Internet
Explorer users will notice that the reviews are organized in a collapsible
outline. Simply click on a question and the answer will appear below it.
Resource: Pilgrimage:
Seeking the Kingdom of God
Written
by:
Phyllis
Vos Wezeman, Anna L. Liechty, and Judith Harris Chase
Published
by: Active
Learning Associates, Inc. (Tel. 219-255-3570), 1998
Denomination:
This resource is not
affiliated with any denomination..
-
Is this a "permanent" resource (i.e. you buy it once and you can reuse it over many years) or a "dated" resource (i.e. it is produced for just one summer, with a new one coming out each year)?
This VBS resource is not dated. This is a “permanent” resource which can be used several times with some modifications. - What
are the main goals or aims of this VBS resource?
The goal of this VBS resource is to help people who live in a fast-paced culture learn how to be seekers of the kingdom of God, and to learn that life is a journey and a process of becoming. - What
is the content (i.e. particular Bible stories, a theological theme,
questions, etc.)?
There are five sessions in this VBS resource. There are five themes per session, all ultimately leading to the main theme: Seeking the Kingdom of God. The smaller themes are Knowing Ourselves, Knowing Each Other, Knowing the Creator, Knowing the Savior, and Knowing the Holy Spirit. There is a Bible story and a story of a saint relating to the theme of each session. The sessions are “pilgrimages” during the Middle Ages to a site related to the saint. - For
what ages is it intended, and how are they grouped?
This resource is intended mainly for children, but people of all ages will benefit from the experience. The participants (“pilgrims”) are not grouped by age but into Guilds, after the medieval fashion. - What
is the structure of a week, a day, and/or class session in this VBS
program? What kinds of activities do learners engage in?
There are many structures that this VBS resource could be made to fit, such as five sessions in five consecutive mornings, afternoons, evenings, or even a three-day retreat. A basic session would look like: 15 min. Pilgrim Gathering: Arrival Time - Participants are assigned to Guilds. 35 min. Town Assembly: Opening - Participants come together and learn a bit about the day’s session while warming up. 25 min. Guild Meeting: Overview - Participants, in their Guilds, learn more about the session’s saint, site, and memory verse. 60 min. Street Fair - Learning activities emphasizing the day’s theme are offered by Artisans at booths along with a snack. Participants visit all the booths to learn about the session’s saint, site, Bible story and memory verse. 10 min. Guild Meeting: Sharing - Participants, in their Guilds, share what they have learned and made that day. 15 min. Town Assembly: Closing - Participants review main points of the day. 5 min. Guild Dismissal - Each Guild dismisses its own members - What
kind of teachers would you need if you were using this VBS program?
Teachers for this VBS program should be caring, compassionate volunteers who work well with others. One would need three levels of teachers: Master Craftspeople (adult leaders who are well acquainted with the craft they represent), Journeypeople (Master Craftperson’s helper, youth), and Artisans (adults who take care of the booths). - What
space, resources, additional staffing, and other resources would you need to
use this VBS appropriately?
One would need a large room for town assemblies, smaller rooms for each Guild, and a large room or an outdoors space for arrival time and the Street Fair. The kinds of resources needed are things like medieval costumes for participants and personnel, color-coded materials for each Guild, furniture, snacks, materials for activities at the Street Fair, maps of the Sites, publicity materials, certificates, and name tags as well as a sound system, music and various arts and crafts materials. Additional staff, like a facility coordinator, music coordinator, publicity coordinator, snack coordinator, chaperones, and storytellers are also needed. - What
view of children, their development, their faith, and their ways of learning
are implicit in this VBS material?
This VBS resource is designed upon the understanding that children learn best in an experiential, hands-on environment. This resource emphasizes the “process” nature of faith development. - As
this VBS resource treats it, what IS the Bible, how is it interpreted, and
how is it used in the VBS?
The Bible is used as a source of stories that introduce the theme of each session. Each Bible story is told in connection with the story of a saint, reinforcing the theme. - What
theological concepts or themes are central in this VBS?
This VBS resource focuses on the theological concept, “Seeking the Kingdom of God.” The role models of biblical and historical people of faith demonstrate what it means to follow Christ’s command to seek first the kingdom of God. - How
does the promotional material (advertising or marketing pieces) relate to
the substantive content of the VBS (in other words, does it have slick
packaging, and does the packaging really have anything to do with the
content of the VBS program)?
There isn’t exactly a marketing or advertising piece besides the cover, if that can be counted one. The resource has slick packaging (a nice, colorful, eye-catching cover with the title and theme) and the packaging corresponds directly to the actual material. - What is
the cost of this resource? If a small church with 25 people attending
VBS wanted to use this material, how much would they have to spend? If
a large church with 100 people attending VBS wanted to use this material,
how much would they spend?
This resource, the handbook only, costs $ 75.95. The cost of the materials needed for the activities depends on what the church and congregation may already have, but even providing that, this program needs too many resources. Therefore it may be too expensive for a small church. However, a larger church would be able to manage it. - Over
all, what do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of this VBS resource?
One strength of this VBS resource is that the VBS program engages the learners in a learning experiences with “hands-on” techniques that involve all the senses: role playing, games, music, art, etc. Another strength is that this resource weaves Bible stories, stories of saints, and the narrator’s stories in order to deliver the teachings of Jesus. A weakness of this resource is that a lot of resource materials are needed, and some of the materials are very expensive. Another weakness is that a young child may not be able to understand the concept of Guilds, apprentices, etc., and so may not learn very much. When you use this resource for young children, you may need to give the children enough background information on medieval culture or modify the program, according to the ability of the participants.