Behind the Scenes: VBS Preview

The following is a guest post from one of our event coordinators, Andy Dukes.  Andy got to spend some time working behind the scenes at this year’s VBS preview events!
I love events! I love the energy that events create and the excitement that events build in people who attend them. It is part of the reason I do what I do for a living. One of those events I am humbled to work on is Lifeway’s Vacation Bible School Preview Events. I am blessed to work with Lifeway’s VBS Ministry Specialist, Jerry Wooley, in pulling off these great conferences that showcase the year’s VBS theme from Lifeway. It is amazing the work that goes into pulling off a 2-day event. In fact, it takes approximately 11 months of preparation! In some ways, our team begins to dream and plan for future events before the current event is even over. We do it because it’s a part of a larger effort to make every event better than the one before.
But all of that work doesn’t just go into a single 2-day event. Our season of VBS events begins the first week of January and run through the middle of February. This past year, we had 8 total VBS events spanning 6 weeks and 4 states. In total, almost 5000 people attended a VBS event across the country. In that context, it begins to make sense how much time and energy is put into VBS Previews!
At each location, our team shows up a couple of days in advance to ultimately transform our location into a world of VBS! Teaching faculty decorate their rooms in VBS decor, we set up a bookstore, an event store, our auditorium, and our famous VBS expo where conferees can go hands-on and experience all that VBS has to offer. And we do this week after week as thousands of people come to preview what VBS will feel like, sound like, taste like, and look like!
As an Event Coordinator, it is some of the most fun work I do. Not only do we have a great team, but we know our purpose is more than just provide a fun event for people. For so many, these events are a jumping off point as they remain faithful and obedient to what the Lord has called them to do and that is make the message of Jesus Christ clear to kids in their community through VBS. It excites me that the event does not end when people leave the Preview. Instead, it is just the beginning and God takes what they learn in 2 days and transforms it into a life-changing experience for kids and adults everywhere. And that is why I do what I do.