Vacation Bible School

Vacation Bible School is coming July 13-17 at Grace. Children ages four through completed 5th grade are invited to join us each evening from 6:00-8:30 PM for Camp E.D.G.E: Experience and Discover God Everywhere. Send this page (www.graceumc.net/VBS) to a friend, Volunteers and Participants can register on-line!

Childcare is availiable for volunteers children ages newborn thru 3 year-olds.

IMPORTANT VBS PARENT INFORMATION:

- In an effort to provide the most secure environment possible for all children attending our VBS, every child and parent will be given wristbands with matching numbers. The adult’s wristband with the number that matches your child’s wristband must be shown each evening at pick-up. Children will not be released from the Sanctuary to anyone not having the matching numbered wristband (read more on Systems for Safer Kids below).
- On Friday, July 17, Vacation Bible School will end at 9:00p.m. This extra 30 minutes will be spent doing a run-through of our program for Sunday morning.
- On Sunday, July 19 at the 10:00a.m. worship service, your child will be part of our VBS program. They should wear their VBS
t-shirt and blue jean shorts. They are also welcome to wear their wristbands and hats, if they wish. Please have your child sit with you in the Sanctuary until they are called up for the program.
- VBS OFFERING: Our offering this year will be used towards our 2009-2010 Pizza With A Purpose backpack program. Our backpack program provides weekend meals to less fortunate children at a local school. For more detailed information on this program visit www.graceumc.net/children. Our VBS offering goal is $5,400 which will provide 45 children weekend food every week of the school year. The offering your child brings to VBS each evening, as well as the offering that will be taken during Sunday’s program, will contribute toward this goal.

Click HERE to register for VBS 2009 - Camp Edge at Grace

Read below for great new security enhancements for our kids this year.

Questions? Contact Amy Buttrey at amy@graceumc.net for more information!

Grace Rolls Out Systems for Safer Kids

Security Enhancements for 2009 VBS

•    Corresponding numbered bracelets for each parent and child
•    In-person parent drop-off and pick-up
•    Same-sex chaperone for all trips to the bathroom
•    Trained “shepherds” for all special needs children
•    Greeters at entry way doors
•    Doors locked as VBS programming begins each night
•    Completed kindergarteners pair with completed 5th grade “buddy”

Recently I was searching for something – my keys, my wallet, a baseball uniform, my head . . . really it could have been anything. My husband watched for a while and then suggested (tentatively, I might add) that things would run a lot more smoothly if I had a few systems. “Your old ways worked fine when our family was small,” he said. “But we’ve grown in size and activities. Things are just more complicated now.”

Always open to new suggestions and constructive criticism, I promptly gave him the stink eye/silent treatment combo and kept looking for my lost item. But after a bit of sulking, I realized he was right. A few systems would help keep us on track.

My household is a microcosm of Grace United Methodist Church. Over the years we’ve grown in members, in programs, in love and in ministries (praise God!). And we have really, really grown in the number of children whose voices and laughter grace our halls, classrooms and playgrounds.

And now the Grace staff and Children’s Council are working together to develop the systems necessary to keep our growing group of kids safe and happy!

Starting with the 2009 Vacation Bible School (July 13 – 17), you will notice changes in some of the systems for securing our children. (See box for a full list of safety systems to be implemented at this year’s VBS.) For example, parents will no longer be able to drop a child off in the parking lot before VBS and wait for their child in the car after VBS. Instead, each parent and child will be given bracelets with matching numbers. Parents will need to physically walk their children into the sanctuary and match up the bracelets at the start of the night AND show their bracelet to their child’s designated age group leader at the end of the night.

This will be required for all children attending VBS, regardless of age. It is just as important for us to know that a 4th grader has actually connected with his/her parent as it is for a preschooler. It will also be required even if you know the volunteer checking you in. The bottom line, once exceptions are made, processes start breaking down. (So please don’t say, “Aunt Mary, you know me. I left my bracelet in the car; just let me have Joey anyway.”)

In addition to new safety systems for VBS, the church will be updating safety procedures for Wednesday night programming when it starts again next August. And we are also starting the process of becoming a Certified Safe Sanctuaries Church, a nationwide program designed to protect children and youth in all areas of the church including Sunday school, Playful Praise, VBS, Children’s Church, Wednesday night programming, youth programming, and more. We will include additional information about these improvements as they come along.

Now, we know that these changes will make things a bit more complicated for awhile. But please understand that every change is being made with your children – the church’s children, really – in mind. We love them and want to protect them just like you do.

So bear with us for awhile. As always, feel free to call or email Amy Buttrey, Director of Children’s Ministries, with any questions.

Christi McEachern

Grace Children's Council

Grace United Methodist Church
| 2905 North Mount Juliet Road | Mount Juliet TN 37122 | 615-754-6034 |