The implementation of daily lesson plans has not only simplified the preparation process for our teaching staff, but it has also allowed for better stewardship of God’s money because fewer materials are needed.  Leader guides have been provided to Lead Teachers so that Bible stories, key concepts and activities will be consistent with the VBS theme.  Teaching Assistants will use lesson plans to support and follow the directions of the Lead Teacher.

Please take good care of the leader guides and leader packs so they can be reused as we are able to donate VBS materials to other smaller churches or missions afterwards.  Please return all of your VBS literature to the Christian Life Center (CLC) at the end of VBS.  Keep in mind that God will use them again to bless others.

Click below for your grade level lesson plans:

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th/5th Grades

Your Grade Level Leader will provide Classroom Teachers with all the materials required to carry out the lesson plans.  Your supplies will be ready for distribution on Sunday, May 17, following the Kick-off Rally at 4:00 p.m. in the Worship Center Adult Classrooms. This will be an exciting time of meeting together to kick off our VBS training.  Following the Rally, Grade Level Leaders will oversee the distribution of all supplies and will be available to give you an overview of each day’s activities and how the supplies will be used.  If you are unable to attend on May 17, supplies will be available for pick-up on Monday, May 18, at 9:00 a.m. OR 6:00 p.m. in Starfish 3. If there are any problems with these dates, please contact your GLL.  Any materials or perishable items that you may be missing initially will be delivered during VBS week.

Any unused supplies for the day should be returned to the main resource room on a daily basis to be restocked.  The main Resource Room is located on the first floor of the Church Office Building. On Friday, supplies will need to be returned to the CLC after 11:00 a.m.

Sunday, June 7, 1:00-5:00 p.m. is VBS Set-Up Day. It’s an opportunity to set-up and organize your room or area so you’ll be ready on Monday morning.  Because of the multi-use of our facility, set-up time prior to this is not feasible.

Each of these rooms will be supplied with a 6 foot table and a chair for each adult.  Sparse furnishings allow for creativity and freedom of movement. Please do not move furniture into or out of any rooms.  If you need an additional piece of furniture, please contact your GLL on VBS Set-up day to discuss it.

You will be provided with a classroom sign (i.e. 2nd grade – B) that will be posted on the outside of your door.  Please put each child’s name on the outside of your classroom door as well using theme related cut-outs provided in your supply bag.  After receiving your class roll of pre-registered children, please write each of their names on one of the cut-outs to decorate your door.  Please do not cover the window in your door in any way.  Your Leader guide and lifeway.com/vbs are great resources for simple decorating ideas.  Please do not invest more of your time and energy into decorating your room than planning for the week’s activities.  Our goal is to have inviting rooms…not a room-decorating contest!

Wall space or the classroom bulletin boards can be used to post visuals or hang decorations. Special note:  blue tape is the only adhesive allowed to affix items to walls, trim, furniture, doors, white boards, etc.  Please do not use push pins, double-sided tape, foam tape, putty or any other type of adhesive. If blue painter’s tape is used on the carpet or flooring, it must be removed at the end of each VBS day. Caution: If you use unapproved materials to hang decorations you will be asked to remove the decorations and rehang with approved materials.

Leaders will have access to reproducible art transparencies that can be used to make large wall decorations.  An overhead projector and transparencies of theme-related clip art are available for you in room C220.  You may have access to these resources on Wednesday nights and during regular church business hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays by checking in at the church office when you arrive.  Please do not use any type of marker when tracing – only pencil should be used while tracing on the wall.

Once pre-registration is closed on May 26, your class roll will be generated and provided to you.  We invite you to call your students’ parents in advance of opening day to:

– Introduce yourself  and specify their child’s room number and location on campus

– Discuss arrival, parking, and drop-off procedures

– Advise them that children should arrive for VBS no earlier than 8:50 a.m. and be picked  up promptly at 12:00 p.m.

– Ask them to come with Bible in hand if they have one

– Introduce our Family Night Production on Friday evening at 6:30 p.m.

Use this opportunity to establish relationships and to generate excitement for VBS week.  Let them “hear” Jesus in you.  Each student will also receive an email from the church providing these details as well.

The first day of Bible School generally brings in about 100 children who have yet to be registered.  Consequently, you may have to add new children to your class roll whose parents will need to be informed of all the information above.  New children who arrive in your classroom should have a registration slip with your class listed on it.  If not, please send them to a registration table to register.  Please consider giving them a phone call in the afternoon or evening of their first day of attendance.

One teacher from each 2nd – 5th grade class will be trained in Evangelism.  Each class will present the plan of salvation during one of their Bible Study times on Wednesday.  It is felt that a more intimate atmosphere may help the Holy Spirit to work.  Those who made decisions on Wednesday will be invited to come forward during Thursday’s invitation. 

To accommodate the extra time needed for the invitation on Thursday, each rotation on Thursday will be 5 minutes shorter to allow for the invitation in the Worship Center before the start of the Worship Rally.  Revised schedules for Thursday will be provided to you. Watch the clock carefully to ensure you’re in sync with the schedule.  Running late creates a “domino” effect and puts stress on the entire day.  We have allotted 5 minutes travel time between each rotation which should allow for an on-time arrival to each location.

Training Dates and Locations:

​- Wednesday, May 6 at 6:00pm in Atrium Meeting Room

– Wednesday, May 6 at 7:15pm in Atrium Meeting Room

– Sunday, May 17 at 3:00pm in WC-223

Click to review the Evangelism Training Manual and PowerPoint.

For the best attitude and ability for God to prepare your heart, please plan to be in your classroom by 8:15 a.m.  This will allow time to catch your breath and pray, organize for the day’s activities, and surrender control to the Holy Spirit.  If you have little ones to drop off, coordinate your schedule with your teaching assistant so one of you is in the room early and ready to greet your class with a smile.  The childcare classes for PreK and younger will be prepared to accept these children at 8:45 a.m. so that K-1st classes can begin accepting children at 8:55 a.m. and 2nd – 5th Grade classes can begin accepting children at 8:50 a.m.

Your Grade Level Leader will begin collecting attendance packets at 9:20 a.m.  In order to complete the materials for your packet quickly, we recommend positioning a teacher or youth intern at the door of the classroom so that the attendance sheet can be marked, offering collected, Bibles noted, and “Daily Special” participation counted as the children enter each morning.   When marking your attendance sheet, be sure to include all teachers and youth interns.

Tallying Your Points:  Leaders should complete your tally card as part of your morning attendance packet.  Note:  Points are not earned for teacher’s or intern’s participation, only student participation. 

Rather than a self-contained classroom format, our 2nd thru 5th grade children will move to different activity sites around campus throughout their day.  This creates a sense of variety and provides exercise and interest. Designated Rotation leaders will run these sessions but you are still expected to supervise and oversee your class during the rotations.

VBS concludes each day in the Worship Center and parents will meet their children there.  A child may not leave the building on their own. 

At least one adult teacher should stay with their class at the end of the pew until 12:10 p.m.  to control the release of the children. Parents must come to the children. Do not let the children go the parents.

At 12:10 p.m., all remaining children can be moved to the front pews to continue waiting for their parent with a designated leader.  Please do not take a child back to your classroom as this causes confusion when their parent arrives. 

​Please do not tell your own children to leave the Worship Center without you to meet in your classroom.  They should wait with their class for you to pick them up after 12:10 p.m. or as arrange with your co-leader.

Lifeway materials will be provided to Rotation leaders for lesson planning purposes. Please take good care of the leader materials so they can be reused as we are able to donate VBS materials to other smaller churches or missions afterwards.  Please return all of your VBS literature to the Christian Life Center (CLC) at the end of VBS.  Keep in mind that God will use them again to bless others.

Any requested supplies will be ready for pick up during the Kick-Off Rally on May 17 at 4:00 p.m. If you are unable to attend on May 17, supplies will be available for pick-up on Monday, May 18, at 9:00 a.m. OR 6:00 p.m. in Starfish 3. If there are any problems with these dates, please contact your Director. Any perishable items will be delivered during VBS week.

Any unused supplies should be returned to the main resource room on a daily basis to be restocked.  The main Resource Room is located on the first floor of the Church Office Building. After 11:00 a.m. on Friday, all supplies will be delivered to the Christian Life Center (CLC).

Your Director will be communicating your building/room locations.

Please do not move furniture into or out of any rooms. The church facilities team will make their way around campus clearing and rearranging all areas. Contact your Director prior to VBS Set-Up day if you have a specific request for room set-up.

Sunday, June 7, 1:00-5:00 p.m. is VBS Set-Up Day. It’s an opportunity to set-up and organize your room or area so you’ll be ready on Monday morning.  Because of the multi-use of our facility, set-up time prior to this is not feasible.

Wall space or the classroom bulletin boards can be used to post visuals or hang decorations. Special note:  blue tape is the only adhesive allowed to affix items to walls, trim, furniture, doors, white boards, etc.  Please do not use push pins, double-sided tape, foam tape, putty or any other type of adhesive. If blue painter’s tape is used on the carpet or flooring, it must be removed at the end of each VBS day. Caution: If you use unapproved materials to hang decorations you will be asked to remove the decorations and rehang with approved materials.

Leaders will have access to reproducible art transparencies that can be used to make large wall decorations.  An overhead projector and transparencies of theme-related clip art are available for you in room C220.  You may have access to these resources on Wednesday nights and during regular church business hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays by checking in at the church office when you arrive.  Please do not use any type of marker when tracing – only pencil should be used while tracing on the wall.

K-1^st – Children will be dropped off by their parents in their first rotation room. Rotation Leaders will not be responsible for the children until the first rotation time starts but be aware that kids will be coming to the room starting at 8:50 a.m. The Captain team will be greeting them, checking them in, and “entertaining” them until your rotation begins at 9:10 a.m. Please communicate to the Captains, a safe location to gather the kids in the classroom while they wait to begin the day. At 9:10 a.m., invite the kids that have arrived over to begin your rotation. The Captains have been told to have the kids take all of their belongings with them when they leave for the morning Rally.

2^nd-5^th – Children will begin arriving for their 1^st rotation in your room at 9:40 a.m.

All food and paper goods will be provided by the church. Quantities to serve each child will also be provided to you the week of VBS.

Snacks we will be serving are: (these snacks are verified peanut free – do not bring additional snacks from home):

Monday – Murray Butter Cookies

Tuesday – Pepperidge Farms Goldfish

Wednesday – Nabisco Nilla Wafers

Thursday – Kellogg’s Cheez-Its

Friday – Honeymaid Graham Crackers

The Puzzle and Games leaders will be responsible for looking over the provided curriculum materials and creating a lesson plan appropriate for the time allotted for each rotation. The lesson plan should include any supplies needed. We recommend one leader create the plan and then share it with the other leaders.

Your Director will provide a lesson plan deadline and organize a scheduled meeting with the Resource Room Coordinators to review your completed lesson plan and discuss supply requests.

Lesson Plan

The Bible Story leaders will be responsible for looking over the provided materials and creating a lesson plan appropriate for the time allotted for each rotation. The lesson plan should include any supplies needed. We recommend one leader create the plan and then share it with the other leaders.

Your Director will provide a lesson plan deadline and organize a scheduled meeting with the Resource Room Coordinators to review your completed lesson plan and discuss supply requests.

Daily Bible Verses

The Music leaders will be responsible for looking over the provided materials and making music selections. The Music leaders will also organize practice times, recruit a music team, and work with the Drama leader in preparation for the Family Night production.

The Recreation leaders will be responsible for looking over the provided materials and creating a lesson plan appropriate for the time allotted for each rotation. The lesson plan should include any supplies needed. We recommend one leader of each grade level create the plan and then share it with the other leaders in their grade level.

Your Director will provide a lesson plan deadline and organize a scheduled meeting with the Resource Room Coordinators to review your completed lesson plan and discuss supply requests.

K-1st Recreation Lesson Plan

The Missions leaders will be responsible for looking over the materials and creating a lesson plan appropriate for the time allotted for each rotation. The lesson plan should include any supplies needed. For K-1st, we recommend one leader of each grade level create the plan and then share it with the other leaders.

Your Director will provide a lesson plan deadline and organize a scheduled meeting with the Resource Room Coordinators to review your completed lesson plan and discuss supply requests.

K-1st Missions Lesson Plan

• No phones should be used during VBS. Your eyes, ears and thoughts should be devoted to the children and VBS activities through the entire morning. Youth Interns will be told this also so please ask them to put their phone away if they have it out. Lead by example. Of course, emergency use is acceptable.
• Dress modestly. No short shorts, no cleavage, no behinds, no inappropriate slogans on t-shirts, etc. Remember you will be active, leaning forward, bending down, sitting on the floor, etc.
• When you take your break, please be sure to be back in time for your class to leave for their next rotation.
  •  Adults: Please don’t take your break during Music or Rec/Snack. Your oversight of the children and assistance to the Rotation Leaders is often relied upon during these rotations. Puzzles/Games, Bible Story or Missions would be much better options and they are closer to the CLC for the Teacher’s Lounge.
  • Youth: Please have your youth take their break during Music or Rec/Snacks as those are right around the corner from those rotations and they can easily get back before your class rotates again. Have only one youth go at a time.
• You will have animal die cuts in your room on set-up day, June 7. Write the name of every child on your role and stick it to open side of the door for parents to easily see. You can also do this Monday morning but make sure you arrive early to get it done before kids begin arriving.

• For the best attitude and ability for God to prepare your heart, please plan to be in your classroom by 8:30 a.m.  This will allow time to catch your breath, pray, and surrender control to the Holy Spirit. If you have little ones to drop off, coordinate your schedule with your teaching assistant so one of you is in the room early and ready to greet your class with a smile. 
• Your classroom door should be open to VBS staff children at 8:50 a.m.
• Your classroom door should be open to community children at 8:55 a.m.
• Nametags will be in the room. Designate one adult or one youth intern as the nametag distributor. This person will wear the remaining nametags when your team leaves for rotations for those students who might arrive later in the day. A “repair” kit will be in the room if any nametags break throughout the week.
• One adult should ensure parents sign clipboard as they arrive and list anyone allowed to pick up. Be sure they don’t put “Mom” or “Dad” but rather the actual NAME of a person. We can’t verify a title with a driver’s license.
•  Another Adult and the Youth Interns should engage children while waiting for the first rotation to begin. Kids should be gathered in a designated area of the room. DO NOT let the kids touch or play with any rotation materials or activities until the Rotation leaders welcome them.
• Worship Rally points should be tallied and nametags distributed. Any mission or canned goods should be collected and taken to designated bins by a youth intern as the class leaves for the Opening Rally. 
• Review the Captain Transition suggestions on your clipboard so you are prepared to move the children through their rotations in a fun but organized way. This walking time give the kids a chance to stretch their legs and move a bit as well as provides rotations leaders time to reset their classrooms. It is critical for everyone to stay on schedule but, if you have the time, don’t rush the walk.
• Your Grade Level Leader will begin collecting attendance packets at 9:20 a.m.  The attendance sheet should be marked, offering collected, Bibles noted, and “Daily Special” participation counted as the children enter each morning. When marking your attendance sheet, be sure to include all teachers and youth interns.
• Tallying Your Points:  Leaders should complete your tally card as part of your morning attendance packet.  Note:  Points are not earned for teacher’s or intern’s participation, only student participation.

• Leave clipboards in your room when you start rotations.
• Lead children to their rotations – the schedule and location of each rotation will be on the back of your yardstick sign.
• Count your children as you enter a rotation and as you exit. This will be most easily accomplished if you count them as they cross the threshold! DO NOT allow parents to drop off or pick up during rotations. We will have them check-in at the lobby desk and bring them to you. SAFETY FIRST.
• When you rotate out of Bible Story please use the hand sanitizer to clean the children hands for snacks.
• Please see diagram for snack area. You will walk between Legacy Hall and the playground and proceed to the portico to receive your snack. Once you have received your snack, continue walking (outside) to the next exterior door to enter back into Legacy Hall. Click here for diagram.

When in rotations:

• Conduct and discipline is your responsibility at all times. The Rotation Leaders should be able to focus on their lessons and activities. If a child is distracting others or not doing what they should, please correct/redirect them or remove them from the group and speak with them outside of the rotation room.
• Please be attentive to the children in your group at all times. Encouraging them to be engaged in the activities and redirecting behavior when needed. Lead by example.
• Please take your cues from the Rotation Leader as to what they might need your help with. In some rotations, you will be asked to provide assistance with the activities planned.
• Direct children to the individual bathroom inside the classroom if in 1st floor of the Church Office Building, at the end of the hall in the Lower Level of Legacy Hall or in the foyer of the Legacy Hall Sanctuary. An adult or teen should accompany a child if they have to leave the classroom to go to a bathroom, but do NOT enter the bathroom with them.

• It is critical that BOTH adults are in the room for dismissal so proper supervision can take place. One adult receives the parents while the other adult and youth interns are engaging the kids and helping them collect all of their belongings before leaving class.
• Hand out any flyers provided by the VBS team.
• As you dismiss children, parents must come to you to receive their child. Do not release a child to run to meet their parent. Only let the child leave your room after you’ve checked the adults ID with the name on your list to ensure the correct adult is picking up the child.
• Collect nametags.
• Leave clipboards in your room when you leave.

Streamlined, cohesive lesson plans have simplified preparation for you and allowed for better stewardship because fewer materials are needed. Lesson plan folders are provided so that Bible stories, key concepts and activities will be consistent with the VBS theme.

Please take good care of the Leader Guides and Leader Packs so they can be reused by smaller churches and missions as you return all of your VBS literature to Starfish 6 at the end of the week!  This effort is such a blessing to others!

Please note – the entire VBS staff will be receiving emails full of important information as VBS approaches and each afternoon of VBS.  Please watch for these so you will be well-informed!  We can’t give each of you a personal phone call so please be sure to check your email. 😊

Don’t miss the VBS Preschool Kick-off Rally on Sunday, May 17 at 4:00 p.m. in the Worship Center Adult Classrooms. This will be an exciting time of meeting together to kick off our VBS training!

Immediately following the Rally, your GLL will distribute all your supplies and give an overview of each day’s activities including how the supplies will be used.  If you are unable to attend on May 17, supplies will be available for pick-up on Monday, May 18, at 9:00 a.m. OR 6:00 p.m.  from Starfish 3 in Friendship Island.  If there are any problems with these dates, please contact your GLL.  Any materials or perishable items that you may be missing initially will be delivered during VBS.

Any leftover supplies each day should be returned to either the Dolphin or Parrot Resource Room on a daily basis as the Resource Team will put them away for you!!

Each Parrot & Pelican room will be equipped with traditional “center-based” furnishings.  Please do not move furniture into or out of any rooms.  If you need anything different in your room, please contact Michelle Chegwin on VBS Set-up day. 

Wall space or the classroom bulletin board can be used to post visuals that relate to the Bible lesson or VBS theme.  Special note:  Blue tape is the only adhesive allowed to affix items to walls, trim, furniture, doors, white boards, etc.  Please do not use push pins, double-sided tape, foam tape, putty or any other type of adhesive.  If blue painter’s tape is used on the carpet or flooring, it must be removed at the end of each VBS day. Caution: If you use unapproved materials to hang decorations you will be asked to remove the decorations and rehang with approved materials.

Sunday, June 7, 1:00-5:00 p.m., is an opportunity to set-up and organize your classroom so you’ll be ready on Monday morning.  Because of worship services on Sunday morning, we cannot set up prior to that!

A classroom sign will be posted outside of your door.  Please also write each of your children’s names on one of the theme related cut-outs provided in your supply bag to decorate your door.  It’s important that you do not cover the window in your door in any way.  Lifeway.com/vbs are great resources for simple decorating ideas for your room.  Please do not invest more of your time and energy into decorating your room than planning for the week’s activities.  Our goal is to have inviting rooms…not a room-decorating contest!

Teachers will have access to reproducible art transparencies that can be used to make large wall decorations if you choose.  An overhead projector, along with transparencies of theme-related clip art are available for you in room C220 starting May 5.  You may have access to them on Wednesday nights and during regular church business hours on Tuesdays & Wednesdays by checking in at the church office when you arrive.  Please do not use any type of marker when tracing – only pencil should be used while tracing on the wall.

Each preschool family will receive a letter from the Preschool Ministry Office with their child’s room assignment and a parking pass for the lot west of the Worship Center so there is no need for you to contact parents of the children in your class.  You will receive a class roll of your children on Monday, June 1 – you are welcome to reach out if you would like to do so.

For the best attitude and ability for God to prepare your heart, please plan to be in your classroom by 8:15 a.m.  This will allow time to catch your breath and pray, organize for the day’s activities, and surrender control to the Holy Spirit.  If you have older ones to drop off, coordinate your schedule with your teaching partners and Grade Level Leader so all our classes have teachers greeting the children in your class with a smile.  We will gather to pray as a Preschool team in the main hallway at 8:40 for anyone who can pop out of their room to join us…we need to be prepared to accept our children at 8:45 a.m.

Teacher Parking: Please enter from the Lake Jessup entrance and park behind the Hangar. For those with little ones in Friendship Island, please park in the lot west of the Worship Center where you will have the safest access to the building. Cart service is available from 8:15 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.  Please do not park in the front parking lot off Broadway as it is needed for the church staff/visitors as the church office is open daily.

Drop-off:  Please ensure each child arriving is wearing their laminated nametag and that their parent has taken their portion with them as well.

Your Grade Level Leader will collect attendance by 9:20 a.m.  When marking your sheet, be sure to include all teachers and youth interns. 

Parents will give you their portion of the security tag when they return to pick up their child.  Please only release children to adults!  If anyone under the age of 18 arrives to pick up a preschooler, gently remind them that they should go get the adult to pick up instead.

While preschoolers do not perform during this celebration, we do provide childcare for babies – 2 year olds.  Pray about serving in Friendship Island during the program if you don’t have any K-5^th students in your family as the little ones from your class will be glad to see a familiar face on Friday night!