What to Save for Spy U?

Spy University is set in a bustling city, where cadets learn to uncover counterfeits and discover the one true God. Whether you’ve had VBS this year or not, it’s time to start planning next year.

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the scene setters that will be available for next year to get your creative juices flowing, and to see what you can save from Emerald Crossing!

What Decoration Pieces Should You Save?

Though Spy University is set in an international city, university campuses and cities do have parks and street landscaping. Save your trees, bushes, and rocks—any kind of nature/landscaping items that could either be part of a campus park or city decorations (like flowers planted near a streetlight or trees lining the street).

Not only can flowers (and flower planters) be found on a campus and on city streets, but in the drama, one of the main set pieces is a flower shop. You’ll need flowers and planters to fill the shop. If you had a wooden cart at Emerald Crossing, consider transforming it into a flower cart.

Ireland had lots of stone, and you either made or purchased stone decor. Think of how these can be incorporated into your university setting. Will your city have cobblestone streets? Maybe the buildings have stone or brick bases.

And speaking of buildings, if you had barns, houses, or any kind of buildings at Emerald Crossing, think of how you could transform that structure into a building that fits on the Spy U campus or in International City.

Other decoration pieces that could come in handy or be repurposed are:

• Directional signs (they’ll need a less rustic look)
• Beehives, bridges, and wells (what else could be in a city park?)
• Trinity decorations (day 2 focuses on the Trinity)

Don’t forget to think outside of decorations when it comes to what you can save.

Don’t forget to think outside of decorations when it comes to what you can save. Start saving things (other than decorations) today that will make next year’s VBS an even bigger success.

When it comes to promoting next year, you’ll be thanking yourself if you have a file of last year’s pictures and videos to use in promotion.

You can’t send out postcards and emails if you don’t have contact information. Save and properly file registration information for both attendees and volunteers. Digital Pro makes this easy for you.

Save your time by investing in your volunteers. I’m sure everyone could use a little extra time in their lives, especially during VBS season. Take the time to invest in your volunteers, both by building relationships with them and by providing good training. When you take the time to truly equip a volunteer, you can give them more ownership of their area. Think of who you could train to completely take over a task that you normally do.

And don’t forget to save your ideas! As you go through VBS this year, clean up, and evaluate, make notes. Get feedback from your team. What went great? What needs improvement? What ideas do you have for next year? Your idea list will be an invaluable part of next year’s planning.

Share your ideas. Do you have any creative ideas for what you plan to save? Share your tips in the Answers VBS Community on Facebook, and don’t forget to check and see what others are saving or planning.

You never know when inspiration will strike!