God has called you to do.

 

OTOH, remember that there is plenty of behind-the-scenes, off season work if you do want to contribute but just don't like the craziness of the actual event week. If you feel so inclined, you could help with that and not be part of the extravaganza. I have people on my décor team that only help in the fall and winter, who travel or live elsewhere during the summer when we hold our VBS.

 

Regarding the topic of VBS itself, we don't consider it to be babysitting even if some of the parents might. For us, it is an evangelistic outreach and religious education tool. Yes, the children of our church attend, as do children from other churches and unchurched children from the general area. Our children's ministry team selects only themes that are solidly in line with our own beliefs, and that explain those beliefs clearly to the younger set. And we have seen very good results. So IMO, for us VBS is well worth the extensive effort that goes into it.

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I have never signed my kids up for VBS. I personally despise VBS! My mother was a children's church leader when I was a kid, so naturally, we always attended VBS and everything else. Even as a young kid, I thought they were terrible! There was always a bunch of pressure to try and convert the poor little heathen children who were only there because it was free summer camp; plus there was ice cream on the last day.

 

I can STILL remember that dumb jingle from the puppet show..."Oh, my name is Ticklish Reuben, from way down in old Vermont. I've been tickled by almost everything...I've been tickled by a feather, I've been tickled by a wasp. I've been tickled by a yellow bumblebeeeeeeee..."

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I've been thinking about what I think a quality 5 day program for kids from church alongside unchurched kids would look like.   I would say the Walk Through the Bible programs were good, solid and fun.  As I remember (from 30 years ago) there was a Walk Through the Old Testament and a Walk Through the New Testament.  There were large motor motions and spoken mnemonic devices that helped you remember the order of the major events.  I think the songs that helped you remember the order of the books in the Bible were part of that program too.  There was mapwork included that involved large motor movements to remember the locations of places frequently mentioned in Scripture.  We had a great time doing it and it's a good foundation for children who are not Biblically literate and an excellent refresher for kids who are. If the Bible story time was the major events and the fun singing, game playing time included large motor and songs/chants that help you remember them and help you learn the books of the Bible, that's a quality program worth investing time in. I would be enthusiastic about helping with something like that.

 

It's common here for parents to send their kids to VBS every week at different churches for free daycare.  Those kids don't want to be there.

 

If your church wants to minister to moms it can do what a church I used to go to did;offer a mom's day out free of charge.  We had a few during the holiday season when so many moms were needing some time off.  The teens and singles helped out with the kids for an afternoon and evening.

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I've had years I've helped with VBS and years where I didn't help and we didn't attend.  For the most part, I think it is positive and my kids look forward to it.  One thing it brings out in people (and I've noticed other ministries do as well), is who is signing up to truly serve and who is signing up to serve themselves.  It is amazing to me people will use any opportunity to undermine leadership with backhanded comments or maneuvering away the assigned tasks or complaining or trying to insert their own dogma into a well thought out program.  Some of these people don't even work well with children or teens.  They have no patience and snap or yell.  Or they don't want to serve in the area they were asked to serve in and roam around interfering in other areas.  

 

Thankfully, we have mostly people who are humble enough to do the job they've been asked to do and intelligent enough to know to not yell or be rough with preschoolers.  Yet, there are always a few apples who want to spoil the cart.  It's funny.  Every year, we will get a few "wild" thing type of kids and you'd think that would be the most exhausting or negative memory.  It's not.  It's the adults who sign up to help and then make things difficult by making it a time for them to cause problems, be negative, difficult etc.  

 

I'm sure I'll help again next year and I'm sure we'll have a bigger VBS because it keeps growing...in spite of the few bad apples:)

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