EmailUpdate: I’ve posted my review for the 2009 Answers VBS titled Operation Space.
I spent a few hours tonight looking over the new Answers In Genesis VBS 2008. I was very pleased with what I found and wanted to share some of the highlights with you. You can check it out for yourself on their Answers VBS website. You can find information on about twenty VBS 2008 themes on my Vacation Bible School preview page.
Content: In terms of content, the Answers In Genesis VBS is definately leading the pack this year. Their ambitious program attempts to lay the entire foundations of a biblical worldview in a 5 day program. If you’ve read my website for long, you know I love content that challenges kids. The Amazon Expedition VBS 2008 explores the “7 C’s of History” while teaching them that the Bible is the true history book of the universe. The 5-Day, 7 C’s Adventure Includes:
- Day 1: Creation—Destination Creation
- Day 2: Corruption—The Fall of All
- Day 3: Catastrophe—Water, Water Everywhere
- Day 4: Confusion—The Babel Rabble
- Day 5: Christ, Cross, Consummation—Sad Turns to Glad
Translation: Using the New King James should open some doors into Independent churches.
Music: You can listen to samples for each song on their website. It was better than I expected from a freshman publisher, but it several songs still sound young for the children at our church. It is definitely workable. One big drawback – no demonstration DVD is listed in the package. This could be a major hang up for smaller churches.
Testing: I like to see they tested their curriculum in a large church. But sometimes I wonder how much money they spent. Will my VBS look that great on a much, much smaller budget?
Room To Improve: The cross isn’t until the last day of their program. While I appreciate their emphasis on creation and apologetics, I still am concerned that the Gospel might get overlooked in a typical Bible school. Having an extra session to present the Gospel earlier in the week would go a long way.
I would like to see PDF downloads to preview their material. It is difficult for many churches to break with their traditional VBS publishers. If Answers In Genesis made some sample lesson plans available via PDF it would help their cause.
You can find out more about vacation bible school on my 2008 theme review page.
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My boys got to be in the “test market” this summer for Amazon Expedition. The writers’ church is close to our our home. We did 6 VBS’s last year. Out of all of them they still remember everything they learned from AE even now in cold January. We got to go to the Creation Museum and they taught me stuff I didn’t know! Why? Because they had learned it at “Amazon Expedition”. I can’t say enough good things about it.
Allison – That would be good news. I should have my copy in hand by the end of the month, if you find out sooner let me know.
The demonstrations style DVD that you can directly run to lead the kids is big help. We have several volunteers who can do it, but having a full screen video backup really makes a better atmosphere.
We are leaning towards Amazon Expedition this year. It was noted above that the music doesn’t have a DVD, but I read on the promotional DVD that song motions are included. We usually use that instead of a live worship team. I have the rest of my team checking out all of the options for 2008 and I hope to have it finalized soon. The teachings here seem so much richer than the other options out there.
I think that you have a point that it would be good to maybe talk about the cross at the start of the VBS but Kids need more prove these days that God really does exsit. As much as I hate to say this but sometimes it’s not enough anymore just to say God loves you and wants to have a personal relationship with you. They need proof and facts to help them understand the big picture of God. We suger code the gosple for children these days and most of them don’t stay in the church.
That sounds like a good plan. We also use CDG for Sunday school, which actually inclines me in the direction of the AIG for a change of pace and emphasis.
Thanks,
Gunny
Steve – We were thinking on those lines too. We just finalized plans to offer an adult class called Answers Academy from the AIG people at the same time for youth and parents.
Dennis – I don’t do KJV either. Most evangelicals believe that God has preserved his word via the critical text. Although I do really like ESV :)
Bev – the world view dynamic is so important, and creation is right at the heart of all the issues.
Gunny – We’ve just settled now to use AIG at our church. I really want to do the CDG stuff, but we are really focusing on creation and world view apologetics. We do CDG in most of our Sunday school classes.
I’ve checked this out as well and am certainly leaning in this direction for next year.
We’ve done God Always Wins by Children Desiring God in the past and also found that very solid.
Is your church planning to use the AIG materials?
I totally agree that it would be very helpful if AiG would make some previews available in PDF format. I really appreciate your comments on this program as I am seriously considering it for our small church. I like AiG and I really appreciate their focus on the TRUTH, which I know our kids aren’t getting in their homes and schools. Most of the kids we get we only have them for one week out of the year and we need to make a BIG impact on their lives in that short time! I look forward to your other upcoming reviews!!
It’s a shame that Answers In Genesis doesn’t make their materials available using the King James Bible. They believe God created the world, but they don’t believe he preserved his word.
Looks cool! We need more teaching on creation to counteract the secularists who claim to have a corner on science.
A great way to get the Gospel in earlier in the series would be to discuss Genesis 3:15 (the first Messianic promise) in the corruption session.
I’ll be looking into this even more!
–Uncle Steve
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