Are You Prepared for What You Ask?

Whether through a church sign, postcard mailings, social media advertisements, or word of mouth, your church people have invited kids to VBS. During the week, kids are probably encouraged to bring a friend the next day. There might even be a competition to bring more friends. Are you prepared for those kids you invited and prayed for?

What if 25 extra kids showed up on the first day? Or 50? What if, by the end of VBS week, 100 extra kids attended?

If your team is praying for God to send more and more boys and girls to hear the amazing truths taught at VBS, are you prepared for when God answers with a yes?

If your team is praying for God to send more and more boys and girls to hear the amazing truths taught at VBS, are you prepared for when God answers with a yes?

• Will you have enough snacks for extra kids?
• Are there enough craft supplies?
• Did teachers prep extra classroom activities?
• Is there enough space?
• Are there enough volunteers to maintain appropriate teacher/child ratios?
• Do you have extra nametags, take-homes, iron-ons/T-shirts, etc.?

If you are praying for God to send boys and girls to your VBS, you need to be prepared for him to answer with a yes. When you pray for more kids but don’t prepare for them, do you really expect God to send them? Do you want God to send them?

What can you do to prepare for the extra children you have prayed for?

Make sure to have enough supplies on hand. Order extra T-shirts and take-homes. Buy extra craft and snack supplies. Prepare for more, but still be a good steward of the church’s money and your VBS budget. Unopened VBS supplies can be returned or sold to another church. (List your extras in the Answers VBS Discussion Group on Facebook.) Instead of opening up the craft supplies, keep them in packages and return them if they aren’t needed. Extra snacks (that have been prepared) can be passed out the following day for those extra-hungry kids.

Have a plan for volunteers. In a perfect world, every VBS would have more volunteers than leaders know what to do with. However, that likely isn’t the case. What do you do when extra kids show up? First, evaluate the current ratios. Can leaders be shifted to another place? Second, do you have a list of people you could call on short notice? Teens or parents could be pulled in for a day or two. (Just make sure they’ve had background checks.) You could even ask church staff to be an extra set of hands! Whether you already have floaters planned into your VBS roster or just a list of stand-by helpers, make sure you have a plan.

Be flexible. A handful of extra kids probably won’t frazzle you, but a large number might. Remember to be flexible. God sent you what you prayed for. He sent you the exact boys and girls that need to be at your VBS. If classrooms get squished, and someone has to rush to prep more crafts, that’s okay. Take a deep breath, and figure out your next steps.

This year more than ever, boys and girls need to hear the message at VBS. Pray for those extra kids! Pray for God to send ALL of the boys and girls that need to hear this year’s VBS. After you pray for them, get prepared for God to send them.