Reformed VBS suggestions

[SueS]

I'm in a PCA church and although the VBS selections offered are good, they are also very limited with a three year rotation. This year we are doing what was done three years ago and our pastor's eldest son recently said, "Are we doing THIS again?"

Sooo, what I'm wondering, are there any other Reformed VBS programs out there?

Thanks!

 

[fredtgreco]

What are you using? Have you seen VBS Reachout Adventures | Vacation Bible School | Introduction | Space Probe

 

[SueS]

Thanks Fred, this looks great! We're currently using materials from GCP which are quite good but limited due to the 3 year rotation. This will be my 5yo granddaughter's second go-round with this year's theme and I figure at this rate she will repeat it three more times by the time she is 14 if we keep on using these materials exclusively. Something like Reach Out would extend that rotation to 7 years which would be ideal.

 

[fredtgreco]

Reachout is at least Reformed friendly, if not outright Reformed. We did very little modification.

 

[Rich Koster]

The Pirates who don't do Anything

 

[SueS]

The Pirates who don't do Anything

I assume that is a VBS theme? Please elaborate!

 

[Rich Koster]

The Pirates who don't do Anything

I assume that is a VBS theme? Please elaborate!

It is a "Veggie Tales" offshoot......a joke, not a suggestion. A part of my "often goofineess" emerged. I'll e-mail our VBS people about where they got their curriculum from.

 

[Rich Koster]

Sue, I'll send you a PM

 

[JBaldwin]

Last year, we scrapped the packaged programs and wrote our own. In my humble opinion, it was one on the best VBS programs in which I've participated. It's difficult to do something like that when you have a large church, but it was great for a small group.

 

[Jack K]

What are you using? Have you seen VBS Reachout Adventures | Vacation Bible School | Introduction | Space Probe

I've found Reachout to be quite similar to Great Commission. I really like how Reachout will focus on just one part of the Bible for all five lessons, going more in-depth and doing less picking and choosing that way. It's a little heavier on the extra-biblical "theme" than I would go, and the Christ-centered part seems sometimes to be an afterthought. But overall something you should certainly look at.

 

[Reepicheep]

We went through the GC/PCA stuff a couple times. The last few years we've used the Group stuff and simply Calvinized the teaching portion and lopped out songs we didn't like. We like the way the overall programis ordered and how it lessens the need to recruit a whole mess of teachers. There are stations instead of classes, etc.

 

[Wayne]

Christ Presbyterian in Tulsa did Pilgrim's Progress one year a decade ago or so and might still have all the scripts and such on file.

Or here's a real Reformed program on steroids:
PCA Historical Center: "How to Conduct a Summer Bible School" by Abraham Lance Lathem (1937)
(I'm still looking for a pastor who's man enough to try this one!--five weeks, three hours/day and no handcrafts!)

 

[Caroline]

Christ Presbyterian in Tulsa did Pilgrim's Progress one year a decade ago or so and might still have all the scripts and such on file.

Or here's a real Reformed program on steroids:
PCA Historical Center: "How to Conduct a Summer Bible School" by Abraham Lance Lathem (1937)
(I'm still looking for a pastor who's man enough to try this one!--five weeks, three hours/day and no handcrafts!)

That's funny! I wrote curriculum for my church's VBS for this year. Pilgrim's Progress. You can use it if you want (I don't think our churches are competing for the same kids). PM me if you are interested.

 

[bill]

My wife has written a Reformed VBS program based on the 5 Solas, called God Alone. Her inspiration came from the series by RC Sproul also called "God Alone." She just e-mailed it to our assistant pastor to post on www.discipleshipnet.com no later than 6/28/10. If I know him it will be posted way before then. I should clarify and tell you that will only be the content of the lessons. For more details you can contact my wife, Nyccole at [email protected]
It is just part of an outreach ministry to our community. Check it out! Bill

---------- Post added at 08:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:49 PM ----------

I would love to see some of it. My wife wrote one this year on the 5 Solas. Thanks! Bill

 

[SueS]

Christ Presbyterian in Tulsa did Pilgrim's Progress one year a decade ago or so and might still have all the scripts and such on file.

Or here's a real Reformed program on steroids:

(I'm still looking for a pastor who's man enough to try this one!--five weeks, three hours/day and no handcrafts!)

Whew!!! We're all exhausted after a week's worth of 9-11:30 sessions - we'd be basket cases after FIVE weeks!!! Those must have been stout hearted people back then - we're a bunch of whimps today!

---------- Post added at 09:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:37 AM ----------

I just read the Abraham Lathem sylabus and was blown away by how rigorous it is. Problem is, I doubt if today's parents would commit FIVE weeks to such a program and I doubt if today's children would be able to endure having to do so much work. It is a tragic shame and shows how much the modern church has declined from previous generations. I wonder if children attending a Veggie Tales themed VBS are being prepared to both live and die for King Jesus?