The church had decided to sponsor a VBS program overseas. The VBS team called a meeting to make decisions about what to include in the VBS program.  You may ask, “Aren’t all VBS programs the same?”  Not necessarily.  Each sponsoring church can determine its own VBS content, so they can all be different in some respects.

Most, however, will definitely have some time devoted to prayer, praise, singing and bible study.  Then come some other components and some variation occurs.  Most will include something akin to crafts and a time for children, being children, to get a needed change of pace with games and recreation.

These are all things that are evangelical in nature, to get the children to know Jesus Christ.

But then there is also a humanitarian aspect to consider.

Is it necessary to provide some food? –  like

• a breakfast snack for the children when they first arrive,
• a possible mid-morning snack like a cookie and water, or
• a lunch meal consisting anywhere from a sandwich, fruit, juice, something sweet
• a token bit of food.
• Nothing

If it is necessary,  then

• Someone must be in charge
• Volunteers are needed to
• Shop
• Prepare food (make sandwiches, bag items)
• Distribute to children
• Clean up.
• Cost – prepare budget
• Raise funds

As you can see, this does not have to be “all or nothing.”  A team can put whatever energy and resources they wish into this aspect of a VBS experience. Some churches keep it simple and have only the evangelical program.  Other churches allocate resources and include a humanitarian aspect to some degree.

If the population area of the VBS host (non-U.S.)church is in a low-very low economic area, then the decision whether to have any food or not becomes a real point of discussion.  One can argue that it is hard to tell someone about Jesus when their stomach is empty.  On the other hand, it is also hard if there are barely enough funds to provide a basic VBS.

 What part of the VBS program do you reduce or eliminate in order to include food as part of VBS?

Another alternative is for the host church to operate a food component. That is, include space and time for the food but make the operation of the food component a host church responsibility. This requires cooperation in the use of space, time, and personnel. It requires coordination of schedules so that children and class groups are not all trying to go past the food distribution point at the same time.

 

Hint: Try to keep children in line and keep the line moving. Avoid situations that allow children to crowd around at a distribution point. If the volunteers at the distribution point are trained to hand each child an item, the children must keep moving to get their items.  If food is distributed at the end of the day, do it at the exit, so children don’t have the opportunity the double back to go through the line again. Also, it is a good idea to have a trash container outside the exit.

Contribute money to the host church if you can, but let the host church keep the responsibility.  After all, if they are to replicate the program the next year, keep the VBS training as the main focus for the sponsoring team.  That keeps it possible to run the same program year after year with minimal and declining financial support from the sponsoring church.

 

 

Nest week:  Develop a Planning Calendar