posted
Hello and welcome to my informal, totally unscientific, and very questionable focus group on VBS (Vacation Bible Schools) procedures.
The company I work for has a wide assortment of performance arts classes that we offer to schools, parks and recs, and other organizations such as YMCAs. (Summer camps are just one venue).
We are considering offering our classes, with some appropriate modifications, to the church marketplace (among other things, editing our "No Bully Zone" show into a new one called our "Do Unto Others" show.)
Some questions came up. I am totally out of the loop on moder VBS practices, so I thought I'd seek advice here.
1) We offer field trips to local stages where the kids learn a show, see a show, and then perform a show, which we videotape and send the video back to the organization. Do VBS's do field trips? Would this be something the Youth Minister might want for non-VBS times?
2) Besides VBS and Picnics, are there other summer events that churches do that would use outside entertainers?
3) How bad is "Magic". Is the word "Illusion" any better? We make sure its comedy magic, no hints of occult, while emphasizing good manners and behavior.
4) What's the deal with Puppets. For some reason Church groups love puppetry.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
1) My church never did field trips during VBS, but on occasion they will get a group of kids together and go somewhere. Say, an arcade, or a park. Just that sort of thing. I think if You contact some local churches and let them know what you offer, they might be interested
2) Hmmmm...... this ones a tricky one. We almost always have some sort of food at anything we do, whether it's a potluck dinner or a picnic, or just getting together for pizza. Uh.... On occassion we did an improve night which you might have some reason to be at. I'm not sure.
3) Steer away from the word 'magic' if you can. I don't have a problem with it. And most of the people I know and respect don't either. But there are people who will go absolutely bonkers about that word. 'Illusions' is a much better idea if you can focus around that it will help you out tremendously in most places?
4) I don't get puppets either. They're wholesome family entertainment? I guess?
Posts: 349 | Registered: Oct 2007
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posted
The first post sounds awfully familiar. I remember the reading this before in a very, very closely worded format to this one, if not word for word.
Posts: 315 | Registered: Dec 2005
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posted
Ugk. If I have to deal with puppets one more time--! When I was in youth ministry, all we ever used were puppets and balloon animals. The puppets we had were falling apart, and I spent most of my Saturday afternoons sewing them back together so we could use them on Sunday.
Posts: 1735 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
Our VBS does field trips. But we have kind of an unusual format -- instead of just mornings or just afternoons we go all day, from 7:30-5:30. We serve breakfast and have informal activities from 7:30-9:00, and parents can drop their kids off anytime in there. Then we do "traditional" VBS following the denominational curriculum from 9:00-11:30. After lunch we go on field trips. We get back around 4:30 and have snacks and informal activities again and kids can be picked up during that time.
It's worked great for our church, because parents don't have to worry about getting their kids to or from 1/2 day of daycare -- they can drop them off before work and pick them up after work.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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