Our kickoff party is Sunday July 24th beginning at 4:00 p.m. so please make plans to attend an afternoon of fun and food.  You can also complete early registration at that time.  There will also be a registration table outside of the worship rally every night during VBS, it’s never to late to join the fun!

Also, don’t miss our “Night on Broadway” family night/musical event on Sunday July 31st beginning at 6:00 p.m.  Here, families can see what their children have learned all week and the children will receive their bibles, certificates and treat bags and can pick up their craft projects to take home that night.  You don’t want to miss this exciting week at Dongola First so hail a cab and bring a friend!

In Transit youth VBS starts this week at Dongola First.  There will be 5 sessions beginning Wednesday, July 6th at 7:00 p.m. in the youth room.

The remaining 4 sessions of In Transit will be held on Sundays July 10th and 17th at 6:00 p.m. and Wednesdays July 13th and 20th at 7:00 p.m.  If you have any questions, please call the church office 827-4391.

Dongola First will sponsor a special VBS Preview that will be open to everyone in the community.  Please join us for a free preview of the exciting music that will be featured in this years Big Apple Adventure.  We are very excited about this year’s music and we’re sure your “tourists” aka children will love it as well.  So hail a cab on Sunday, June 26 at 10:00 a.m. and don’t miss out on this special event that all tourists are sure to love!

We still have room on our follow up team.  If you are interested in joining, please contact myself our Kelly Jackson at the church office 827-4391.  We have started putting together ideas and planning follow up events for after VBS and could use help finalizing the plans and carrying them out. Please be praying about this and let me know if you can help.  It is a great way to help with VBS if you are unable to work the week of!

I have received a list of supplies needed for this year’s crafts.  This list is posted on the bulletin board by the office as well as on here under our news tab and will be updated regularly so please keep checking back.  If you can donate any of these items, please leave them in the yellow box outside the church office labeled “VBS Supplies”.

Prior to VBS week, we also need people who can be prayer warriors!  That is the most important thing anyone can do to make VBS a success!  We have a prayer tree on the wall at church which will have the names of workers and children posted on apples from now until VBS.  If you walk by and see an apple that’s ripe with a name, go ahead and pick it and pray for that person from now through VBS week.  Many workers are already preparing for VBS even though it is still 3 months away!

If you weren’t able to attend a VBS training and would like some ideas, click on the following link: www.lifeway.com/vbs2011/bigapple

This year’s VBS will be July 25-29 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. with our “Night on Broadway” musical/family night on Sunday, July 31^st at 6:00 p.m.

Thanks for all your help and support,

Kim Conway, VBS Director

ELLIS ISLAND ~ This is an important part of New York and our country’s history. Promote your VBS by inviting people to VBS with a view of Ellis Island. Use suitcases and display them closed and open. Open suitcases can have a visible Big Apple Adventure VBS shirt, and I (heart) NY shirt, or any traveling tourist clothes like hats, sunglasses, etc. Use an invitation sign about VBS but you could also add a note from Jesus that says, “Come unto me…I will give you rest.” You can keep this display and use the week of VBS also.

SKYLINE ~ You can create a NYC skyline by painting one using 3 different colors of paint (black, dark gray and light gray) on a white shower curtain. And paint white blocks for the lights in the windows. “God is bigger than New York” could be your saying when you invite. Remember New York is colorful and fun, bright and exciting so do not paint your shower curtain dark and dingy even though you have to use dark paints for the buildings.

Thanks to Kelly Jackson for sharing these great ideas she received from the Nashville training…. I hope this helps your church in its promotional efforts!

ROOMS & SPECIFIC AREAS:

REGISTRATION TABLE (SUBWAY TICKET BOOTH) ~ This is an important area for information for not only the children but the parents! The registration table is your first impression to many people. Make it decorative but informative. But neither of these should get in the way and make things seem unorganized. This should be an area that is easy and smooth flowing! Make a sign or poster that tells what “line” they will be riding. Their room or destination and who their teacher(s) is. You then can decorate the church with colored tape or colored Velcro strips on the carpet leading the children from the registration table or your central meeting area (maybe Worship Rally) to these particular places using a different color for each destination. If you color coordinate everything is will make is less stressful on parents as well when they come to pick-up. You can make a map of the church and call it your subway map and mark these lines on it as well. Place these maps at different areas around the church. Or blow up subway maps of NYC and use around the church for decoration.

RECREATION (PLAYGROUND 1017):

BATTERY PARK ~ The park is a vital part of the city. When many people think NY they also think Central Park. Start by using trees. Many churches have plastic trees somewhere in rooms or offices that can be used in the park. Make a bench by using a piano bench that you drape with a piece of fabric or old sheet that has been painted to look like stones. If you will take the time to paint stones on some fabric this is something that you can save and utilize in many VBS to come. Make stones or rocks from brown paper that you just crinkle up to look like rock. You may have done this for Saddle Ridge Ranch. If you made mountains from paper you can certainly make boulders out of it! And use carpet grass in your Central Park. You may have some left over from Game Day Central VBS. If not then ask around to your local funeral homes. They keep their grass fresh looking for funerals and may have some pieces they can donate to you for this.

MUSIC  BACKSTAGE~ Give this room an inexpensive backstage feel by using old and donated items like glittered hats, white gloves on a shelf and some dress-up clothes on a clothes rack or just hanging from a line you have hung yourself. Clothes can be princess dresses, glitzy dresses, tap and ballet outfits. Remember there is no order in the backstage area. So you don’t have to be organized when you decorate this area! Give it a personality. You could use items you may have left over from Boomerang’s Express VBS’ Opera house. Using leftovers is a great way to stay on budget! Ask for donations of cardboard oatmeal containers, paint them black and use them as spot lights. You can hang them using fishing line and metal coat hangers. If you really want to get fancy you can take apart old lamps and use the light in the oatmeal containers.

MISCELLANEOUS DECORATIONS (to use throughout the church or in classrooms)

SKYSCRAPERS ~ Use black construction paper to create skyscrapers on the walls. Then cut small squares out of white paper to create lit windows. But make your skyscrapers only half way up the walls. Remember you are making them for small children and a small skyscraper will look big to them. Don’t overwhelm them with height and size.

APPLE TREE ~ make a large apple tree and place this on a focal wall inside the church weeks in advance. Cut out apples and place the names of the workers, helpers, and volunteers on them as you have people sign up to work. Secure these apples to your tree with tape. Ask your church members to stop by the tree and pull an apple off. In the weeks remaining up until your VBS ask those that picked apples to pray for this individual starting now and continuing through VBS. You can later add the names of children as they register.

CHINA TOWN ~ setting up areas like this shows our kids the diversity of New York. There are many different cultures that live in the area and they all need to know who Jesus is. China Town’s children, more than likely, do not believe in Jesus. Instead they worship Budda. Decorating this area can be very small and simple. Many Chinese restaurants will just give you take out boxes and chopsticks for free. If not, then ask to pay for them. Many will sell them to you for cents on the dollar. Also, if you have saved anything from Rick Shaw Rally VBS, use it in this area! Chinese lanterns are a great way to get the feel of China.

HOT DOG STAND ~ The hot dog cart will be something many churches will not attempt because we see this as having to be something big and strong. But I learned just the opposite. Make it using a large box. Cover the cardboard with aluminum foil to give it the stainless steel effect. No large box? That’s ok! Use a table and cover it around the edges with gray paper using duct tape to secure it. Use a copy paper box on one end of the table or box and an aluminum pan on top of that to hold a bottle of ketchup, mustard, and relish. You don’t have to purchase the cool ketchup and mustard squeeze bottle either. Use what you already have. Use paper plates for wheels or cut wheels out of cardboard pizza boxes.

FLOWER CART ~ You can also use the Hot Dog Cart as a flower cart.  Ask you church floral decorator if he/she has any silk flowers you can use or your local florist might have old “scrap” flowers they would donate.

T-SHIRT VENDOR ~ I’m telling you this Hot Dog Cart is helpful because here is yet another use for it! If you don’t use the Hot Dog Cart, then use a book shelf. What you want is a place to display the obvious, T-shirts. Using old VBS shirts is a great display for your Big Apple T-shirt Shop. You can even make your own T-shirts with bingo dabbers. Get old or new shirts and use the dabbers to dab the letters to say “NEW YORK CITY” on them.

ITALY ~ This is another area that doesn’t have to be big. Make a small area like China Town. New York loves pizza! You can use a small table or even a trash can with a lid to do this. Remember small and easy! Cover the area with a red checkered picnic table cloth. And save a pizza box to use on top of the table. Throw a few napkins on the table and Wah Lah! You have Italy!

Thanks to Kelly Jackson for sharing these great decoration ideas she received from the Nashville training…. I hope this helps you with your decoration struggles. Remember your church family is like NYC but it’s also a family of God. If everyone pitches in a hand, it is so much easier to pull off. Ask for help! There are people just waiting to be asked to help!

I have received some great decoration ideas for Big Apple Adventure and I have them posted so if you are looking for some ideas or need to start gathering materials, check them out under our news tab.

Our calendar tab has also been updated to include promotional activities we have planned each month from now until July, so click there and check them out and make plans to attend.

I still need to finalize my follow up team by the end of May.  The follow up team will help brainstorm ideas for follow up activities and help organize those activities and bible studies for children who attend VBS and some parent studies as well. We may have some visiting after VBS to deliver things to the children, but they will be very brief so don’t let that scare you off!   Please be praying about this and let me know if you can help.  It is a great way to help with VBS if you are unable to work the week of!  Please contact myself or Kelly Jackson, our church secretary at 827-4391 if you can be a part of our follow up team.

I have received a list of supplies needed for this year’s crafts.  This list is posted on the bulletin board by the office as well as on here under our news tab and will be updated regularly so please keep checking back.  If you can donate any of these items, please leave them in the yellow box outside the church office labeled “VBS Supplies”.

Prior to VBS week, we also need people who can be prayer warriors!  That is the most important thing anyone can do to make VBS a success!  We have a prayer tree on the wall at church which will have the names of workers and children posted on apples from now until VBS.  If you walk by and see an apple that’s ripe with a name, go ahead and pick it and pray for that person from now through VBS week.  Many workers are already preparing for VBS even though it is still 3 months away!

If you weren’t able to attend a VBS and would like some ideas, click on the following link: www.lifeway.com/vbs2011/bigapple

This year’s VBS will be July 25-29 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. with our “Broadway Musical” family night on Sunday, July 31^st at 6:00 p.m.

Thanks for all your help and support,

Kim Conway, VBS Director

We will also have Big Apple Adventure decoration ideas and pictures posted on here soon, so be watching for that.  Our calendar tab has also been updated to include promotional activities we have planned each month from now through July, so check them out and make plans to attend.

I need to finalize my follow up team by May 15th.  The follow up team will help brainstorm ideas for follow up activities and help organize those activities as well as bible studies for the children who attend VBS and their parents. We may have some visiting after VBS to deliver things to the children, but they will be very brief so don’t let that scare you off!   Please be praying about this and let me know if you can help.  It is a great way to help with VBS if you are unable to work the week of!  Please contact myself or Kelly Jackson, our church secretary at 827-4391 if you can be a part of our follow up team.

I mentioned last month that I would be posting lists of items needed for VBS.  I have received a list of supplies needed for this year’s crafts.  This list will be posted on the bulletin board by the office as well as on here under our news tab and will be updated regularly so please keep checking back.  If you can donate any of these items, please leave them in bags on the coat racks labeled “VBS Supplies”.

Prior to VBS week, we also need people who can be prayer warriors!  That is the most important thing anyone can do to make VBS a success!  We have a prayer tree on the wall at church which will have the names of workers and children posted on apples from now until VBS.  If you walk by and see an apple that’s ripe with a name, go ahead and pick it and pray for that person from now through VBS week.  Many workers are already preparing for VBS even though it is still 3 months away!

This year’s VBS will be July 25-29 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. with a kick off party on Sunday, July 24 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. and “A Night on Broadway” play and family night will be held Sunday, July 31^st at 6:00 p.m.

Thanks for all your help and support,

Kim Conway, VBS Director