Five Things Easter and VBS have in Common

 I love Easter! I’m like a little kid about it. It’s not eggs and candy and dresses. It’s the way Christ’s resurrection becomes real as dark winter fades to wonderful lively spring and we hear the old story one more time. It never gets old.
Come to think of it, neither does VBS. Which brings to mind what Easter and VBS have in common (in my quirky brain at least).
1. They’re fun! Easter comes with fun kids’ activities that, if we’re intentional, point the way to Christ’s death and resurrection.  There’s always a danger of letting activities gloss over the story and meaning of Easter, but if we work at it there are tons of ways we can celebrate the resurrection in fun ways with our kids. Check out our Easter Pinterest board for some ideas. There’s also the joy of waking up on Easter morning, knowing that Christ is risen! It’s always true but more real in the sunrise and pollen producing blooms beating out the death of winter. As mentioned, it makes me a bit giddy. VBS . . . well, I KNOW I don’t have to tell you why it’s fun!
2. Community connections. Both Easter and VBS give you a chance to meet kids (and families) who aren’t in church regularly and love on them. In fact, Easter Sunday is a good way to let a larger audience know about VBS. Consider preparing Save the Date cards to hand out to your Easter Sunday crowd so they can know about VBS ahead of time and hopefully plan to come. But don’t wait for VBS! Start building relationships with visitors at your Easter service, even if it’s talking just one person. You never know how God might use that relationship.
3. Volunteers! Easter and VBS often call for extra volunteers to be on hand in your church’s kids ministry since there are lots of extra kids to care for and extra activities to be accomplished. Think about volunteering if you haven’t already. If you’re in charge of recruiting helpers and teachers for Easter, VBS, or both, make sure you thank them for their hard work and sacrifice, and see this post for ideas about handling the extra traffic Easter brings. Try here and here for VBS recruitment.
4. Pause button. We get a chance to pause and realize that our problems pale in comparison to the grand story of God becoming man and dying for our sakes. Our problems also often pale in comparison to what others are facing. Look around on Easter Sunday for someone who could use help or support, then do what you can. Do the same thing during VBS.
5. They celebrate the reality that Jesus died for our sins and conquered death. They remind us to celebrate that truth often, to see it in new ways, to thankfully accept it, and to share it with others.
What’s your favorite thing about Easter? VBS? How can you use them to reach out to your community? Tell us in the comments.