Your children’s ministry can change the world—and have a whole lot of fun doing it. If your church is planning a VBS missions offering, the Send Relief Gift Catalog is full of items your groups can donate their gifts toward. Framing the offering around fun games and activities will help your kids remember that they’re sending real things to real people in need.
Check out our resources page to find digital materials to help you promote the offering with your church!
There are lots of ways to get your young world-changers excited about sharing God’s love around the globe, but this list can get you started.
1. INVOLVE YOUR LEADERS
- For every $100 raised, crack an egg on the heads of your leaders.
- Set a fundraiser goal. Have a male leader volunteer to shave his head or beard if the kids meet the goal.
- Have a friendly fundraising competition between the boys and girls. If the boys raise more, the girls’ leader gets a pie thrown in their face and vice-versa.
- Raise money for chickens! If the kids meet the goal, the leaders have to do the chicken dance on stage.
2. LET THE KIDS TAKE THE LEAD
- Empower the kids—let them choose where the money goes from the Gift Catalog! Maybe they have a heart to give clean water, maybe they want to feed hungry children, or maybe they want to give a cow!
- Do a “Change for Change” drive! Remind the kids that every little bit counts—ask them to bring their pennies and nickels. Label several jars with different catalog items so they can choose where to put their change.
- Ask the kids to do some research and present the mission of Send Relief to the rest of the group. Or, ask the teenagers volunteering at VBS to do the research and present to the kids.
- If a major disaster occurs, educate them on disasters and let them pick Disaster Response items from the Gift Catalog to send to that part of the world. Remind them that God can use their gifts to make people feel safe and comforted.
2. GET CRAFTY AND CREATIVE
- Make a visual goal. As the kids collect money, create a display to show how much has been raised. For example, move a mountain climber up a mountain to mark progress. Students can push the climber to the top of the mountain and beyond!
- Set up a coffee shop for parents during drop-off. The proceeds of each cup go toward the missions offering.
- Have a water play day on the last day of VBS to celebrate raising money for clean water.
3. ANIMALS MAKE IT FUN
- Go for goats! Fill the week with fun goat activities—make goat crafts, let the kids taste goat cheese, create a visual goat goal—and then see how many goats you can purchase by the end of the week.
- Buy a bunch of plastic Easter eggs. For every $2.50 raised, place an egg in a “nest” where everyone can see, representing a chicken that will be donated. ($25 donates 10 chickens through the Gift Catalog).
- If you know someone willing to loan a few farm animals, have an animal parade in the church—like a petting zoo! The kids can touch and learn about the different animals they could raise money for in the Gift Catalog.
Ready to get started? Download free Gift Catalog resources to help promote your VBS offering today!
Published April 1, 2021