H resource ighlight
Deb Lew
Dive in to VBs inter. Frigid winds race over a blanket of smothering snow, while freezing sleet pelts the landscape. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that summer really will come again, but in just a few short months, it will be here. Summer is Vacation Bible School season, and SeaQuest: Diving for God’s Treasure embodies several improvements to RBP’s Vacation Bible School. Encouraging students to dive into God’s Word to find valuable treasure for their lives, SeaQuest teaches seven of Jesus’ parables in five lessons. Students are challenged to give God first place in their lives and to use their God-given treasures of time, talents, and money to serve Him. The theme verse, “I
have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3), reveals God’s deep love for people; SeaQuest encourages students to reciprocate that love by choosing to obey God’s commands. Gospel emphasis. Regular Baptist Press has always emphasized a careful presentation of the gospel in its curriculum. This year, SeaQuest benefits from even better gospel integration. In the spring of last year, Peg Arnold, creative manager of Vacation Bible School, traveled to Child Evangelism Fellowship headquarters in St. Louis, Mo., to meet and train with the organization, learning how they integrate the gospel into every part of their Bible lessons. Peg has worked very hard to apply that training. The result? A VBS so saturated with the gospel that each component points directly to the good news of salvation. In fact, CEF has selected RBP’s gospel-oriented SeaQuest to be the only VBS it markets to its children’s ministries. Spectacular graphics. RBP’s skilled graphic designers January/February 2010
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have used new 3-D technology to create beautiful underwater scenes in four-color posters. The theme poster’s glittering treasure chest and lifelike divers evoke a sense of excitement and mystery, and its incredibly detailed coral reef and looming shipwreck easily capture people’s attention. The VBS SeaQuest poster set includes five exciting underwater scenes ranging from the wonder of swimming with killer whales to the intrigue of the exploration of a shrouded bathyscaphe to the carefree journey of the sea turtle’s traveling with a school of fish. Not only do the posters benefit from the new designs, but most of the other products also share the improved graphics. Every book cover reflects the new look, and a plethora of other products—including VBS postcards, VBS doorknob hangers, and even VBS bulletin covers—have received threedimensional designs. Fresh music. The SeaQuest music CD includes worship songs by Keith Getty, widely known for his collaboration in writing “In Christ Alone” with songwriter Stuart Townend (“How Deep the Father’s Love for Us”). The music CD also features Keith Hadley’s catchy SeaQuest theme song, “Dive Right In!” as well as arrangements of popular hymns, a Patch the Pirate song, and other VBS favorites. The SeaQuest music CD presents another new element: Most of the songs have two different accompaniment tracks—a vocal track with a piano-only accompaniment, and a vocal track with a fresh sounding instrumental accompaniment. Adult ministries. SeaQuest includes a place for adults as well as young people. James T. Dyet’s Discovering Priceless Treasure
teaches the same lessons as the children’s lessons do, but Dyet’s careful application of the Biblical truths helps adults understand and relate the truths to their own lives. Sunday School classes can partner with the adult Bible study by praying that parents will not just drop off their children but will stay. Friendly church members can greet parents dropping off and picking up their children and invite those parents to the Bible study area for coffee and refreshments. Discovering Priceless Treasure can evangelize and edify adult learners. New website. SeaQuest’s interactive website (www.RBPvbs.org) is easily navigable and highly informative, and it also includes descriptions of most VBS products with the product’s code, its title, and its price. All materials can be easily ordered through the secure checkout in RBP’s online store. The SeaQuest website also features audio clips. A short clip introduces the puppet script, and the music page includes 30-second clips of SeaQuest music in both the piano and instrumental versions. Full-length versions of “Dive Right In!” and “Everlasting Love” are available, as well as the piano-only rendition of “The Best Place.” SeaQuest’s website offers other features. Newly produced streaming videos introduce not only the VBS itself but also the 2010 missions project. GARBC International Ministries Director Chris Hindal narrates the video highlighting the 2010 missions project, Operation Love: Kenya—Building a Home for Children. The SeaQuest promotional video introduces the lesson for each day as well as presents the contents of the SeaQuest Kit. Sample clip art and coloring pages can be downloaded for free, and sample pages of each book can be viewed. In addition to the RBP VBS Community, SeaQuest even has its own Facebook fan page and can be followed on Twitter! Although it is not quite summer yet, now is a great time to prepare for VBS. Regular Baptist Press’s improvements will make SeaQuest: Diving for God’s Treasure well worth the wait. It’s time to hop onto RBP’s website. It’s time to check out SeaQuest. It’s almost time to dive! Deb Lew is an editorial assistant for Regular Baptist Press.
DIVE RIGHT IN for an exciting, life-changing adventure! Easy-to-Use • Evangelistic Fun & Creative • Bible-Centered
To learn more, visit www.rbpVBS.org 38 |
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January/February 2010