Vacation Bible Camp is an excellent opportunity for outreach, not only to your church family with children but also to the greater community. Learn how Church of the Resurrection plans and organizes Vacation Bible Camp around a common theme and executes for all age levels.

In this Resource, you will find: detailed lesson plans for Early Childhood through 5th grade, large group time drama, graphics and videos, volunteer training materials, missions details and more. Everything you need to provide an amazing experience for your kiddos is included, from detailed craft plans and snack ideas to recreation plans and how to pull off a successful shaving cream party.  Feel free to use bits and pieces or the entire thing!  

Our theme, Jesus & Me, was based on the books Wonder, Auggie & Me and 365 Days of Wonder written by R.J. Palacio.  If you haven’t had a chance to read them, we encourage you to do so!  She has also written a book for younger readers titled We’re All Wonders.  These books inspired a move to Choose Kind, teaching empathy, compassion and acceptance.  In the story, the children learn from a favorite teacher about precepts (rules for very important things, mottos, famous quotes and things to help motivate and guide us).  We decided to take the week of VBC to teach our kids three precepts:
    
Precept 1:
You should treat people in the same way that you want people to treat you.  Matthew 7:12

Precept 2:
“I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”  Psalm 139:14

Precept 3:
Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as you ever can.
    -Commonly known as John Wesley’s Rule

This series of Lenten sermons from Church of the Resurrection recounts Christ’s dying hours and his final words as seen and heard through the eyes and ears of those who stood near the cross. Each week focuses on one of the characters at the cross and reflects upon one of the seven final statements of Jesus, seeking to understand the meaning of Jesus’ dying words for our lives today. You will find here series resources, along with the weekly sermons.

In the early days of the church the season of Lent was a time to prepare new believers for the sacrament of baptism. While some Christians still participate in Lent for this, most Christians today embrace Lent as a time of repentance, reflection and fasting and strive to turn their full attention to God. One of the ways Christians turn their attention to God is to choose to give up something they value—chocolate, screen-time or social media, candy, food or certain foods, etc. We choose to give something up to remind ourselves who really sustains us—Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. For this reason, Church of the Resurrection encourages people to not only give something up, but to take something on. For example, some take on more regular Scripture reading and study, giving time to volunteer or in some other way giving something of themselves for the sake of others.
Thus, this journal is built around the questions:
What will you give up?
What will you take on?
We’ve created this Lenten Journal for you to use as a guide. A spiritual guide, that will work with our weekend Lenten worship services. We pray the guide will help you in giving something up, but also in taking something on. The guide is designed to help you read Scripture daily, reflect on and apply what you read, pray and consider tangible responses to serve God and others.