#538. Getting tricked into volunteering for VBS.
May 11th by JonLean in close, I don’t have much time to tell you this idea and if they catch us, we’re both in trouble. Even as I speak, zig zag scissors are cutting construction paper, glue sticks are being rolled up, angry badgers are being jammed into bags and colorful thumbtacks are being counted. We’re on the cusp of Vacation Bible School season, which means that in the next few weeks, the Swiss Army Knife Volunteers that run VBS are going to be recruiting new helpers.
If you want to do that, great. Have at it. Noah’s Ark the summer away my friend. But if you don’t want to volunteer, if you’ve got flannel graph phobia, keep a sharp eye out for these important signs:
1. If someone with glitter on their clothes approaches, do not make eye contact.
This is the easiest way to escape VBS volunteering. Just avoid anyone that shimmers in an unnatural way. If you get even the slightest hint of a glimmer radiating from someone, they’ve been exposed to VBS glitter and are about to infect you too. Beware.
2. If someone asks you what your summer is going to be like, answer “busy.”
“That’s weird,” you’ll think to yourself, “Miss Brenda sure seems interested in how my family is spending our summer all of the sudden.” That’s not a pleasant conversation you’re having, that’s a fact finding mission the VBSeratti has sent Miss Brenda on. They’re just prepping for the “ask.” If they know you’re going to be available this summer, when they ask you to volunteer, you won’t be able to make your schedule the fall guy, “Oh, I would love to, but I’ve got some date conflicts.” Don’t over share where and what you’ll be up to this summer, just say, “I’ll be busy.”
3. Don’t fall for the “I guess my wife signed us up” technique.
Guys, sometimes we get voluntold. That happens. Our wives will tell someone that we’d love to help out and then later will let us know we’ve been voluntold to lead Sunday School for 4 year olds. But don’t assume that’s what has happened when a VBS recruiter talks to you. If they say, “What classroom should I put you down for this summer in VBS,” don’t assume that means your wife already signed you up. Maybe she hasn’t and if you automatically respond, “I guess third grade?” The recruiter’s trap will have been sprung and they’ll say, “Oh that’s great! You’re volunteering this year? Thank you so much.”
I could go on and on, but I think I smell bootleg cookies and orange drink. That can only mean one thing, they’ve found me. The next time we meet, I’ll probably be covered with glitter and will be trying to pry out details about what you’re doing this summer. Ignore my questions and flee.
Save yourself.
It’s too late for me.
Don’t look back.
Just go, just go.
Question:
Are you volunteering for VBS this year?
Comments
Yes! We’re rockin’ it with the Go Fish Guys this time. In fact, they’ll be at our church the Saturday after VBS doing a concert…can’t miss that!
We managed to find a church that DOESN’T HAVE VBS!
It was one of our criteria – no VBS to get sucked into. j/k
Yep. apparently I am the role of “Peter” this year. Not sure if that is the Bible Peter, or just some dude named peter.
Also have to run media during the main worship. Woot.
I am indeed. I’ll be “facilitating” the music part. Whatever that means.
And…I happen to LIKE glitter, thankyouverymuch.
Love VBS–as long as I don’t have to help!. I’ve paid my dues many years in VBS and the last two haven’t even been asked. I think my lack of kid-friendliness has finally made through the grapevine. And I’m a HS librarians, so I’ve had enough of kids through the school year! BTW, ironically, my word verification is ‘presuro!’
No, I will not be volunteering for VBS… hopefully ever. I think if you’ve been the child of a VBS coordinator and spent hours wandering the halls of the church weeks, days, and hours before VBS you’ve served your time.
haha how funny! I actually told the director that I wanted to do it! lol! I am helping with the games. I really love playing games with the kids and then giving them back to their teachers.
so.. here is the thing. vbs is very effective in furthering any evangelism initiatives. some people will tell you this, “look, you can go on a mission trip in your own town and go home and take a shower by doing VBS” … i have actually said this before, while hiding behind the job as “VBS photographer”… so i dont actually have to be in a wrangling of kids situation. so, either embrace this truth and find the joy in the serving or be very very aware that this could be the sneakiest comment to date, to get you sucked in.
plus, here is something else… one preteen minister offered me his facebook status for one week if i would serve at a lock in for him… brilliant tactic, nice payoff, but i said no… bummer, i could’ve pimped your blog for a week. ha.
1. I am a huge advocate of VBS, because chances are, I would not be sitting here reading a blog about “Stuff Christians Like” without it. My entire family came to Jesus because of a VBS program when my mom was a little girl – In a nutshell, the church reached out to the kids, and then when the family was in crisis, they turned to the only church in town that had reached out to them.
2. As a children’s pastor [we do not do VBS at our church, but we do other kids' outreaches, as well as a regular weekly children's ministry] it is really disheartening to read posts and [some] comments like this. It is hard enough for me to recruit volunteers to help out with kids’ ministry without all the negative stereotypes that “help” give them an excuse to say no.
3. If someone asks you to volunteer for VBS or any type of outreach, chances are they think you would be a good fit. I can’t speak for every children’s pastor/director out there, but if I don’t think a person would do well in kids’ ministry of any kind, I don’t ask them. I really don’t want to scar kids for life by putting them in a classroom with some crabby old lady with bad coffee breath and a shirt that reads, “I eat children for breakfast.” So to all who are reading this…if you’re asked, seriously consider it. Someone thinks you’re up to the task!
4. Read Barna’s “Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions” for an idea of why it is so important to support children’s ministry in your church.
5. This should really be a blog post, because it’s gotten so long!
6. Or maybe I’m bitter because I just lost another nursery worker last week…
As a summer mission trip type activity, our high school youth group would plan and lead a weeklong VBS program for the kiddos and evening activities for the junior and senior high kids in the area. And you know what? It was a total blast. I’m 26 now, and people who I went to high school with still keep in touch with the people they met in Cashmere or Vashon Island.
I encourage all you churches out there to see if there are youth groups willing to help out and staff your VBS as a mission group.
…i think i just figured out how to get out of VBS this year…and i am the preacher’s wife… ha ha…. but, for the record “they” don’t ask me if i’ll teach…”they” ask me where i’ll be teaching…oh, those wonderful expectations….
Its like you just wrote my announcement for me!
Not only am I working…I’m taking off from my job to do it. And with 4-year-olds!!!
Teaching preschoolers and kindergartners is my gift and I love it. Now, if you asked me to be in a room with teenagers…well, that would NOT be wise.
I love VBS! (If you don’t, I agree you should stay away from the kids!)
Do you have any objections of having this post printed out and put as an insert into our church’s bulletin? I am the vbs Director and sooo love to lighten things up a bit about recruiting volunteers and I think this is great! I would, of course, give you (and your blog) total props…thanks! Kris
VBS was OK as a kid, but I will never help again after the time two of my class (one a doctor’s son and one a prominent businessman’s son) got into a fistfight during “recreation.” They weren’t toddlers, mind you, but third graders. I also question the cost and the effectiveness of VBS when our local churches all seem to be using the same canned programs. Aren’t kids equally likely to be saved at “Pumped Up For the Lord!” at the Baptist Church, the Episcopal Church, the Catholic Church or the Pentacostal Church? So why do the same program that everyone else is doing anyway?
This is hilarious! I am the director of VBS at my church. I promise you my husband has been “voluntold” for the past 11 years that I’ve been director! We have great volunteers though so we haven’t had to beg in the past few years. This is still great though.
~Wendy~
I’m youth pastor and for a while(at my previous church), every year the VBS person would walk to my office and say “here’s the stuff for recreation” I hate doing recreation. It was like 900 degrees outside and they kept making us play red rover in the parking lot. You think that the 3rd broken arm would fix this. At my current church i’m the tech guy which I love. It’s air conditioned and last 30 minutes!
WV- ptyfor- I feel ptyfor that kid who just landed on his arm playing red rover
i was voluntold into running the entire middle school VBS, but i really don’t mind. i love VBS and it is kind of fun doing it for older kids.
Love this post. I am one of the planners. I help write the curriculum and put together the music, and direct the skits. But I am not artscraftsy, so you won’t see any glitter on me. I’ll sneak right up and nab you before you know it!!
You betcha! I love VBS! We even dress up like Bible times people and do themes like the 12 tribes (those are the groups). You blog made me laugh quite hard, but just remember that without those volunteers, it wouldn’t get done…
Volunteer?? You bet!!! In the last two year I’ve:
-directed VBS
-written the 5 day program complete with all crafts and puppet plays
-been the clown
-taught memory verses
- gone door to door to hand out invitations (which i designed)
-found volunteers
. . . and it was FUN!!
One year in a suburb with no churches, we had 120 kids plus some parents turn out each day.
And what would I do without my wife?
We don’t ‘volunteer’ for VBS, we ARE VBS! I just got home from the Picasso regards Cézanne expo… wait’ll you see the crafts this year ;0}
AIXplorers: Digging for the truth!
Great blog, by the way! I still cringe when I remember my formative years.
At our church, as soon as a kid graduates from VBS (going into 6th grade/middle school), s/he is eligible to volunteer for VBS. Middle schoolers have to volunteer alongside a parent; high schoolers can volunteer on their own.
High schoolers handle all the recreation, some of the music — middle schoolers are all over the place so proud to have some authority — they’re all overflowing with energy — they feel like they’re truly a part of the church — it’s great!
(And our church’s VBS generally has close to 300 kids attending, so we *need* the volunteers!)
Grab your middle/high schoolers and ask *them* to volunteer — I highly recommend it!
We have people taking vacation time during VBS week just so they can be involved. Most of our youth are involved and recruiting workers is as simple as sending a sign up sheet through the congregation. People are eager to be involved. It’s a wonderful, fun, phenomenal week! If yours isn’t, something needs to change!
I did! They trapped me!