Diving Deep into the Gather and Send Site

At ReNew, the day begins and ends at the Gather and Send site. Kids experience the Gather and Send space as a large group and the main focus of the site is to introduce the Bible story. Click here to see what the Gather and Send space could look like.

What do kids do during the Gather time?

At the beginning of the VBS day, kids will prepare for the day by singing, learning the Bible story, collecting the Mission Moment offering and begin their daily planting ritual. After the gather time is over, kids will rotate with other kids in their age group to the various activity sites, before regrouping at the end of the day. If a congregation is using the all kids option, the kids would stay together to experience the rest of the ReNew activities.

What is the Planting Ritual?

The ReNew planting ritual is a very important part of the ReNew VBS experience. Kids use their kid packs to make seedling pots, planting different seeds each day to remind us of God’s renewing love. The seedling pot consists of a portion of their bible book—so kids are planting God’s word as they grow in faith. Over the course of the week—kids will plant a “pizza garden” (organic tomato, basil, oregano, onion, and pepper seeds), which can be sustained, at church or at home.

Music! Music! Music!

Music is a very important part of the Gather and Send time. Kids will rock out to the seven original songs commissioned for ReNew—a great way to experience and dive deep into the Bible story—as well as enjoy the five “recycled” VBS favorites included in the music CD. The entire music CD is reproducible—you may consider making CDs for all of your kids, or sharing the music on iTunes. For music samples, click here.

How does the day end?

Kids celebrate the day by completing their planting ritual, reflecting on the day’s activities, singing songs, and choosing a ReNew It! Challenge to help carry VBS home. The ReNew It Challenges are intended as conversation starters for kids to share all of their VBS fun with their families. Kids get the chance to share their Challenge experiences with the group the next day.

To view actual Gather and Send samples and to see how ReNew may work for your congregation, click here.

"Upcycling" VBS continued...

Like I mentioned in my post earlier this week, when we were creating ReNew, we found that going green is a process—some changes are easier to make then others.

One of the most important things we wanted to accomplish was to make ReNew as green as possible. If ReNew is to be a starting point for congregations to begin caring for creation, it must strive to be the change that we want to see. To do so, we researched many different ways of green manufacturing and we learned a lot. For instance, we came across the term “greenwashing.” Green washing is saying something is green, but when you take a closer look at it, realize that it is not green, or that it is not as green as it could be.

So, to make ReNew as green as possible and to avoid “greenwashing” we enlisted help to research manufacturing companies with eco-friendly practices and were happily surprised to see the creative options manufacturers came back with. Soy-based inks! Biodegradable fabric! Recyclable banners!

Below is a list of all of the ReNew products and the unique ways that each product is green. I hope you are inspired by the imagination , quality and fun of these resources—and can visualize how they will help your VBS kids grow in faith, have fun and change the world!

Starter Kit Box
Made from recycled cardboard, the Starter Kit Box also serves as the
shipping box. It’s printed on both sides, with “ReNew It! Challenge”
Medallions to use during the Send time.

Program Guide
The binder is made from recycled cardboard, and the recycled paper
has been printed using soy-based inks.


Music CD & Program DVD
The ReNew Program DVD and ReNew Music CD are included in the
binder to keep everything in one place and to reduce packaging.

Work Belt
Made from a biodegradable fabric, the belt doubles as an easy way
to keep the Kid Packs together.

Bible Book
Printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks, the Bible Book
includes a “planting strip” section that kids cut out each day to
create a seed pot for their Daily Ritual.

Seed Starter
Made from recycled plastic, this tool is an easy and fun way
to get kids caring for creation.

Planting Pack
During the daily ritual, kids will plant seeds from the ReNew Planting
Pack to start a “pizza garden” (tomatoes, basil, onion, bell pepper,
and oregano) that they can grow either at church or at home with
their families.

Banner
Hang this banner indoors or outdoors to promote your VBS—and
then flip it around to display the “Welcome” side during your ReNew
VBS week. Printed on biodegradable fabric, the banner is extremely
durable but still earth-friendly. For an even “greener” approach,
keep it up to welcome people even after VBS is over.

Publicity Posters
These three posters are made of recycled paper and printed on both
sides using soy-based inks. Hang up one side to advertise ReNew
VBS, and then flip them around to serve as activity site signs once
VBS begins!

“Upcycling VBS”

Upcycling (def.): Creating something new and useful out of something disposable and used up.

When we imagined ReNew: the Green VBS, my coworker, Bethany and I wanted to create a truly unique and transformational experience for kids. Our research showed that a lot of the VBS offerings on the market are very similar. They certainly look fun, are centered in Scripture and provide a lot of “stuff” to engage kids, but ultimately none were very inspiring to us or fueled our creative spirit as we tried to imagine what a “green VBS” could be.

How could we create something new and amazing in a world of theme based VBS? Could we “upcycle” VBS?

We decided to open our Bibles, and were sparked into action by Jesus’ Parable of the Sower. Jesus told parables to teach people about God’s loving reign and to turn people’s hearts toward God. Parables are simple stories that often have a surprising twist.

God’s love, the gospel, is planted within us. When it takes root and grows within us, we are prepared to face challenges and to share love with others, including God’s creation.

By focusing on Jesus’ Parable of the Sower during the ReNew VBS week, kids and adults are listening deeply to Jesus as he shares God’s dream of reconciling the whole world. Following Jesus means showing love—to all of God’s creation. We have an active role as co-creators in the renewing of the earth.

This active expression of faith—kids growing, learning and sharing with their church community and greater community is what truly “upcycles” VBS.

Next, we had to think of what it means to be “green.” With what is out there today, green seems to mean a lot of things. Ultimately, going green is a process—some changes are easier to make than others. The ReNew activities are based on green practices; we offer many options to go “greener” or “greenest.” ReNew is a starting point in caring for creation. It is an active way for kids and adults to demonstrate faith and celebrate and share their gifts.



Check back later this week to learn more about how the ReNew leader and learner resources were created and discover all of the tips and tricks on how you can use and reuse them for your VBS and beyond!!!

Free ReNew Web Seminars!

Sign up for free ReNew seminars!

https://sparkhouse.webex.com/mw0306l/mywebex/default.do?siteurl=sparkhouse

These seminars will help ReNew fans discover how their kids can grow in faith, have fun and change the world next summer with an amazing VBS experience.

You will:

• Explore how kids will engage with Jesus' The Parable of the Sower over a weeklong Vacation Bible School experience.
• Learn how kids will encounter the Bible story and practice their faith at the ReNew activity sites.
• View sample lessons and leader material.

Sign up today!

Win a copy of Julie Clawson's book Everyday Justice

There's still time to enter to win a copy of Everyday Justice by commenting at http://tinyurl.com/ylru42f [http://tinyurl.com/ylru42f] or http://tinyurl.com/yfm76ls [http://tinyurl.com/yfm76ls]

If you are unfamiliar with the book, Everyday Justice explores how our daily actions (like what we eat or wear) connect us to people around the world. These daily actions can often though support systems of injustice that cheat and oppress people. Everyday Justice gives biblical support for why seeking justice for the oppressed is a faith issue and gives practical everyday suggestions for how we can choose to subvert systems of oppression and demonstrate love to others instead. (copy taken from http://julieclawson.com/).

Julie was recently a presenter at Christianity 21, an event that was sponsored and attended by us at sparkhouse.

Green Halloween!

Check this link out for tips and tricks for having a green Halloween!

http://www.thegreenguide.com/home-garden/holidays/green-halloween [http://www.thegreenguide.com/home-garden/holidays/green-halloween]

Have you seen the Story of Stuff?

Have you seen the Story of Stuff?

What is it?

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

Check it out!

http://www.storyofstuff.com/