All of the decorations have been cleaned up, the senior adult classroom is back in order, and the resource room has been declared a disaster area…Vacation Bible School is officially over. Now it is time to move on to the next event and there are many new ones to plan for before promotion Sunday. For children’s ministry, the summer is such a busy time…not only do you have so many immediate activities to plan for, you also are getting ready for a busy fall kickoff. But, before you jump ahead too quickly, make sure you have taken a few moments to follow up on the wonderful relationships you made during your VBS. You put so much time and hard work into making the event successful, don’t miss out on the opportunity to pour into the people that made VBS so much fun!
Hopefully you set some exciting goals for VBS and now is the time to review your strategy for follow-up. Don’t feel like you have to do this all on your own. Put together a team of leaders to help you make the personal connections. Find a few people that were not able to help with VBS. Maybe they were on vacation or had other commitments. Now is the time they can step up and help you thank all of the people that worked so hard during the big event. Work together to create a plan for how your team can make intentional contact with the kids and families that attended VBS.
- New Visitors: Plan for a personal visit with a gift (be sure to call ahead to set up a convenient time) or make a phone call. Thank the child for coming to VBS and invite the family to come to church on Sunday. Provide information, with dates and times, for your fall/winter events. (Kickoff Sunday, Fall Festival, Christmas Family Event, etc.)
- Returning Families: Maybe there were families attending VBS that you have not seen on Sunday in a while, make a personal contact. Let them know how much you enjoyed seeing them and invite them personally to small group/Sunday School.
- Church Families: Make sure you contact each child that is regularly a part of your ministry and thank them for coming to VBS, those who are usually at church every single week. Kids love getting mail, send a card to let them know how much you appreciate them!
Another important contact for you to make after Vacation Bible School is with your VBS leaders and volunteers. Make sure each one receives a thank you, so they know how much you appreciate them. If you have volunteers that do not usually serve in the kid’s ministry throughout the year, consider meeting them for coffee and let them know about opportunities you have for service that you think they would be perfect to fill. You may be surprised by how much they will appreciate being noticed and given an opportunity to be a part of your amazing ministry!!
We put so much work into having a successful VBS and part of what makes it successful is to grow the relationships that were planted during this important time in our church. Don’t allow yourself get so busy that you miss out on the opportunity God has given you to make a genuine connection with your families!
KidMin with Dr. Val and Dr. Virginia 