VBS Pilgrim's Progress- Year 2 (Ch 6-8)

VBS- Pilgrims Progress. Part 2, Chapters 6-9 (Four day VBS plan)

Day 1-  Year one VBS (Ch. 1-5) review 

*Memory Verse- Romans 12:21, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

*Skit of Year one review done by youth group members for introductory meeting.

Preschool would rotate between the reading room, craft room, play room, and snack room, and game time

*Review  chapters 1-5 (edited version).

*Craft Room- (older children worked on a book, a section a day, correlation with the chapter.   Preschool did a project a day.)

* Preschool for day 1-   Work together on dangerous journey map for room.  Each child make their own map afterwards.  Roll up and tie with ribbon.

*Play room (jumpy blow up thing)

*Game time-  Follow the leader

*Snack room

Day2-  Vanity Fair (ch. 6) 

*Memory Verse - Psalms 118:5-6, "Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.  The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.  What can man do to me?"

 *Skit of Chapter 6 done by youth group  members .

* Reading of A Dangerous Journey (ch 7)

* Craft Room-   Magazine cut- out collage of things that we might be tempted to covet and desire in this world (stuff, toys, vacations to theme parks, cars, clothes, houses, etc.)

*  Play room

* Game time- Freeze tag

* Snack room

Day 3- Doubting Castle (ch7)

*Memory Verse- 1 Chronicle 28:20 "...Be strong and courageous and do it.  Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you..."

 *Skit of Chapter 7 done by youth group members .

* Reading of A Dangerous Journey(ch 7)

* Craft Room-  decorate plastic key with glitter and glue.  Attach memory verse to 'key ring'.

*  Play room

* Game time- duck duck goose

* Snack room

Day 4- The Dark River (ch 8)

*Memory Verse- 2 Timothy 4:7, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

*Skit of Chapter 8 done by youth group members.

* Reading of A Dangerous Journey(ch 8) 

* Craft Room-  Snow Globe/Jar=  baby food jars filled with water, glitter, glycerine, maybe some charms, and  picture of child (laminated).  Glue lid on tight with craft glue. 

* Game time- Mother May I?

*Snack Room

VBS Pilgrim's Progress- Year 1 (Ch 1-5)

In response to many about the Pilgrim's Progress VBS, here is a guideline that may be helpful. It's not thorough by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a good starting point. If you would like my edited version, email me at mamayebailey@gmail.com and I will send it to you.

Year 1- VBS Pilgrim's Progress (Chapters 1-5) for the younger children

Day 1- The Gate is Narrow

*Memory Verse- Matt. 7:13-14, "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those that enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and those who find it are few." (underlined part is the memory verse for the younger children)

*Skit of Chapter 1 done by youth group members for introductory meeting.

Preschool would rotate between the reading room, craft room, play room, and snack room, and game time

*Reading of A Dangerous Journey(ch 1) (edited version).

*Craft Room- (older children worked on a book, a section a day, correlation with the chapter. Preschool did a project a day.)

Preschool for day 1, Gate craft. (white card stock, pop sickle sticks for gate, cut out of Christian to glue in the gate (wicket gate).

*Play room (jumpy blow up thing)

*Game time- obstacle course to the wicket gate

*Snack room

Day 2- Cast All Your Cares Upon Him

* 1 Peter 5:7, "Cast all you cares upon Him, because He cares for you."

* Skit of Chapter 2 by youth group members

* Reading of A Dangerous Journey (ch2)

* Craft- make a 'burden' backpack (possibly with paper grocery bags and something heavy to put inside?)

*Play room

*Game time- Ring toss (cast your cares...) or bowling (burden rolling down the hill)

*Snack room-

Day 3- Your Word Is A Lamp To My Feet

* Psalm 119:105, "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

*Skit of Chapter 3 by youth group members

*Reading of edited version of A Dangerous Journey (ch3)

*Craft- Make a parchment paper rolled up with the child's name on it and a ribbon (like the one given to Christian at the Interpreter's house)

*Play room

* Game time- Follow the leader in a dark room; leader has a flashlight., Simon says

* snack time

Day 4- Sword of the Spirit

* Ephesians 6:17 " and take the helmet of Salvation. and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God." (underlined part for younger children to memorize)

*Skit of Chapter 4 by youth group members

* Reading of edited version of A Dangerous Journey (ch4) (emphasize that OUR sword against evil in the Word of God)

*Craft- make swords out of cardboard and aluminum foil. Bible coloring sheet- our sword.

*Game time-

*snack time

Day 5- I Will Fear No Evil . Chapter 5, "The Valley of the Shadow of Death"

*Psalm 23:4 "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; your rod and staff comfort me."

*Skit of Chapter 4 by youth group members.

*Reading of edited version of A Dangerous Journey (ch 5)

*Craft- Possible ending day craft- canvas bags for children to sponge paint, decorate, put sticky letter on to spell their name, or at least have one or two letters for their initials.

* game time- relay races

* snack

Extras-

1. In our gym, we had a mock version of Christian's journey that the kids could go through. The journey was interactive. They would wear their burdens on the journey, get a parchment paper, fight Apollyon, etc.

2. Pictures of each child taken with their burden and sword and parchment paper. This was the picture on the front of their book that the older children were making.

3. Children could 'fight' Appolyon

The Tone of Voice

It's not so much what you say

As the manner in which you say it;

It's not so much the language you use

As the tone in which you convey it.

"Come here!" I sharply said,

And the child cowered and wept.

"Come here!" I said-

He looked and smiled and

Straight to my lap he crept.

Words may be mild and fair

But the tone may pierce like a dart;

Words may be soft as the summer air

But the tone may break my heart;

For words come from the ind,

Grow by study and art-

But the tone leaps from the inner self,

Revealing the state of the heart.

Whether you know it or not,

Whether you mean or care,

Gentleness, kindness, love, and hate,

Envy, anger, are there.

Then, would you quarrels avoid

And peace and love rejoice?

Keep anger not only out of your

words-

Keep it out of your voice.

-Author Unknown

Robert Donald Bailey Jr. (Donnie, Dad, Paw Paw) February 1951-November 2008

For those that don't know, Rob (my husband) lost his dad to cancer this month. He was a godly man who loved his Lord first, his wife and family second, others third... then hunting! We miss him greatly, but we also rest in the fact that he is with our Lord in heaven because he excepted the free gift of salvation given to us through Jesus Christ's completed work on the cross. (Eph. 2:8-9, Titus 3:5-7, 1 John 4:14-15, 1 Cor. 15:3-4)
Thank you to all who have served our family in any way this past year. We are overly and abundantly blessed by our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Robert Donald Bailey Jr./Donnie/Dad/Paw Paw

Happy 9th Birthday, Tessa!

Pilgrim's Progress- VBS 2008

Jude's VBS teacher, "Everyone line up. It's time to go hear Mrs. Bailey read to us!"
Jude, "But I thought my mommy was reading to us."

We just finished part 2 of Pilgrims Progress VBS. It went smooth and wonderful! Pilgrims Progress makes such a great VBS. The lessons taught through the story are life lessons for any believer! I would encourage anyone who hasn't read it to read it. We used Dangerous Journey (the story of Pilgrim's Progress) revised by Eerdmans because the origional 1676 John Bunyon version is very difficult to understand because it was written so long ago. Even Eerdman's version uses words hard for young children to understand, so I revised it even more.

To briefly highlight a little bit of the story, Christian has a burden and lives in the City of Destruction. The book that he's reading tells him that his city will be destroyed and he wants to know what he must do to be saved. No one else sees the danger or has a burden. His family and friends don't want him to leave, but Evangelist tells him to go to the wicket gate and there, he will discover how to be saved. He tells him not to leave the path, the Kings Highway. Through the wicket gate, he walks between the walls of salvation up to a cross where his burden rolls off into a tomb. The Shining ones appear an give him new clothes and a parchment which he must not loose or give away until he reaches the Celestial City.
In the story, he makes wise and unwise decisions. Sometimes he leaves the path, and sometimes he is wise and doesn't.
At one point, he must go through Vanity Fair, a fair that never closes and was put up by Apollyon, the prince of demons, in the town of Vanity. He put it there because he saw that all pilgrims must go through this city on their way to the Celestial City. He put it there to tempt them to love the things of this world more than the King. Christian must fight Appollyon at one point as well.
Another chapter is about Christian veering off the path, when he is weary and despairing, to Doubting Castle where he it tortured by Giant Despair until he remembers his Promise key which he uses to unlock the dungeon door and escape.
In the end, he is received in the Celestial City with trumpets and angels because he has his parchment paper with him which shows that he was invited and came on the right road through the wicket gate.

The story allowed each day to have different themes and characters, which made it exciting for songs and crafts and games and Bible verses. We had a wonderful time.

So even though Jude didn't know who 'Mrs. Bailey' was, hopefully he learned a few lesson about the christian life!