• What was Peter looking at when he began to sink? (the big, scary waves!)
• Is it easy to trust God? What about when it doesn’t make sense? 
• Who can we look to when we need help? (God)
• When we have a problem, where should we look? (to Jesus! Hebrews 12:1-2)
• Name some Bible characters who were afraid or nervous when God had a big job for them. (Gideon, Moses, Joshua, David…) Who’s strength did they use to get the job done? (God’s)
• Does God need us to be perfect? (No, just willing to do what He asks of us.)

Scripture

Here’s our main scripture for VBS this year:

Philippians 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say rejoice!

This verse begins Paul’s talk about worries in Philippians. He’s giving us the answer to worry from the get-go. What should we do when we feel worried? Rejoice in the Lord! Worship Him! When we choose to rejoice and worship Him, our worries fade from focus.

Here’s a song that can help us hide these words in our hearts.

We’re also playing Scripture Bingo during VBS! Each camper has a Bingo card with Scriptures listed on it. Choose a scripture (or a couple!) to work at memorizing this week (see the tips page for ideas to make it fun) then come recite your verses at Supply Pick Up this Saturday. When you recite a verse, you’ll receive a sticker on your bingo card from our helpers at the Basic Training tent. Get three in a row for a Scripture Bingo!

Worship

Don’t forget our VBS playlist found on the “Getting Started” page of our website! It’s full of all kinds of songs to remind us God is in control and we don’t have to worry!

REC

Movement Game – Parachute Waves

We’re going to make some waves! Grab a blanket or a large towel and have everyone stand around it, holding on to an edge. We’re going to pretend this “parachute” represents waves of water. Now toss on some of the plastic easter eggs. Take turns tossing the eggs gently and more “stormy”. Review the Bible story as you play.

Grounding Games

Throughout VBS we’re going to learn to become more aware of our worries so we can take our thoughts captive. This includes noticing how our bodies feel when we’re worried. Worries can make us feel tense, tired, cranky, or even make our tummies feel yucky. To get rid of some of these physical feelings, so we can begin to change our thinking, we can learn these simple grounding games. Here’s two more to try.

CAMP ACTIVITIES

Below are some activities to help campers remember to focus on Jesus.

Connect with the Story

Take out each camper’s coloring sheets – one with water, the other of Jesus. Have campers color first, then cut our around Jesus and attach him to the popsicle stick. Next, on the larger sheet of water, cut a slit along the dark horizontal line. Insert the Jesus stick puppet and watch Him walk on the water. See if your campers can retell the Bible story. 

Learn about our Worries

Now let’s take a look at the poster titled “Size of My Problem vs. Size of My Reaction”. As a group, lead your campers through the process of assessing a recent problem they – or YOU – have had. There are step by step instructions at the bottom. Be sure to review that God is able and willing to help us whether our problems are big or little! Thank Him for this! This is a great poster to leave up on the wall and refer to as a family as you move about this next week.  

Just for Fun

• Let’s make this flying bird as we remember how God provides for all creatures.

• Now get out the water beads and plastic easter eggs to create another fun sensory bin. Place the water beads in a large see-through container and cover them with water. Check on them periodically to watch them grow! See how many you can fit in an easter egg. Scoop and pour them. And everyone will be curious to squish at least one. 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Snack Ideas

• It’s time for a sweet treat to celebrate our last week of VBS. Visit this website for a recipe for Rice Krispie Treat Birds Nests. Jelly beans may be hard to come by this time of year, but you can substitute any candy favorite to represent eggs. Enjoy!

Additional Activities

• Included in your family supply bag is a carton of confetti eggs. You might choose to play a game with these first such as the egg-spoon relay or egg toss. Or you can set the campers free, armed with a couple each!

YOUTH CHALLENGE

Week 3: Focus on Jesus

Have you ever been to a museum? Take turns sharing about your favorite portrait, or piece of art, that you have seen. What was it about this painting that captured your gaze? Did it have strong, clean lines or soft, fluid strokes? One display that always gets my attention, is the picture that looks like a lot of tiny squares, or pixels, that actually has a hidden picture inside.

Take turns looking at the picture included in your bag.

Focus on it. Do you see the hidden picture? How long did you have to stare at the pixilated collage before you saw the real masterpiece? Did you get tired of looking and give up?

Similarly, Jesus calls us to focus on Him. Have the oldest child read Colossians 1:15.

Who does the Bible say that Jesus is? He is the image of the invisible God! That means that the more we look at Jesus, the more we see God. The more we focus on Jesus, the more we understand His character, His personality, and His attributes.

Share 3 ways we focus on Jesus.

(Reading the Bible, worship, the Lord’s Supper)

Draw a picture of one of God’s character traits that you have seen clearly this week.