A Letter for Coordinators and Volunteers of VBS 2021:
Transform: Agents of Change
Greetings My Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
As we embark on another VBS journey, we do so this year knowing that we want to
engage our children and their families with God’s Good News while acknowledging
the challenges that continue in our nation and world.
We are determined to connect with our children and their families, but we must do
so safely. The Education & Youth Department has produced this Resource Guide to
assist churches to safely conduct VBS 2021.
Methodology:
It is recommended that VBS resources be printed and placed in a clear plastic bag/
folder each day. The resource pack will then be collected by parents and guardians
who will administer the activities at home. The Resource Packs should contain the
resources that children will need to complete the day’s exercises.
Additionally, churches are encouraged to provide a snack/ lunch pack for each
child. This would be collected along with the Resource Pack each day. Please see
recommendations below.
In those places where daily collection of packages will not be feasible, churches
may choose to either assist with delivery of packages, or to have parents and
guardians collect the entire week’s packages on day 1. Additionally, consideration
should be given to providing these families with the snack/ lunch packs for the
week as well.
Registration:
Basic contact information should be collected from parents and guardians so that
churches can have some idea of who has received the material. This information
may include parent/ guardian’s name, contact number, the names of children in the
household and their ages.
Parents and guardians should be encouraged to return completed work, so that the
church can be assured that the resources are being used, and that they can have a
display at the end of the week in church.
Safety Procedures:
All activities must be guided by the COVID-19 protocols from the Ministry of
Health. All persons should:
- Wear a mask
- Have their temperature checked
- Use a hand sanitizer
- Maintain physical distancing of 6 feet
Additionally, all churches must abide by the applicable gathering rules under the
Disaster Risk Management Act.
Our goal is to ensure that everyone is safe – you our coordinators and volunteers as
well as those to whom you minister.
Resource Pack Checklist Day 1:
i. Devotion Card – Day 1
ii. VBS 2021 Agents of Change Instruction Sheets Day 1
iii. VBS 2021 Activity Sheets Day 1 (Younger Children/ Older Children)
iv. 2 name tags cut out (one is a back-up)
v. Resources: String, pencil, crayons, glue, tape (wrapped around the pencil for younger
children)
Resource Pack Checklist Day 2:
i. Devotion Card – Day 2
ii. VBS 2021 Agents of Change Instruction Sheets Day 2
iii. VBS 2021 Activity Sheets Day 2 (Younger Children/ Older Children)
iv. Resources: 4 blank sheets of paper for drawings, notebook for older children, pencil,
Prayer of St. Francis printout
Resource Pack Checklist Day 3:
i. Devotion Card – Day 3
ii. VBS 2021 Agents of Change Instruction Sheets Day 3
iii. VBS 2021 Activity Sheets Day 3 (Younger Children/ Older Children)
iv. Resources: Cardboard circles and or paper/ plastic plates, coloured paper strips, glue (if
not given on day 1), pencil, string, plastic cup,
Resource Pack Checklist Day 4:
i. Devotion Card – Day 4
ii. VBS 2021 Agents of Change Instruction Sheets Day 4
iii. VBS 2021 Activity Sheets Day 4 (Younger Children/ Older Children)
iv. Resources: Peace Puzzle printout, pencil, letter-sized cartridge paper, Prayer of St.
Francis printout, pencil
Resource Pack Checklist Day 5:
i. Devotion Card – Day 5
ii. VBS 2021 Agents of Change Instruction Sheets Day 5
iii. VBS 2021 Activity Sheets Day 5 (Younger Children/ Older Children)
iv. Resources: 2 blank sheets of paper, pencil
Snack/ Lunch Pack
It is recommended that churches choose to use packaged meal items for snack/
lunch packs. These should be prepared under the most hygienic conditions
preferably by persons holding valid food handlers permits.
We must provide our children with safe, healthy food. Therefore, all food items
should be checked that they are not expired or in any way compromised. It will not
reflect very well on the church if such food items are sent out into the community.
Suggestions for Snack Packs:
- Packaged food items such as bun and cheese, raisin bread
- Sandwiches (freshly prepared each day)
- Packaged juices & water
- A fruit/ snack item
- A note of encouragement/ Bible verse with each day’s snack pack, sent with
love from the sponsoring church.
Final Day Special Treats and Gifts
The VBS activities will be done at home, however, we can still add that special
treat to the final day’s lunch and resource pack. This could include a slice of cake
and a Participation Certificate and gift.
Please remember that we want to limit gathering children and families from
different households, and should be observing the gathering limits under the
DRMA. All final day activities must be in accordance with the provisions of the law
and must place the health and safety of all our stakeholders first.
Engagement of Parents & Guardians
As parents and guardians come to collect packages, it offers us an opportunity to
minister to them. They can be engaged by members of clergy, associate lay
evangelists and other volunteers from groups such as the Mother’s Union and
Brotherhood of St. Andrew. We can listen, and where resources of the church are
available, we can help with needs, but most importantly, we can pray with those who
come.
May we work together to help to ease the stress of this difficult time, by sharing
a word of hope.
Parents, guardians, and children may be invited to attend church at the end of the
week so that we can ‘big them up’ for participating in the VBS, and share worship
with them.
As you organize your teams and make your plans to safely conduct VBS 2021, we
pray God’s blessings upon your efforts, and upon all those who will make donations
of their time, talent and treasure to make the VBS happen.
The Department of Education and Youth stands ready to offer assistance and
guidance. Please feel free to contact us:
The Education & Youth Department
Church House,
2 Caledonia Avenue,
Kingston 5
Tel: 876 926-8925
Email: Youth@anglicandiocese.com
With Every Blessing,
The Agents of Change Team (The Education & Youth Department)