2. Follow up with parents.
VBS likely gave parents or caregivers the chance to walk through your church doors for the first time. Follow-up initiatives can bring them back or simply support parents in family faith development at home.
Emily Snider, a children’s pastor in Roseville, Michigan, approaches family follow-up in several ways.
Resources
“For VBS, we typically do Holy Land Adventure, so I always send home the Family Devotional at the end of the week. We also invite parents to our Fall Family event. I pass out a flyer on the last day of VBS and then send a follow-up postcard closer to the event.”
Snider also opens the door for family resources—items that many parents may not be aware of. She has a sign-up list for VBS music CDs. If parents are interested, they can sign up. Delivering CDs and streaming cards to families creates another opportunity for interaction with church staff!
Personal Touch
For parents, the personal touch will likely go further than mass-mailed invitations. Parents love seeing that someone took the time to know and care for their child during a busy VBS week. “I find that the personal follow-up is valuable—especially if it comes from the kid’s Crew Leader,” says Debra Taylor. “It’s as simple as a thank-you for participating, a check-in, and an invitation to participate in our church’s children’s programming.”
Taylor is all about resourcing parents in the easiest way possible. “I send out an email with some final comments and links to Lifetree Kids music. I want to encourage families to worship together at home.”
Celebration
And of course, in-person celebrations are always welcome! Gloria Lee hosts a post-VBS party, complete with catered food and lots of time for conversation and fellowship.
“We’ve done VBS Night on Friday evening. We typically cater from Chick-fil-A (very easy) and provide a simple dessert. Families start in the sanctuary and sing some songs with kids. We go over each day’s Bible Point, story, and Bible Memory Buddy. There’s a video/slide show of some great highlights, as well as stories. Then everyone goes outside for food and just to hang out. The church provides different games for kids on the grass including an obstacle bounce house course, jumbo Jenga, and cornhole.”
3. Follow up with volunteers.
Often, VBS is focused on outreach. So the bulk of your follow-up efforts likely land there too. That’s okay! However, it’s important to follow up with volunteers. After all, they’re the heartbeat of your VBS! Reaching out to people who made VBS happen is a sure-fire way to get them to help next year.
Personal Note
Most volunteers want to know that what they did mattered. So Emily Snider makes it personal.
“For volunteers, I try to get a picture of each volunteer in action and then send it with a handwritten thank-you card. It’s important to share exactly how they impacted a child’s life that week. So I try to share something specific I noticed them do or story of a child that was impacted in some way.”
Lee relies on notes but has found a way to make the task simpler for her—and more meaningful for recipients. “I had station leaders write cards for assistants; coaches write for crew leaders etc. And I wrote one to coaches to station leaders. So in the end, everyone got a thank-you card.”
Celebration
Lee often does a thank-you card…and a party! “We have a ‘Thank You Celebration,’ inviting families of volunteers. We usually make it a pool party, assuming someone has a place big enough for everyone. It’s nothing fancy, but just time for people to relax, eat, enjoy themselves.”
Continued Partnerships
Lee also uses VBS to scope out new potential volunteers for the next school year. “I ask those potential volunteers for a time to meet for coffee or lunch. Then I share what I’ve observed and how I can see them serving in our ministry, share the vision, and invite them to join the kids ministry team.” Now that’s follow-up with a big ministry impact.
Evaluation
This is also a great time to have staff fill out evaluations. Ask what they liked or didn’t like, what went well, and what they’d change. Also provide a place for any general comments. Volunteers appreciate being heard. A sense of “team” will yield a higher rate of returning staff.
4. Follow up with your church family.
Your church family probably heard that VBS was happening. But if they missed out on the fun of being there, follow-up lets you share some of the excitement with them. All-church follow-up is an excellent way to seed the ground for next year’s program (or other kidmin events). After all, people who’ve never volunteered for VBS, or whose kids aren’t school age, may not know all the incredible fun that happens!
Weekend Service Spotlight
Snider brings a little VBS joy to Sunday mornings. “The Sunday after VBS, we have a slideshow/video that showcases pictures and we always use the VBS theme song. Sometimes the worship band plays a few of the songs from VBS for worship that Sunday.”
Taylor does a similar recap but takes it a step further to involve the whole church. “We leave the last Imagination Station (with gizmo) and last KidVid video for the Sunday wrap up, so attendees can participate in small groups. Plus, we conclude Operation Kid-to-Kid giving. We set up a Sciency-Fun Gizmo table with the leftovers so families can have fun together before and after the service.”
Families even get to play games! Taylor often sets up a VBS game for families to play before or after church.
Ongoing Fun
VBS follow-up becomes a summer event in Taylor’s church. “We use a second VBS program to run an 8-10 week Sunday series. Our families find this an easy way to invite friends and family to church on Sunday. Keep the fun going!”
And that’s really what VBS follow-up is all about—keeping it going. Follow-up means you take the lead in nurturing relationships. You keep church doors open to families who came for the first time. And you remind volunteers of the huge role they play in kids’ faith formation.
Next up? Start mapping out how you’ll keep the VBS fire fueled into the fall…and beyond!
This article about VBS follow-up originally appeared here.
