Outreach in Blue Earth

Vacation Bible School blossomed in Blue Earth and embraced community families with the joy of Jesus. St. Paul Lutheran Church in Blue Earth was the recipient of a $1,000 Lutheran Church Extension Fund Minnesota South District Outreach Event Grant in 2011. Funds helped promote and provide materials for a comprehensive VBS that focused on reaching out into their community with a theme of Go Fish. The congregation hosted supper each night of VBS during the week of July 11-15, and they followed up with a county fair booth sharing not only the VBS success but also promoting their upcoming youth events, Sunday School and Release Time opportunities for the coming year. Nearly 70 students attended during the week consisting of 39% who were not current members of any LCMS congregation. St. Paul members now focus on communicating with members and non-members alike throughout the year to build upon those relationships born from that week of VBS.

HOW THEY DID IT . . .

• 2011 VBS Go Fish theme introduced to Sunday School students on the last day of Sunday School in the spring of 2011 to generate enthusiasm and encourage current students to invite others to VBS.
• Church bulletins, newsletters, displays, and posters were used in-house to encourage pre-registration and outreach.
• Local radio stations and the cable TV community access channel’s bulletin board publicized VBS to the community.
• 1,400 door hanger bags containing information about and invitations to VBS at St. Paul Lutheran (SPL) were distributed throughout the city of Blue Earth prior to VBS (this covered our entire community).
• SPL participated in Blue Earth’s local celebration, Giant Days, the weekend before the start of VBS with a concession stand downtown and a walking unit in the parade; both were used to highlight VBS@SPL. Tootsie Rolls and bookmarks were distributed along the parade route.
• VBS was held July 11-15 from 5:30-8:30 each evening; supper was served daily at 5:00 PM.
• 67 students (preschool through 6th grade) and 34 youth and adult staff participated in VBS; enrollment increased throughout the week (55 on Monday, 59 on Tuesday, 63 on Wednesday, 67 on Thursday and Friday) with nightly attendance averaging 52.
• 29 of the 67 students were nonmembers (43%, our goal was to top the 2010-2011 school year’s combined Sunday School/Release Time* nonmember enrollment of 24%).
• 3 of the 29 nonmembers were members of sister LCMS congregations, the other 26 = 39% of VBS enrollment; again, our goal was to top 24%.
• Three times during the week of VBS, notes were sent home with students inviting them to sing during and join in fellowship after the Sunday morning service following VBS.
• On the last night of VBS, each family received a Go Fish Guys CD and a thank-you for attending VBS.
• The next week, our booth at the Faribault County Fair highlighted the VBS that we had just had and encouraged enrollment in fall Sunday School and Release Time classes; Go Fish music and a slideshow of pictures taken during VBS were presented.
• Following VBS, a computer database was created to track members and nonmembers attendance/participation in VBS, Sunday School, and Release Time classes.
• There are currently 165 students (preschool through 8th grade) listed on the database who have had some contact with SPL during the last two school years.
• One nonmember, a 3rd grader who came to VBS, rode along with a member family to attend a Go Fish concert in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in August.
• Also in August, letters were mailed to nonmembers on the database inviting them to Sunday School and Release Time classes starting in September.
• Sunday School enrollment for the 2011-2012 school year (preschool through 6th grade) is 53, including 4 nonmembers (8%); attendance has been averaging 43 students/Sunday.
• Release Time enrollment for the 2011-2012 school year (1st through 6th grade) is 64, including 26 nonmembers (41%); attendance has been averaging 61 students/Wednesday.
• All students, and their families, members and nonmembers alike, are regularly informed of current and upcoming youth activities at SPL.
• Students who have missed Sunday School for two consecutive weeks are sent a Missing “u” in S nday School note; consecutive absences from Release Time classes rarely occur.
• For VBS@SPL in 2012, we are dividing the age groups; three-year-olds through those who have completed 4th grade will have a separate VBS from older students; students who have completed 5th through 7th grade will attend a Middle School retreat; our 8th grade confirmands will be joining our high school students on a camping trip to the Black Hills.
• SPL is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2012; building on our history (The first Walther League in Minnesota was incorporated at SPL in October, 1917.), our youth plan to resurrect the idea of and host a Walther League Circuit Rally.

*Blue Earth Area Schools is one of two remaining school districts in the state of Minnesota with Release Time agreements with local congregations.  On Wednesdays, Blue Earth Area students are released from the public school to attend 90 minutes of religious instruction.  Grades 4-6 attend in the morning; grades 1-3 attend in the afternoon.