It's VBS Season!!

The last post I made about the up and coming VBS programs for 2011 was admittedly early... However, this (re)look at the programs available this year is right on time: when everyone starts seriously considering the options available.

First up are those that I was unable to examine due to a lack of released information:

Augsburg Fortress: they have not released a new program for this year but are instead recycling their RENEW program once more. UnBiblical.  That one word sums up the program all too well.  I saw the preview video last year and perused the curriculum and just about died that they would pass it off as a vacation BIBLE school.  The program  would pass for a public school's Arbor Day promotion program...

David Cook has also decided to reuse the programs of yesteryears...

Day	Great Commission Publications: Faith Expedition VBS	Abingdon Press: Island Odyssey	VBS Reach Out: Summer Seaquest- Based in Jonah passages	Urban Ministries Inc: Jesus Truth Seekers
1	God gives us faith to follow his plan – Exodus	Hearing the right voice – Paul makes his voice heard over the magician	Am I Jehovah’s or am I Jeering? – belonging to God, or not yet in right relationship with Him	Forgive! – parable of the unforgiving servant
2	God gives us faith to believe his promise – 1&2 Samuel	Going the right way – despite Paul’s advice, a wrong decision puts all on dangerous course	Am I headed to my Tarshish or my Nineveh? – heading away from God in rebellion or toward Him through obedience	Hear! – parable of the sower
3	God gives us faith to obey him – Daniel	Being true to who you are – mutual hospitality reveal’s Paul’s true identity in Christ	Have I been turned around by God? – turned toward God both once-for-all in salvation and continually in daily repentance	Help! - parable of the Good Samaritan
4	God gives us faith to repent and give our lives to Jesus – Matthew & Luke	Seeing who Jesus is – while imprisoned for preaching Christ	Do I have a ”Jehovah” or a “Jonah” attitude? – knowing I am saved by grace not by works	Seek! - parable of the prodigal son
5	God gives us faith to share the Good News of Jesus Christ – Acts	Spreading the Good News – salvation is for everyone	Lord, send me a Fish and a resurrection! – understanding how Jonah’s life points to the death and resurrection of Christ	Choose! – the rich man and Lazarus

Faith Expedition – hmm… this program intrigues and frustrates me.  There is very little in regards to details about the lessons other than a chart about as detailed as the list above…  However, the Gospel is supposedly presented clearly each day – it being a Reformed curriculum I would expect them to be able to nail that.  I can say that far better detailed Sunday school curriculum offered by the company looks AMAZING!!!  I would expect that the company would also be able, therefore to make a solid lesson plan for something as “major” as VBS.

Island Odyssey – “linking Biblical island stories with popular island destinations”… hang on a sec, maybe I misunderstood that and they are referring to an examination of the cultures of the islands in the Bible accounts… Nope.  Day one is Cyprus and Jamaica… there is a specific fruit grown in Jamaica that has a star patter when cut open so the day’s phrase is “Jesus is the star, I will listen to him and believe.”  It is not the worst I have seen… but I would beseech people not to use it.  It, like many popular companies, seems to miss the actual Gospel by a mile (not even mentioning it during their 10 minute video) and focusing more on the fun of the theme than the Bible.

Summer Seaquest – first off, any VBS that garners praise from Alistair Begg has my attention ^_^ The lessons seem sound, even deliberately avoiding the common pitfall of most VBS programs: promising thing s to children about God that are only promised to believers.  By making the first lesson differentiate between the saved and unsaved it clears out being a “Christian” simply because one is not any other particular religion.  That it stresses repentance and continual repentance, not just a “magical” sinner’s prayer, is another rare and wonderful treat.  Finally, the focus on grace alone and not works for salvation is the icing on the cake!  I have no doubt that this would be a Biblically sound VBS program.

Jesus Truth Seekers – it certainly has the potential to be the longest VBS I have seen with 10 lessons for preschool through adult.  Alas I am not sure that more means better in this case.  Each lesson deals with a different parable to teach a particular moral/behavior lesson; the over arching theme being that in Christ even the impossible becomes possible… I am guessing that days 4 and 5 are supposed to be the Gospel days, but I am still not fond of the ever popular moralizing lessons beforehand to teach the children to be “good” and then the Gospel.  All good deeds should stem out of the heart that Christ changed with salvation, plain and simple