By Joni Sullivan Baker
Workers in lime green shirts scurry by carrying chairs, lariats for name badges, handfuls of markers, and pizza boxes. There”s a hum, a vibe, voices with some energy, maybe even nervous energy, laughing and talking.
Early arriving boys whiz by and chase each other in the hallways. Equally early girls cluster and clog doorways, whispering loudly.
The atmosphere is one part preparing for children”s church and one part backstage tension at five minutes to curtain.
And then they start arriving. Parents holding the hands of little ones with big eyes who can”t decide what to look at first, the giant pictures onstage or the big kids crowded close by. The confident middle-grader teasing a favorite adult helper, the brand-new kid who has no idea what”s going on. They line up, they keep coming, and they move into the central gymnasium area near the stage.
As they gather, the music starts, and the high-energy cheerleader in blue jeans who leads worship gets them going with an up-tempo song and motions.
It”s VBS at Ross Christian Church in Hamilton, Ohio, in the summer of 2009.
Never Before Seen
But this isn”t the VBS your church did last summer. This is the field test, a sort of dress rehearsal, for the never-seen-before 2010 Standard Publishing VBS, “Hero HeadQuarters: Where Kids Join Forces with God.”
Sign up, show up, join forces with God! He”s the biggest hero of them all.
Stand out, give a shout. Show the world what it”s all about. He”s the biggest hero of them all.
H-E-R-O, God is my hero!
H-E-R-O, God is my hero!
Heroes bring help when you don”t see help comin”. A hero steps up and points the way.
Heroes are humble and trust the Lord in faith.
Heroes stand for truth and save the day.
Heroes stand for truth and save the day.
H-E-R-O, God is my hero!
H-E-R-O, God is my hero!
As kids and adults alike pivot and point and learn the motions, excitement is running high in the big room.
Later the kids peel off into groups and rotate between sites for the day”s Bible story, projects, and snacks.
Off to the story site, a second-grade group climbs the stairs and goes quiet as they walk through a darkened room. As they warily approach the space, they are guided to the back of the room and begin to notice the sound of birds chirping amid palm trees and seating that looks like outcroppings of rock.
The teacher tells them the story of how Jesus was out on the mountainside with lots of hungry people. A boy whose name we never learn steps forward to share his five loaves and two fishes, and Jesus works a miracle. Everyone has enough to eat!
Before long, the children are shown 12 baskets of extra bread. They each get a small bag of Goldfish crackers and are challenged to think about their “small” gifts that can be used in the hands of Jesus. Then they are offered a taste of a preserved sardine. Three or four brave souls actually try the fish.
The object is to experience the story with all the senses. It”s a vital aspect of VBS 2010.
A Fresh Look
For the kids, this is a fun week of VBS. But for Standard Publishing, this is a critical week. While more than 20 Standard Publishing editorial, marketing, and customer service staffers join in the songs and bring their own kids along to participate in the Ross VBS field test week, they are doing more than just helping out with VBS.
They are watching carefully to see if the new elements added to the 2010 program are working. They are checking with church staffers about how easy the lessons are to teach. They are taking a fresh look at the graphics in full size.
For their part, leaders of the Ross VBS effort get a sneak peak at the new product, and have the opportunity to give feedback and influence the final versions of the VBS materials. In addition, Ross”s VBS leaders receive the extra bonus of a team of unusually proficient new volunteers as those Standard Publishing staffers participate each day. After all, they may be new to the Ross church, but they know the VBS curriculum and songs thoroughly, since many of them helped to develop them.
“I”m excited about this VBS material,” said VBS director Penny McVay. “The stories are interactive, the projects have gone well, and the songs are really good. On Monday night the kids had already learned them and learned the motions really quickly.
“And I like that it”s about unnamed heroes. All too often we think we have to “˜be someone” to do something for God.”
The Starter Kit and Power Pak for “Hero HeadQuarters” can be ordered now. The Starter Kit ($69.99) includes director”s resources, plus sample site leader”s guides, and teacher and student materials, a total value of more than $175. The Power Pak includes all items in the Starter Kit plus the Costume Pack, Theme Pack, Art and Decorating CD, Life Focus Poster Pack, Site Names Poster Pack, and Kid Views DVD. The Power Pak costs $199.99, with materials valued at more than $325. All additional items will be available in February 2010. For information about ordering “Hero HeadQuarters,” visit www.standardpub.com/VBS or www.vacationbibleschool.com.
Joni Sullivan Baker is the managing director of Buoyancy Public Relations in Loveland, Ohio.
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