My church just finished using Group’s Rome: Paul and the Underground Church Holy Land Adventure for our Vacation Bible School. I would like to share my thoughts both positive and negative about this particular program.
The Set-up
The children were divided into families–the curriculum was designed for family units of varying ages. We went with an age-graded approach because “we have always done it that way.” Turns out, we should have gone with the true family units.
We would meet for Extollo (Latin for “praise”) and then dismiss for family time where the kids would get dressed and get ready to go to Rome. The children would then visit Paul who was on house arrest and then the underground church (we built a tunnel for them to crawl underground). They would also visit apprenticeship games and the marketplace–various crafts and foods. Skits would take place in the marketplace except for the first night when the skit took place during the game time.
The evening was designed to last two hours, but we stretched that to two and a half. We had some trouble some of the evenings filling all of the time in the marketplace but was able to keep the kids on task. The night then ended with a return to family time (Rome to home) where the kids would review what they learned and then back to Extollo for more songs and dismissal.
Positive
First and foremost, the children were talking about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Where my church is situated, we had more inner-city kids than churched kids. I would hear conversations about “that Roman centurion” who was a jerk and how the underground church had to remain a secret so the Roman guards wouldn’t find it. The one night when the pastor of the church was caught (he was said to have escaped), you could see the look of concern on the children’s faces.
Second, the volunteers and workers really got into it. Usually, there is a gradual energy decrease. Not so this year. I heard numerous comments that while they were glad the busyness was going to end, they were going to miss the fun nights with the children. What is more, I lost count of how many times the teachers told me they had learned something new.
Third, the set up was quite simple. We wound up purchasing some fold-up tents from our local sporting goods store and used plywood and concrete blocks for tables in the marketplace. We used black plastic sheeting (the stuff used for painting) to create a cave. The tunnel was our idea and the kids really enjoyed it.
As for the stage set up for Extollo, we only had three major pieces though there were more that could have been used. We made the Colosseum, the Parthenon (more on that in a moment), and I made some “pillars” by rolling cardboard around a concrete form.
Fourth, the flow and tempo of each night kept the children interested. They did not have time to get bored and start causing trouble–which is really good for the kids we had. The children had enough time at each “station” to catch the gist of the message and then move along to the next station where they would learn more about the message of the evening.
Negatives
First, for some reason, the Parthenon was the center piece for the Extollo time. I am not sure why this is the case because the Parthenon is in Greece. The Pantheon is in Rome. They look similar from the front, but the Pantheon is most noted for its domed top.
Second, the decorating, if done with the foam boarding (we used cardboard) can get real expensive, real fast. Although there is not as much decorating as there is with other VBS programs, the materials Group recommended would have been too pricey.
Third, we found the crafts to be somewhat difficult for the smaller children. The abacus had parts that we felt were too small for the littler kids. The double-sided tape for the wreath proved to be too difficult for the children to use and the bulla for the metal worker was too difficult to glue together. However, everyone adapted when they needed and did not miss a beat.
Recommendation
I am looking forward to next year’s Holy Land Adventure–Egypt. The negatives were nothing that would cause me to not want to do this again. Everything flowed well and everyone had a wonderful time. The director’s guide was a huge help. Everything was spelled out. This was my first VBS that I directed and it went amazingly smooth.
For me, as a minister and father, hearing the kids talking about the gospel each night–before, during and after, and the teachers learning something new themselves, I cannot recommend a VBS program more highly.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
the reason it couldn’t be the PANTHEON is because that is the place where we worship the MANY GODS! which makes the whole thing seem a little odd. if ya can’t do it honestly, then maybe they should have been extollo-ing in the local synagogue or a house church!
Yeah, that was my thought as well. That and the Parthenon is much more recognizable than the Pantheon. In any event, I am looking forward to Egypt next year–I wonder if the Sphinx will have a nose or not?