A great Vacation Bible School may seem like an insurmountable mountain in the distance–but small steps and prayer will get you there!
It’s 2:00 in the morning and I’m still working on this report for tomorrow’s Science class. I’ve got to get it done–I really need that “A”! (Never mind that I’ve had six weeks to do the report, and I just started a couple days ago…)
And so the story of my school years goes. I seemed to always be waiting til the last minute, for no better reason than that I knew I could get away with it.
I sailed through grade school, junior high–and even high school–with an “A” average. My classmates and teachers considered me to be very smart. Truth be told, however, that procrastination habit had to go–it was wearing on me!
If there’s one thing I have learned over the years, it’s that procrastination is totally illogical. If we have a project to do and we know it will only take a short time, why not do it at the beginning of our time frame rather than wait until the end? It may even take less time that way, since stress can really slow us down and get us all fumbley (is that a word?)!
Several years ago, I came across FlyLady (so named for her love of fly-fishing). She has become a sort of loving mother-figure to many people across the internet. Her goal is to encourage people to gain control of their lives–their homes, their attitudes, and all–one baby-step at a time. One lesson I learned from her was this simple: “Do it now!”
Are you wondering how this all fits in with Vacation Bible School? (If you have ever led VBS, probably not…)
If you are planning on having Vacation Bible School at your church next summer, the best time to start thinking about it is now. By laying out a reasonable plan and equipping your team with a great Vacation Bible School curriculum, you can expect a lot less stress come summer!
Here’s what you should do:
Lay out a plan!
It may seem a little too obvious, but the first step of your plan needs to be: Make a plan. This is a significant accomplishment in itself. Don’t overlook the fact that part of the process is giving yourself time to think and pray over your idea.
That way, when you do sit down to write your plan, you will have something to write! Good reason to start early, by the way.
Start with the main goals
Decide what your main goals are first. You can always get more specific later, if you need to (and usually, you will need to). Your biggest goal, of course, is to get Vacation Bible School set up.
One of your main goals to that end might be “arrange advertising” or “set up crafts time”. The main goals will likely be the first things that come to your mind when you are brainstorming.
Give yourself a rough time frame or deadline for the various goals just to get you thinking about timing.
Expand your goals
Once you have your basic goals laid out, write down the smaller “sub-goals”. In other words, figure out the specific steps it will take to accomplish your goals. One important thing to note about this step is that you do not need to do it all at once–in fact, I highly recommend not trying to do it all at once. That can just be overwhelming.
Instead, concentrate on the goal you plan to do first. Lay it out in specific steps.
Write down sub-goals for your other goals as you think of them, but don’t stress over making your entire plan complete.
Just do it!
Sometimes this is the hard part. There are still ten months until July. Vacation Bible School can wait.
Well, yeah, I guess it can…
But should it?
If you start now, something as simple as ordering the Vacation Bible School curriculum or calling your local newspaper to get an idea of pricing can be a step off your list and a logical amount of work to do.
If you wait until May or June, however, your list might have 25 things on it that really need to get done today!
No, procrastination doesn’t pay. It costs.
One last tip:
Find a support team.
Somehow, it is so much easier to get a thing done if you have told someone else who is mutually accountable that you will be doing it. This might be your Vacation Bible School prayer partner, a spouse, or perhaps even your children.
Another option is to take part in an online Christian group that will cheer you on in your goals. Recently, I have enjoyed being a part of Sheryl Boldt’s group, Coffee with Sheryl. In her own words, Sheryl’s site is “a place to pray, support, and encourage one another to overcome sin, bad habits, addictions, procrastination, or anything else while meditating on God’s Word”.
I encourage you to check it out.
A great Vacation Bible School through small goals
I am sure you will find that through setting small, achievable goals now, come next summer you will be enjoying the blessings of a great Vacation Bible School–with a lot less stress! After all, “This is the way the Lord will lead you…One step at a time”!
~YOUR TURN: What do you do to keep the huge task of setting up a great Vacation Bible School manageable? Share your successes (or your not-so-successful attempts, if you’d like–you know, those “educational” experiences…). Just type in your comment below!~
P.S. Want more great tips like this? Sign up for the Hasten Home news! Just enter your name and email in the box below.
Appreciate this post? Find more here: Vacation Bible School Materials & more | Hasten Home - Restoring Virtue & Excellence in Vacation Bible School.
Thank you for respecting copyright! :)
Are you receiving our Vacation Bible School tips, product info, fun facts & encouragement in your inbox?
If not, be sure to sign up for Hasten Home's VBS newsletter!