VBS Leadership

I sent this email to Deanna B. today; she is considering a position in our VBS Leadership Team and wanted some info on the duties we are looking to fill.

Deanna,

I wanted to write down some thoughts for you about some of the VBS leadership positions we are working on finding the right people for. We had a quick meeting this weekend with several people who have a heart for certain areas, and I hope we can find the right place for yours as well. The other people we’re primarily working with right now are Deanna D. and Katrina O. Both have expressed an interest in being involved in our VBS leadership team that we are putting together. Deanna is really interested in helping out with promoting it and Katrina is all into the decorations thing. But more than those specific roles, we’re looking for a team of people with a unified heart for the kids this will touch who are willing to work together to organize, plan, and make this happen this year. Those two women (hopefully), along with Gordon P. and Mark L., and possibly yourself, would make an awesome team, in my opinion.

Sunday School Done Right Pictures

I’ve posted several SSDR pictures online today. Thanks for taking these, Sara! I’m going to put a couple here, but check out this link for all of them! This was a great event, and I will recap it some more in the near future. It is going to be the spring board for a lot of things to come.

Here is the link to the gallery of pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/mylabruby/SundaySchool

Here’s a few more pictures:

Sunday School Update – January 29, 2008

Wow, is it a new week already? What a weekend we just had! I am so thankful to all of you for your part in our SS Training event on Saturday. We will be following up on it with our teachers over the next few months. If you have ideas of how to make the “Reach, Teach, Minister” phrase more visible, let’s talk about it.

I’d like to have our next “official” SS Leader meeting on February 17 at 4:00 PM. The first step of change I am making based on our stuff this past weekend is to get all teachers involved, or at least invited, to our monthly meetings. I will plan on us meeting for about 45 minutes on our own, and then invite all teachers for some discussion and strategy time after that, say from 4:45 to 5:45. If you don’t think we can fill that much time, be prepared to be surprised! J Like they said on the video, we spend countless hours preparing for a 3-4 minute song, or a 5 minute presentation, yet we only touch base with our teachers all at one time 3-4 times a year? Something’s not right there, and that something is going to be one of the first changes we make. I don’t expect everyone to start coming right away. Right now it will be an invitation… all teachers are welcome. As the meetings begin to take shape and become useful, and even necessary, we will work toward getting people to be there and some other expectations, but first we must create a need for that change. You’ll hear more about that later, but for now, let me know if February 17 is bad for you; otherwise that is what we will plan on, and going forward, I am going to plan for the 3rd Sunday of each month.

Also, we are having a meeting with some people who have an interest in the VBS Director & Leadership positions this Sunday after the morning worship service church for about 10 – 15 minutes. We will meet in the fellowship hall, in Cliff’s classroom. We’re also going to pick a date at this time. Would love for you to be there and offer any input you have.

Here are the specific people we’re hoping will be there:

· Sandi Layton: Will be there for Q&A, to provide information, and give an idea of the job requirements.

· Carol Jones: Same thing, she’s not interested in the position but will be teaching

· Gordon Peel: He’s kind of our point of contact from the SS team right now and will be the go-to person until we get a leader or leadership team put together.

· Deanna Bledsoe: Interested in the VBS leadership positions. Her heart has recently been spoken to about working with kids in a not-so-hands-on way. (ask me about this, it’s a neat story)

· Katrina Owens: Interested, but needs to know more.

· Deanna DeCoursey: Would be glad to help with promotion and getting things rolling (organization), but probably won’t be able to help much around actual VBS time.

· Debbie Dailey: Not interested in the position and probably won’t be there Sunday after church, but said she might be available for some behind the scenes stuff (maybe the registration?)

· Mark Layton: May or may not be interested; Monty talked to him and he is considering it. Mark’s definitely got the qualifications, training, and experience working with kids and VBS.

· If you have ideas on people who might have a heart for this, let me know or contact them yourself. I will try to get it in an announcement slide for the powerpoint this week.

· I’d love to have any of you come, particularly Gordon, Sara, and Jill… you guys know the most about the kids, kids teachers, and maybe VBS. I’ll be there, too.

As I look at all this stuff, do you know what I’m seeing? I’m seeing that we might just end up with a full fledged VBS “TEAM” this year? Different people responsible for different things, counting on each other, helping each other, and fitting into the puzzle of reaching out to these kids. I wonder if that’s where we were supposed to be winding up all along… hmmm… One thing I want to be sure to express to anyone who takes up the position is that we are glad to let them take the ball and run with it, but at the same time, we won’t just drop VBS in their lap and say “we’re done, now it’s your job.” We will support, champion, and help wherever we can, using whatever gifts and abilities we have, because this is a huge part of our church’s outreach and evangelism mission.Thanks for making it through this, guys, I know this was a little long.

Chet

PS : I’ll try to get some pictures from our weekend event out over the next few days. Thanks, Sara, for taking those!