VBS Director Series: How to Plan a VBS Prep Party

Years ago (when I was a kid attending VBS and my parents were station leaders), most of the congregation would spend all day at church on the Sunday before VBS started.  They would spend hours and hours transforming the entire church into the VBS theme.  Over the years, involvement from kids and adults has dropped.  As I’ve talked to other VBS directors and church leaders, I’ve found that this is a common theme.  The lack of adult participation in decorating means that (in past years) the bulk of the decorating has fallen on a small group of dedicated volunteers, who are already overworked and unpaid.  Last year (for Maker Fun Factory VBS), I planned a VBS “prep party” (aka work day) after church on Sunday about 3 weeks before VBS started.  We provided lunch and invited families to stay after church for about 3 hours to work on VBS prep/decorating projects.  It was a very successful afternoon last year, so it’s definitely something I’m planning to continue doing each year.

After you read the instructions below for planning your own VBS prep party, make sure to check out our Shipwrecked VBS Prep Party projects & details!

How to Plan a VBS Prep Party

1. Pick a date – I usually choose somewhere between 3 weeks and 3 months before VBS starts.  I want it to be close enough to VBS that I can store the decorations behind the church stage, not have to haul them elsewhere for longer-term storage.  We also hang some of the decorations right away.

2. Advertise, advertise, advertise – I put a colorful flyer in the church bulletin about 2 or 3 weeks before the VBS Prep Party.  I also make an announcement during church the week before and the week of the VBS Prep Party.

3. Plan food – We’ve done tacos the last two years.  They’re a meal that’s fairly easy to make, plus each person can pick and choose what toppings they like.  We make a buffet line that people can serve themselves from and members eat from disposable plates so we minimize the dishes that need washed.

4. Plan space – We have our VBS Prep Party in the church fellowship hall.  I leave 3-6 tables empty for people to eat lunch, then I put projects on the remaining tables.  Each project table gets one project.  This keeps confusion to a minimum.

5. Plan projects & write instructions – Since there are several projects going on at once, I try to make it so that I am needed as little as possible.  To accomplish this, I write detailed instructions (with photos if possible) for each project.  Each table gets two copies of the project instructions plus EVERYTHING they’ll need to complete the project.  If 6 tables have projects that require using scissors, I’ll make sure to have at least two pairs of scissors at each of those 6 tables.  The last thing I want our volunteers to have to do is wander around hunting for supplies!  The same is true for tape, glue, you name it!  In the linked tutorials above, I’ve included my PDF instructions for each of the projects we worked on.

6. Plan a timeline – You don’t have to have every minute planned out, but it does help to have a rough idea of the things you want to hit.  I typically make sure to pray over the Prep Party/VBS in general, then explain that each table has a project and people can choose whichever one interests them.  I try to keep my talking to a minimum!  Throughout the VBS Prep Party, I have this year’s VBS music on repeat so people get familiar with the songs!

7. (Optional) Get a grant to underwrite the cost of the VBS Prep Party – Last year our church paid for all of the food and craft supplies.  This year, my financial planner let me know that his company (Thrivent Financial) offers grants for community projects because the company wants to pour back into their communities.  I applied for (and received) a $250 Thrivent grant this year, which paid for the majority of our food and craft supplies, which was a HUGE blessing!  Just for reference – you can receive TWO of these $250 grants every year ($500 total).  I pay less than that for my life insurance premiums through Thrivent, so it’s a total win-win!  (If you want to leave a comment, I can send you more info on these amazing grants and/or give you the contact info for our financial planner.)

Have you held a VBS Prep Party?  What kinds of projects did your volunteers complete?  Follow Borrowed Blessings for more VBS resources & ideas!

This article has 2 comments

  1. Peggy Reply

    can you send me information on these grants? We are a small church and this would be awesome

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