This fun program for VBS 2020 is from Regular Baptist Press. Big Fish Bay (official website) has a ocean / fishing boat theme and focuses on the Biblical story of Jonah. RBP is a longtime supporter of our website and we love to highlight their excellent resources for children’s ministry. Our website doesn’t sell curriculum, but we review all the major VBS 2020 themes as a service to our readers. If you like it, take our poll and vote for Big Fish Bay theme as your favorite.
First Impressions of Big Fish Bay
Sea themes and ships for Vacation Bible School are popular and come around every few years. That means decorations will be easy and familiar, especially if you add the lighthouse, ship, sea animals, and nautical elements prominent in their logo. What sets RBP apart is their focus on evangelism and outreach as the primary goal of VBS 2020..
Big Fish Bay
VBS 2020 from Regular Baptist Press
Learn more about the VBS from the official RBP Big Fish Bay Website. You can get updates from their Big Fish Bay Facebook Page.
Big Fish Bay Theme Song Music
As you can see from the video above, this theme has great music and will get kids moving in the worship rally time. RBP has a great team of curriculum writers that are passionate about telling kids the Good News. This comes out when you see how their daily lessons drive home the Gospel message.
The Big Fish Bay curriculum will give every child a chance to hear the Gospel and respond by putting their trust in Jesus. You can trust RBP for solid Bible teaching and quality curriculum. Their teaching is available in KJV and NKJV translations.
Update from Jonathan Norris at Regular Baptist Press
Tony,
I’m sending you the kit, but also a couple items that come outside of the kit because they’re new this year. The brand new Worship DVD is in the kit. So is one of the lesson visual poster set, but I’ve included a complete set to be sent to you as there’s a map of Jonah’s Journey on there that we think will be very helpful for teachers during the lesson. Also included in the order is the visual packet (we love the artist’s work on these – vibrant and child-friendly art) as well as the puppet script & CD book. While we offer puppets, it’s not a critical element to the VBS.
Bible Teaching Overview of Big Fish Bay VBS
Big Fish Bay is a nautical theme where kids explore an exciting bay, fish off the pier, and venture out to sea, complete with a lighthouse, tall ships, and coastal animals. During lesson time, kids will embark on a journey into the life of Jonah. They’ll encounter God’s mercy and see how His compassionate heart was most fully expressed in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Seeing God’s mercy, sharing God’s mercy—kids will be “Hooked on God’s Mercy.
Day 1: On the Lifeboat: Nineveh Receives God’s Mercy
- BIBLE STORY: Jonah 3:1–10 (Big Fish Bay)
- TOPIC: Sharing God’s compassion
- MEMORY VERSE: “Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee” (Psalm 86:5).
- THEME: God’s compassion and mercy are worth sharing.
- OBJECTIVE: Students will realize that nobody is beyond God’s mercy and will seek to share God’s mercy with others.
Day 2: In the Sea: Jonah Thanks God
- BIBLE STORY: Jonah 1:17—2:10 (Big Fish Bay)
- TOPIC Looking to God for rescue
- MEMORY VERSE“ The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee” (Psalm 145:9, 10).
- THEME: God’s rescuing work is the answer to our greatest needs.
- OBJECTIVE: Students will respond to God’s offers of rescue and will thank Him for His rescuing work.
Day 3: On the Lifeboat: Nineveh Receives God’s Mercy
- BIBLE STORY: Jonah 3:1–10 (Big Fish Bay)
- TOPIC: Sharing God’s compassion
- MEMORY VERSE: “Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee” (Psalm 86:5).
- THEME: God’s compassion and mercy are worth sharing.
- OBJECTIVE: Students will realize that nobody is beyond God’s mercy and will seek to share God’s mercy with others.
Day 4: Against the Wind: Jonah Is Angry at God
- BIBLE STORY: Jonah 4:1–11 (Big Fish Bay)
- TOPIC: Choosing what God wants
- MEMORY VERSE“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).
- THEME: God’s desires should be our desires.
- OBJECTIVE: Students will compare God’s desires with what they want and will identify ways to have God’s perspective.
Day 5: From the Lighthouse: Jesus Shows God’s Mercy
- BIBLE TEXT:Luke 23:33–46; 24:1–12 (Big Fish Bay)
- TOPIC: Trusting in Jesus’ work
- MEMORY VERSE: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us” (Titus 3:5).
- THEME: God offers us His mercy through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
- OBJECTIVE: Students will look to Jesus, the One Who truly showed God’s mercy, and will seek to follow His example.
Share your Thoughts on Big Fish Bay
We always love to hear reader feedback about new VBS themes. What do you think about RBP’s Jonah based program? Will you be considering Big Fish Bay for your Vacation Bible school for the summer of 2020?
Regular Baptist Press is Focused on Evangelism
“VBS is a great way to reach children with the love and truth of Christ, and RBP does a wonderful job of providing a VBS kit with strong biblical content and a daily presentation of the Gospel. Child Evangelism Fellowship® is happy to recommend Big Fish Bay as a VBS kit that can help churches achieve the goal of reaching children with the Gospel.”—CEF®
https://2020.rbpvbs.org/cefrecommends
Big Fish Bay will hook kids on God’s mercy
- RBP produces gospel-centered programs that weave the salvation message into each lesson.
- In each rotation of Big Fish Bay, choose a discussion starter to reinforce the salvation or discipleship message.
- Our VBS programs are built around a solid theological framework and motivated by a desire to teach Bible truths using age-appropriate methods.
- Big Fish Bay helps you look beyond the fun to see the need for a Savior.
As I would expect from Regular Baptist Press, the Bible content is solid and I’m very happy to once again see an intentional focus on helping children who are already Christians learn how to live what they learn in their everyday lives! A great option for a VBS with a strong evangelism focus and solid Bible content or for an outdoor event and mission trip resource!
Lynda Freeman Editor, AbouttheChildrensDepartment.com
This looks awesome. One of my favorite stories. I just started working with the kids at our small church and I am hoping to grow our youth group and bring back VBS this summer. This would be a wonderful addition to our church.
A very good and helpful materials for our small church…
I watched video; Great theme for VBS! Our pastor just recently did a few Sundays preaching on Jonah. Lot of lessons we learned. A relentless God and A Reluctant Servant. Curriculum looks very interesting. Hope to win! I tried to reply on video but didn’t work on my cell phone. Terri Wiles
I believe the kids will really connect with the lessons planned. VBS is one of my favorite ministries. We have a less than 1% population of Christians where I serve so this would be be very useful. God Bless!
I loved this material!!! I would like to be one of the winners because I belive in the Gospel and the priority to share it with children. They need to listen the Gospel of Jesus as soon as possible, because the world is getting his attention with a wrong living style. Thank you Regular Baptist Press for this amazing material!!! It’s beautiful, is a complete material with all resources for teachers and director need for a great vacation bible school!!!
May the Lord bless you so much!!!
It looks wonderful!! During VBS there is such an opportunity to minister to kids who don’t regularly attend church. It looks like this material would provide a much needed chance to bring kids to God!! And that’s what VBS should be about!!!
Looks like a fun Theme. Love the story of Jonah and how it shows Gods mercy.
What I find most impressive bout this is that the maaterial goes well beyond the theme and also the mission aspect. It is much more than just a single project.
I’m especially impressed with the content ,especially teaching on behaviour ..The lesson is actually fascinating especially doing with Jonah which is rarely taught .I’m sure my bible club children will like
This is extremely awesome I love it I really hope whoever gets to win this beautiful gift will use it yo the maximum for gaining more work for the kingdom of God I am so delighted of all the support I been getting from this ministry and Pastor Tony I have add his children ministry yo my homeschool kids Thank God for this ministry even if I don’t win this I still like to know more about this amazing gift Please!!!!
Great theme. Our pastor has preached on Jonah before and the kids really listen. This kit is really very thorough. I like that it teaches about behavior. We need to keep our children close and lead them to God in the world today. There is so much violence and hatred and bullying, that I know the kids will love to dive deep with Jonah!!! Thank you and we’d love to win this material! God Bless!
We used your VBS last year and our pastor loved the evangelistic approach for the children. We have loved your VBS and this one looks very intriguing!!! Becky Fish
I like the thoroughness of the teaching. Try to find curriculum that hits every age level from your toddlers through your youth group. I also like the idea of having a special-needs course. Everybody has a place at the table. My only suggestion would be to have a digital versionThrough some type of flash drive Versus the CD ROM. Overall looks good. Would love an opportunity to try this curriculum out.
I think it would be a great theme for our little church the puppet cd would be wonderful since we don’t always have a helper in every class. It looks like the kids could remember the story the way the story is presented. Winning this would be awesome.
Thank you,
Kristina Story
This is a very nice VBS packet. I think our kids would like this. We possibly may use it.Looks really good for teaching Jonah. I loved the big pictures and posters.
I love this theme! It’s different than most summer time themes and it gives a great look into some great stories in the Bible.
The VBS packet looks rich! I like the evangelistic approach, the posters for each daily lesson and the ‘things to know’ section for the teachers. The teachers and children would benefit greatly
This curriculum seems to be very interesting. I like how it gives tips for breaking the lessons down for the groups. I also like how it’s for all ages.
Wwwwooooowwww everything is perfect since our Church is Evangelism (Reaching Out more kids especially street childrens) we have 6 outreaches were we conduct our Child Evangelism – remote & squatter places. Im sure this curriculum will attract more kids & can bring kids to Christ’ saving knowledge. hopefully we can be chosen.
Godspeed!
Thanks for taking the time to show us all of the materials included in the kit. I love that all age levels are included–no age group is left out! It was beneficial to see which materials are included, which are optional either through RBP or other sources. What is the point of VBS without the Salvation message? Love that the message is embedded in the materials! Teacher prep is great…many VBS volunteers don’t teach Sunday School so the training ideas are helpful. Music…. got have it…the kids LOVE it! Crafts should support the teaching and help the kids to remember the lesson for the day; they seem to do that.Great materials ad a theme that excites students!
Thanks again for your review!
We are a small church in a financial emergency. VBS budget was eliminated. As DCE, I am not giving up! This curriculum looks like something i could pull off with minimal funds and maximum impact. A free starter kit would certainly be a blessing to our ministry. Merry Christmas to all!
I am the director of our children programs at our very small church. I use Ministry to Children as a go-to resource and my kids love it! We collect “penny march” money through the year and that is what we have to spend on VBS each summer. Winning this starter kit would help the small amount we collect go further and help bring in more children to hear the word! Love Ministry to Children!!!
We have used Regular Baptist Press VBS for 20 year have seen about 200 youth receive Jesus Christ as their Saviour, thanks for video info, excited about Big Fish!
Cool theme and curriculum!
We could use this resource. This giveaway covers the major concepts that would help our young people. Our hearts desire is to share the Gospel. Thank you. Missionary Jacqueline Jones, Walk by Faith, MBC
The RBP Big-Fish-Bay literature looks bright and cheerful and Jonah has many comparisons to Christians today. Knowing what God expects of them , but not obeying Him. Having KJV is a must for our church, so thanks to them.
I love this it would be great for vbs at our church
It’s a very interesting material.
This would be a great lesson to teach in regular Children’s Church.
WOW!!!! This is a LOT of really COOL stuff for making VBS GREAR for your kids! And the story is perfect for teaching God’s mercy! Thanks for sharing!
I really liked the VBS program, what appealed to me most was the emphasize on evangelism, I think that is greatly lacking these days in children’s ministry.
V.P. Van Pelt
Director of Children’s and Youth ministries at St Andrews Episcopal Church Tampa
Big Fish Bay Hooked on God’s Mercy, sounds exciting. We had to cancelled our VBS last year due to Hurricane damage & reconstruction projects going on at our church. We are looking forward to an amazing re-launch of our VBS program this year to our community. Can wait to dive into God’s
Mercy!
This VBS program sounds and looks amazing.The theme is perfect for kids and also there is so much you can do with this theme ( ex. decoration ) Thank you for sharing. God bless you all.
This is the first time I have found your site and looked at it. This is a wonderful story line for VBS.
I do plan to use it. Thank You.
I love this! It would work perfectly with our students because we live near the water and we could use local resources! Thank you for the opportunity to get it at no cost for our small church! Happy New Year!
Jan Lockman
GracePointe Church
Pensacola, Florida
I am a first time VBS director and would like to try Regular Baptist Press this year for our Vacation Bible School. if this package has not yet been given away. Grace and Peace
We are a small church and many time we make our own VBS curriculum because it can get very expensive. Having this kit to get us started would be wonderful! I love the workbooks and the posters with this set. Everybody gets intrigued when you talk about the story of Jonah, so I think it would be a great topic for VBS.
I love this VBS kit. It’s all inclusive and the extras for puppeteers good is great! This would be a goo focus for summer especially with a water themed activity
Thank you so much for sharing this video. I was unsure on which theme I wanted to choose for our VBS at church. The extra’s all looked so colorful and visual. I love the music with this VBS.
Hi Betty,
Your comment came back the random winner for this VBS kit.
I’m sending you an email to get the shipping address. Congratulations!