PLANNING CALENDAR - 3 to 6 Months Prior

 
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  1. Three to Six Months Before Power Lab
  2. Two to Three Months Before Power Lab
  3. Eight Weeks Before Power Lab
  4. Four Weeks Before Power Lab
  5. Two Weeks Before Power Lab
  6. One Week Before Power Lab
  7. During Power Lab
  8. After Power Lab

Three to Six Months Before Power Lab

Begin praying for your church's Power Lab.

Ask God to prepare the hearts of church members, workers, and children who will attend.

Choose a format for your Power Lab.

  1. Will you meet in the morning, afternoon, or evening?
  2. Will you meet every day for a week or once a week for several weeks?
  3. Will your program be for children only, or will entire families be invited to attend?
  4. Will you meet at your church or another location?

Set Power Lab dates.

As you're considering dates, you may want to find out about other summer programs offered by your church or your community so you can avoid conflicts.

Choose a director.

The director is responsible for planning, recruiting staff, and overseeing all details to ensure that Power Lab flows smoothly. For an even easier adventure, consider recruiting a Crew Leader Director who will train, encourage, and check in on crew leaders throughout Power Lab. (Remember, your new favorite word is delegate!)

Set a budget.

Look through the entire Power Lab catalog to get an idea of what you'll need for your program. Write down the cost of each item you'll need, and then tally the total cost to set your budget. Your church may already include VBS in its budget. If so, find out what funds are available. If your church doesn't have a VBS budget in place, don't worry! Money for a quality VBS program needn't be a stumbling block. There are countless ways that you can easily (and painlessly) raise the funds you need. Consider the following ideas:

  1. Collect an offering to cover expenses.
  2. Charge a per-child registration fee for Power Lab. Give discounts to families that register more than one child.
  3. Invite congregation members to "sponsor" children by contributing a per-child amount. (See the "Registration" section of the Director Manual for more specifics on this idea.)
  4. Hold a creative fundraiser! Turn a boring bake sale into a science fair! Recruit a few volunteers to bake tasty treats, but give the goodies "sciency" names. For example, plain old chocolate chip cookies might become Cocoa-Sucrose Fusion Spheres, or marshmallow treats could be called Electro-Crisp Cubes.
  5. Use the easy "Stretch Your Budget" Kit (found in your Power Lab Starter Kit). With this simple kit, it's a snap to raise money, excitement, and awareness for your Power Lab.

Start collecting decorations.

Look for mylar balloons, old CD's, rope lights, neon material, hair gel (which makes excellent slime!), and hula hoops. You might even let members of your congregation know what you're looking for so they can keep their eyes and ears open for potential decorations.

Come see www.groupoutlet.com.

It's bubbling with the wackiest decorations you've ever seen. Banners, bulletin board cutouts, T-shirts, and more are all at www.groupoutlet.com! You'll find decorating delights, clothing, Power Lab exclusives, and more resources at bargain prices.

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