Last week, a fan on ReNew’s Facebook page shared a really great DIY project. For those of you getting ready for VBS, take a peak at the innovative name tags one congregation created for ReNew. The best part? They’re upcycled from a birch log!

To make your own, cut thin slices off the end of a narrow log. Use a hole puncher or scissors to make small holes along the top. Find a fun yarn that will be sturdy enough to withstand several days of activity. Enjoy!

Has your congregation gotten creative with decorations or crafts for ReNew? Share your ideas with us! We’d love to hear how everything is going.

During VBS, kids will plant ReNew seed packs as a reminder of God’s renewing love. Each ReNew Bible Book comes with a set of seed packs, providing kids with tomato, basil, onion, oregano, and pepper seeds to grow their very own pizza garden.

With so many fun ways to get seeds growing, we started brainstorming a list of creative (and low budget!) ways for your VBS kids explore the Parable of the Sower as they watch their seedlings sprout.

• Start collecting toilet paper rolls. Kids can begin growing seeds in them during VBS, then bring the rolls home to place outside or in larger pots. And the best part is you can plant the whole thing – it’ll break down in the soil! Here is a great tutorial on how to make these simple, practical seed starters.
• We recently heard from a church who used ReNew last summer, and aquired egg cartons from congregants to grow their ReNew seed packs. Kids planted a seed a day, then brought their carton home at the end of the week.
• No need to throw away egg shells; turn them into tiny seed starters. Crack open eggs for a scrambled treat, then carefully wash out the remaining shells. This is another great way to use biodegradable products for planting! Here are some step-by-step instructions.

image source

With Earth Day right around the corner, now’s a great time to encourage kids and adults of all ages in your congregation to grow in faith, have fun, and change the world. Consider using this tree planting activity from ReNew to organize an intergenerational event. It’s a fun way to create awareness for your summer VBS program AND celebrate environmental stewardship.

Last month at Children’s Ministry Forum in San Antonio, TX, we met a congregation who is thinking about creation care in new and exciting ways. Five years ago, First Church in Redding, CA began to, as they told us, “focus on how our congregation could respond to our responsibility as stewards of the earth”. Reading books and watching environmental films just wasn’t enough. They also wanted to get the members of their church more active in the community.

After realizing their town wasn’t celebrating Earth Day, they decided to hold an event: the Whole Earth and Watershed Festival.  The day-long outdoor event featured a group of 20 exhibitors and brought in approximately 400 attendees. As they told us, their “‘big tent’ philosophy included local and regional businesses, non-profits, government agencies, edcational organizations, and community groups”. The event was a success, and continues to grow in momentum. Last year over 4,000 people from around California showed up!

Besides being a great opportunity for community outreach, the Whole Earth and Watershed Festival offers a wide variety of educational and fun children, youth, and family activities. First Church’s focus on stewardship embodies ReNew, and we were thrilled to find out about their interest in the curriculum. We can’t wait to hear how the festival goes this year!

How is your congregation growing in faith, having fun, and changing the world? We’d love to learn more about your plans for local outreach and how you’re using ReNew this summer!

image source: http://www.wholeearthandwatershedfestival.org/

Here’s a fun idea that will help your kids start thinking about ReNew even in the winter months!

Invite someone from your congregation or a local farmer or gardener who practices sustainable agriculture to share his or her story. Encourage your guest to bring tools of the trade or pictures of their produce. The key theme of this discussion, which will come up again during ReNew, is “What challenges do you face, and what do you do about them?” This is a great question to ask your guest!

Once summer rolls around and VBS begins, you can use some of the farmer’s produce for snacks or the gardener’s flowers for decoration! Remind kids of the guest’s story, and ask it to keep them in mind as they learn more about The Parable of the Sower.

Many of you maybe wondering what makes this VBS curriculum different. Besides being a flexible program that encourages hope, opportunity, and service, ReNew is based on one story: Jesus’ Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-9). This allows kids to explore the parable in-depth, rather than trying to learn multiple non-consecutive stories over a short period of time.

Digging into the story from the perspectives of Self, Community, and World also allows kids to relate to the text and build a relationship with the Bible.  Even more importantly, ReNew weaves together rich Biblical imagery with engaging activities kids love, resulting in a deeper, more memorable experience of God’s Word.

Each day at ReNew, kids hear the entire Bible story, but then focus on one section of it to discover what the passage means for them and how it relates to caring for God’s creation.  From Day One’s “A Sower Went Out to Sow” to Day Five’s “Good Soil”, each lesson is centered on stewardship.  Kids learn, create, and change the world while putting their faith into action to impact your community.  Be sure to check out lesson samples and read what others who used ReNew said about this inspirational VBS program!

What stewardship activities are important to you? How do you see ReNew creating change in your congregation?

Exciting news from sparkhouse! This year, ReNew: The Green VBS is back and even greener than before! With a downloadable Program Guide and streamlined kids’ resources, ReNew is focused on the stewardship of God’s creation in new and innovative ways. Grounded in the Jesus’ Parable of the Sower, ReNew empowers kids through hope, opportunity, and service.

As you may know, ReNew is an environmentally focused Vacation Bible School that inspires kids to grow in faith, have fun, and change the world.   Each day, kids learn how to be good stewards of God’s creation while participating in the Self, Community, and World activity sites.  You can easily take a peek at some samples, listen to downloads of the Renew Music CD, or watch Activity Site decorating videos!

The kids’ resources include ReNew Bible Books, which illustrate the Parable of the Sower and provide age-appropriate daily activities.  With each Bible book purchase, you’ll receive the ReNew Seed Packs for free.  The packs include tomato, basil, green pepper, oregano, and onion seeds – when grown together, kids can make their very own pizza gardens!

Experience the change your kids can make with ReNew: The Green VBS.  To read more about churches who used ReNew, visit our testimonials page.  And don’t forget to join us on Facebook!

We hope you’re as excited about ReNew as we are! Let us know how your congregation would use this unique curriculum.

Recently, Pastor Wendy of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Florham Park, NJ was kind enough to share details about her congregation’s VBS program. They used ReNew, and had a wonderful time growing in faith, having fun, and changing the world!

ReNew Team: What made you choose ReNew?

Pastor Wendy: We chose ReNew because of its subject matter.  We are a congregation interested in teaching children about the care of creation.  As pastor, I loved the fact that it stayed with one scripture text and allowed us to explore it in a number of ways.  One four year old loved being the “seed” in the sound effects exploration of the passage.  I will never forget her “wee” as she got to grow just a little bit among the rocks.

RT: Did the children react positively to the new/different curriculum?

PW: The children were filled with smiles and laughter and enthusiasm everyday.  We adapted it to a rotation format as that works best in our facility.  Each rotation site used material from the starter kit and allowed for a variety of exploration especially with science.

RT: How did ReNew fit your congregation’s needs?

PW: We used teenagers to direct games and science. Older women led arts and crafts.  Good Shepherd believes in all age groups being active in the life of the congregation so when the teenagers get to be leaders, it is a wonderful experience.  It gives them an early start in witnessing to their faith.  I like that the children who participate can see the various generations as leaders.

The photo pictured above was a cross that the kids made with repurposed materials.  Pastor Wendy shared that, “Seven grocery bags of clothes were donated to the American Red Cross and some toys and sports equipment is being donated to a local social service agency for use in their recreation program.  These were the items the children brought in as part of the reuse activity that was suggested.”

Thanks to Pastor Wendy and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church for sharing insightful comments about using ReNew!

Wondering how your congregation can get involved? Follow ReNew on Facebook and Twitter for some great insights into creation care, green living, and faith formation!

We’ve heard from tons of folks who already completed their VBS programs, and the votes are in: ReNew has provided churches with new ways to experience God’s Word and celebrate stewardship.  It’s also helped kids better understand their impact on the environment by ‘thinking globally and acting locally’.  From green teams to community gardens, churches are putting faith into action!

What’s your favorite part of ReNew?  Is it the Self Activity Sites, where “Scattered Seed Cards” remind kids that they can spread God’s love by sharing cards, or the “Art of Redemption” project, where kids learn that trash can be turned into artwork?  What about your kids’ Pizza Gardens?  Or, if your church already has a garden, how has the community aspect of ReNew reinforced exploration and learning?

For those of you who haven’t yet started ReNew, what is the thing you are most excited about?  Is it the prospect of Eco Art, or that kids will be learning about what foods help them stay healthy and keep them rooted in the goodness of creation?

image source: NeighborsAbbey.org