This week our family, mostly Crystal and Hannah, have been helping with a VBS at St. Francis Holiness Chapel.
The theme has been "Stay Out of Sin's Trap!"
I had a blast helping Mrs. Patton, who was heading up the VBS, come up with ideas.
Together, she and I asked around and collected various traps--coyote traps, bear trap, skunk trap, rat and mouse traps, fly traps,
and even a spider web that the Hartley boys created from string while they were here a few weeks ago.
Decor was simple but meaningful.
I know this VBS doesn't even hold a candle to some of the spectacular ones I've seen on FB, but I'm still sharing this idea, because it can be made as fancy or as simple as necessary.
We collected various stuffed animals that might or might not get caught in the traps.
The first night of VBS there were about 30 kids and young people, the second night there were about 36, and the third night, 45 showed up!
A family group from Indiana came out to provide meals and help with games, something they've enjoyed doing for years.
Ron Patton discusses a different trap or two each evening, applying the message of how sin can trap us and how hard it is to get out, and therefore to stay out of the trap.
"Do you think the devil hangs signs saying 'Trap' near his traps?" Mr. Patton asked the children.
No, they didn't think so.
The whole idea of a trap is to catch someone unawares.
When I found out Mrs. Patton was needing ideas, I was able to help with ideas, esp. for songs and games or activities. I wrote words for a theme song, "Stay Away from the Trap," to the tune of "I Will Make You Fishers of Men." The kids love it. They get to clap on the words "trap" or "snap." I made a poster visual of the song using free clipart, and Becky laminated the song posters. I also visualized "When Old Mr. Satan Knocks at my Heart's Door" and she laminated that one and is using it for this theme.
This theme could be used for a month of Sunday Schools. My sister-in-law Laurie Parks has done a month series on temptation, using the idea of a rat or mouse trap with games. The first night of VBS we had paper mice hidden inside about 10 colorful, empty food packages/boxes set up on the altar. Whoever correctly answered the question the teacher gave got to choose a box to look in to see if a mouse was there and how many points it had written on it for their team. The second night we had a spider web game that Tasbah loaned us, where the kids got to throw stringy wooden bugs and try to land it in the middle of the spider web. They got points based on how close to center the bug landed. Last night the kids who answered correctly got to drop a golf ball on one of 20 mouse traps set up, and if they sprang the trap, they got the points written underneath. One or two times the ball or trap bounced and sprang a second trap next to it, and boy, that kid won lots of points! They LOVED that.
If you are interested, here are the words I wrote to the tune of "Fishers of Men."
Stay far away, far away from the trap,
Away from the trap,
Away from sin's trap.
Stay far away, far away from the trap
Or the trap--will--SNAP!
Or the trap--will--SNAP!
Or the trap--will--SNAP!
Stay far away, far away from the trap,
Or the trap--will--SNAP!
Stay real close, real close to the Lord,
Close to the Lord,
Close to the Lord,
Stay real close, real close to the Lord,
So the trap--won't--SNAP!
So the trap--won't--SNAP!
So the trap--won't--SNAP!
Stay real close, real close to the Lord,
So the trap--won't--SNAP!
The second evening, our whole family helped act out the story of Elijah getting caught in the trap of discouragement after Jezebel threatened to kill him. I couldn't get very good photos from the back where I had managed to come along and watch, but here Elijah (aka Danny) is sleeping under the juniper or broom tree (depending which version you read), and angel Crystal, with a golden halo on her head which isn't showing up in the photo, is coming with a cake (aka zucchini muffin) and bottle of water to feed him for the long journey ahead.
The best part of the skit was when Elijah crawled into his cave (huge box) and found bats, maybe spiders, and then threw a big, long, yellow, stuffed snake out in perfect terror! As it went flying through the air, the kids and adults both had such a laugh!
Jonathan used a noisy leaf blower for the big wind, and then Crystal stuffed red and yellow tissue paper into the same leaf blower later to blow a bunch of flames into the air for the big fire that passed by Elijah before the still small voice.
We pray for eternal fruit from these endeavors.
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