Do you have parents who wait until 3 days before VBS starts to register? Or perhaps like my church, they wait until the opening assembly has already started!

I sent out an email to our entire church body to grab their attention and get them to register. Feel free to adapt it and use it in an email, Facebook page, blog, tweet them individually, or whatever. Hope it helps.

Top ten reasons you haven’t registered your child for VBS:

10. The dog ate your computer.

9. You thought it stood for Vulcan Bake Sale.

8. You’re lazy.

7. You aren’t concerned about your child hearing the gospel.

6. The spirit of “weirdness” told you not to.

5. You’re still waiting to see the dinner menu.

4. Your overly American schedule has kept you too busy to think about it.

3. You know that it takes around 7 reminders for people to respond to something and you’ve only counted 6.

2. One word: YouTube

1. People say your kid would have too much fun—and fun is not what you’re about.

I love VBS (that’s Vacation Bible School for the scarf with t-shirt wearing crowd of Children’s Ministers!). I love it because when it is done well and creatively, children learn foundational truths about Jesus, kids get saved, parents get plugged into church, and momentum is built to further the overall vision and work of one’s children’s ministry. My VBS is in 2 weeks and I’m extremely excited for what God has in store this year! Below are some creative ideas you can incorporate into your VBS to make it the best one ever!

Fun for Kids

• Mascot Hunt: Figure out a good mascot for your VBS and try to find a stuffed animal that looks like it. Hide the animal each day and challenge the kids to find it as they are walking around. If they find it, reward their class with a bag of candy and a special flag they can carry around the next day. This is so popular at my church, I have to do two, one for Pre-K and one for elementary.
• Surprise Character: Have someone dress up as a character who matches the theme. Have them bust into the classrooms during teaching time, interrupting the teacher and getting the whole lesson for the day wrong. Alert the teachers ahead of time so they can interact with the character and “set them straight” on the meaning of the lesson.
• Incentives: Offer an incentive for non-church kids to attend or for your own church kids to invite their friends. Last year, I gave away a Wii. It was our largest VBS in church history. This year, I’m giving a $5 gift card to Toys R Us to any non-church kid who attends at least 4 nights of VBS. I’m already WAY above the average mark for this point in our registration process and many of them are guests.
• Involve Kids in Follow Up: Have children in your ministry take the contact info for a guest that was in their class. Instruct them on how to follow up via a phone call or note in the mail. Have them to invite the kids back to church the next week and start a friendship with them.

Fun for Parents

• Send them home in style: If you have a car pick up line (which I recommend to reduce the amount of people who come into your building), then I recommend that you greet parents with a smile, open the door for kids, help them get their seat belt on, and say something positive about the kids. This can really have a huge impact on the ride home.
• Parenting Skills: Offer a parenting skills class during your VBS time. Have some snacks, foster community, and/or bring in a well known presenter to help them grow as a parent (Frankly, I’d love to do it!). You may start this off one year by just doing a one or two night thing. That way you could advertise it well during drop off and pick up prior to it occurring.

Fun for Volunteers

• Late Week Break: Have a variety of drinks and special snacks available on day 3 or 4 of your week for volunteers. Stand by the cooler and personally thank each one who gets a drink.
• Perpetuate the Memories: Set up a Facebook page or blog where VBS leaders can share memorable experiences after VBS is over. Use these quotes in recruitment the next year.
• Make Them Feel Good: Be sure to recognize them in a creative way if you do some sort of kick off or celebration night. Have them run out through a kid “tunnel.” Do a creative video highlighting the lead teachers. Pick a “Leader of the Day” to recognize outstanding work.

What creative idea do you have for VBS?

I came up with this list that I’m putting in our church newsletter for the month of June. I thought some of you might want to cut and paste and use it for yours as well. Hope it could be a good tool for you.

Top Ten Signs You Should Volunteer for VBS:

10. Your wife is volunteering and she said you had to work with her.

9. You have a passion for wiping snotty noses.

8. You wonder why your adult Sunday school class never plays “Jump the Creek” or eats marshmallows with pretzels stuck in them for a snack.

7. You have a spare 20 hours during the week of (insert VBS Dates here).

6. (Insert your name) will not stop asking you about serving.

5. You have been a member for 15 years and never served anywhere.

4. You realize that “I’ve done my time with Children” is not a valid excuse anymore.

3. You recognize that primetime ESPN is pretty boring during the summer.

2. You think hand motions are a nice touch to any song.

1. Being hugged by stinky, sweaty children really gets you pumped up about God’s Kingdom.