Using Takin' It Home CD to Connect with Parents

“We have not been successful connecting with the parents of kids attending VBS,” is a statement I often hear from pastors and VBS leaders. This has not been from lack of trying since most of us have tried a variety of methods from daily newsletters to offering Adult VBS classes.
With Agency D3 Lifeway has introduced a new resource called Takin’ It Home CD that is specifically designed to connect parents to the content and activities of each day.
In addition to the copy of the CD included in the VBS 2014 Jump Start Kit, the files are also available for free download at lifeway.com/vbs under the “About” tab. Both the CD and digital files can be reproduced to make one copy per family or as many as needed. A downloadable faceplate template is also available.
Takin’ It Home is a fun and interactive way to involve the entire family in reviewing the daily Bible passage and applications. By the end of the week parents will be encouraged to pray with their kids and discuss how they can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the church.
Here are six steps for using Takin’ It Home CD to connect with parents:
1. Prior to the first day of VBS make a copy of the CD for each family.
2. Share information about the CD during worker training. Play the CD or provide a copy for Bible study leaders so they can learn how the contents connects with the daily theme. Bible study leaders should encourage kids to get their parents to listen to the CD each day on the way home.
3. Distribute CDs at the close of the first day (or the first day a kid attends). An ideal way to insure each family receives a copy is to distribute CDs at parking lot exists.
4. Take a moment during Worship Rally and Bible Study to remind kids to encourage their parents to listen to the CD each day.
5. Send out an e-mail blast encouraging parents, if they have not already done so, to listen to the CD with their kids before bedtime.
6. Send a postcard-sized message home on the last day encouraging parents to listen to the bonus session that invites the family to return the Sunday following VBS. Be sure to include service times as well as contact information in case they have questions about the church or would like to talk to someone about their own relationship with Jesus Christ.
Jerry Wooley, @vbsguy, serves as Lifeway’s VBS Ministry Specialist and as VBS Director at Creekside Fellowship in Castalian Springs, Tennessee.