Unsexy Church

Season 3 Episode 22: VBS | Vacation Bible School 2026

• First Baptist Tampa • Season 1 • Episode 22

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The Unsexy Church Podcast

New episodes drop every Wednesday Morning

ABOUT THE PODCAST

The Unsexy Church is a weekly podcast exploring the real, everyday life within our church family. Each week, join Pastor Bob (Senior Pastor) and Darren (Worship & Discipleship Pastor) as they sit down to discuss a wide variety of subjects—from deep theological questions to the practical, often "unsexy" work of following Jesus and building a healthy local church.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO THRIVE?

We want to help every person make a genuine commitment to follow Jesus and then follow through with that commitment in Connecting People to a Thriving Life in Christ. These Thriving disciples should Dig In to the Bible, Grow Up in Christ, and Branch Outinto the community.

Our Mission: To Connect People to a Thriving Life in Christ. What is a thriving life in Christ? Scripture says that Jesus Christ came “that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Our mission in the city of Tampa is to make disciples who follow the pattern of the believer in Psalm 1 and desire God’s glory above all things.

NEXT STEPS

Are you looking to get connected or learn more about First Baptist Tampa? We would love to help you find your place in our community.

STAY CONNECTED

Wherever you are in life, you have a purpose. First Baptist Tampa wants to help you find your next step.

Our Student & Young Adult Ministries:

Welcome And Weekend Highlights

SPEAKER_04

Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the Unsexy Church Podcast, a podcast ministry of First Baptist Church of Tampa, where our mission is to help you connect to a thriving life in Christ. Good afternoon, everybody. Hey. Oh, a new voice. Bob, your voice has changed. Not that much. That's not Bob's voice. That is the voice of our children's minister, Minister, Olivia Grace Dobson. Whoa, government name. What'd you do wrong? That's how you know she's probably a lot to do. We're glad that you're here today. We just had a great weekend here at uh FBC Tampa. Um we did something very different than what we normally would do on a Sunday morning. In the middle of our service, we ordained a deacon. We did. That was pretty cool. That was actually really cool.

SPEAKER_03

It wasn't the original plan, but uh the individual that we ordained wasn't available when we ordained the other men, and so we didn't want to wait, and we thought, well, let's just do it on a Sunday morning. So it was kind of cool. Yeah. That is cool. Very cool.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, Steven, I I guess I could say his name on can I say his name on the I you just did, so yeah, it's okay. Yeah, I'm sure Stephen would not mind. Stephen Campbell, uh most most newest, freshest. Most newest, most ordained deacon. We're glad that we're we're glad that that that he is here. We're glad that he's one of our deacons. We're glad that his family is a part of our church. Uh super, super family. If you don't know them, get to know them. Do you have a good weekend, Olivia? It's a holiday weekend. We're a day late, right? We normally do this on Monday. It's Tuesday.

SPEAKER_00

Which is confusing, it feels like Monday.

SPEAKER_04

Really does. And we usually do this in the morning. And because of Olivia, we're not doing it until after. All right.

SPEAKER_00

Whatever. I can normally hear you guys through my office. My office is on the other side of the wall that separates the podcast room. Yes. I can hear you hee hee and haha in here. You're welcome. Yeah, it's so good.

SPEAKER_04

Yes. Yeah. We uh so we've got Olivia Dotson in here today. The reason we have her today is because um we this is a busy week. Yes, it is. This building is crawling with people because they are getting ready for the classic. Doesn't get any better than that. Just doesn't get any better than that. The original, the OG. Actually, it's not the original OG. No, but uh we're gonna stick in the original OG uh VBS music here in just a minute, but uh but that brings back lots lots of memory. That one's been around a while, though. Yeah, yeah. That's been around a long time.

SPEAKER_03

Fun stuff. So they're they're out, the the uh people are out decorating all around the building this week.

SPEAKER_00

They're on the third floor, fourth floor, sanctuary, basement. There's children everywhere. It's a fun time.

SPEAKER_04

Yes, yeah. And uh, and not it hasn't just been this. I mean, this is the climax week, right? But they've been we started in December. Yeah. We've had people here since December

The Build Up To VBS Week

SPEAKER_04

working on painting, creating. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

We do one big meeting in December where the decoration teams will sit together and look at the curriculum and look at what you know LifeWay recommends and all that, and then we'll come up with our own stuff, and that happens then, and then once a week from So what you're saying is we look at what LifeWay recommends, we throw that in the garbage, and then we call it.

SPEAKER_04

We bounce off of it. Oh, okay. Bounce off of it. I gotcha.

SPEAKER_00

Anyway, so then from January on, once a week, there's ladies in the basement painting, creating everything up until now.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, they're super talented, man. It the stuff they come up with is really good.

SPEAKER_00

It's amazing.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, it really is. Uh we'll talk more about the theme here in a minute, but when I heard the theme originally, I'm like, what in the world? That's how we felt too. How are they gonna do and it's really looks pretty cool? Yeah, it came together really well. We'll talk more about that here in just a second. But before that, I do have a fun fact for the thing.

SPEAKER_03

I was gonna say, we're uh we're not just blowing by the fun facts of the week, are we? No, no, no. Okay.

SPEAKER_04

Since we do have our resident VBS expert in the room with the guru. Yeah, the VBS guru. Um, I wanted to ask her if she knew when the first recognized VBS occurred.

SPEAKER_00

Wasn't it? But it was Annie Armstrong.

SPEAKER_04

Nope.

SPEAKER_00

But no, but didn't she do it? Wasn't she involved in that?

SPEAKER_04

I'm sure she was part of it at some point. Sure.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, hmm. I I do not know that answer.

SPEAKER_04

I mean, she was a I mean, this is like her contemporaries for sure. Would you be surprised that it wasn't a Baptist? Oh.

SPEAKER_03

I would not be.

SPEAKER_04

It was not a Baptist. 1894. Where where do you think?

SPEAKER_03

Think big city.

SPEAKER_00

Just think of any big city. Tampa.

SPEAKER_04

Hopedale, Illinois, actually.

SPEAKER_00

That's a big city.

SPEAKER_04

That was back in the day.

SPEAKER_00

Oh.

SPEAKER_04

Uh Maddie Pritchard Miles, the wife of a Methodist minister, uh, started the first VBS. You think you got it rough? She did hers for a whole month. Month long. That sounds kind of fun. That's the first VBS, 1894, a month long. But to Bob's point, large city, the where it got its broad appeal in 1898, so just a few short years later, um a woman named Virginia or Eliza Hawes um started a everyday Bible school for immigrant children to get them off the street. She rented a beer parlor to uh that's the story I remember. Yeah. I don't know why, but that's the story I remember. We know why. Well, I mean, I think that was for the workers after a month long. Just kidding. Uh she did an everyday uh Bible school for immigrant immigrant workers and uh Robert uh gosh, I can't read my own writing broil or something like that. It's not that. I can't read it. I'm sorry, we can't help it. I know, sorry. He uh he kind of took it to, he was with the Baptist Mission Society, took it to life, what we call Life Way, or

The Surprising Origins Of VBS

SPEAKER_04

the at that point was the Sunday School Board, and they started getting this broad appeal there. So Life Way or the Sunday School Board in 1924 started writing uh you know real curriculum for it. And that's how uh that's how it got started. There you go. What I could not find is what the first theme was for VBS. Don't think they thought like that. I don't think so. They didn't have uh videos and all those things. No videos, no dance moves, probably lots of stories. There was there were stories, crafts, and scripture memory for sure. So that's your fun fact for the day.

SPEAKER_03

The history of V V uh VBS. Usually the facts turn dark very quickly. Oh, so I was wondering how he was gonna take a VBS back and make it dark, but he didn't.

SPEAKER_00

I'm glad we didn't go there.

SPEAKER_04

VS is a great week. I love VBS man. Good week. It's so it's so cool. Bob says it's his it's the best week of the year. And he's correct. He is well, of course. It's all a matter of perspective, right? But uh it is a great, great week, man. Just thinking back on um some of the themes. We were talking about this at lunch just a few a little bit ago. Like what are some of your what what are some of your favorite VBS themes that have happened in the in the past?

SPEAKER_00

I don't know if it was like nostalgia or if it was because actual theme, but Arctic Edge. Arctic like really stands out and meets courage, correct. Yes, so good. Oh, that was good. Okay. And then I really liked the Arctic Edge. Oh my gosh. Does he always do this to you?

SPEAKER_03

Pretty much.

SPEAKER_00

I'm I might not come back to that. Okay, anyway.

unknown

Sorry.

SPEAKER_00

I'll answer. Go ahead. Okay. Um I really liked Agency D3. That was like the spy themed one. That one was good.

SPEAKER_04

We literally built a metal detector, like an X-ray metal detector. Not you know, for the kids to come come through in the building. Yeah, that's a great one.

SPEAKER_00

And then um the Big Apple Adventure was a good one.

SPEAKER_03

Big Apple Adventure.

SPEAKER_00

That one was fun.

SPEAKER_02

That was cool.

SPEAKER_00

That was a long time that we were in the student area for that one.

SPEAKER_03

That was we were much smaller back then.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, we didn't even need

Favorite Themes And Fun Memories

SPEAKER_00

the were we yeah, we're 600.

SPEAKER_03

Might have been the first one we did over there.

SPEAKER_00

In the Carlton? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

May have been. There's one other we did that was a um a Western theme. Saddle Ridge Ranch. Range Ranch. Yes, the Tumbleweed song.

SPEAKER_04

Saddle Ridge Ranch. Oh man, that's a good one. Yeah. Uh Game Day Central. Yeah. I like Game Day Central. That was a long time ago, right?

SPEAKER_00

Or was that they did two sports ones.

SPEAKER_04

We've done what about Rickshaw Rally?

SPEAKER_00

Okay. I have I was too little, but I have pictures of me there.

SPEAKER_03

That one changed the rules for what they can and can't use as themes.

SPEAKER_00

I didn't know if I could mention it on here.

SPEAKER_03

It did.

SPEAKER_04

It did. Oh, I love that one though. That was fantastic. Colossal Coastal World.

SPEAKER_03

Colossal coaster coastal adventure.

SPEAKER_00

Colossal coastal world world, yeah. Okay. I think I don't know if I was in middle school maybe then.

SPEAKER_04

Well, I have a funny story about that. We I was in Missouri then, and uh, we didn't live very far from Silver Dollar City. And uh so my pastor and I and some others went to Silverdollar City and did some filming on the roller promosters. And about got kicked out of the park. I mean, got jerked off the coaster. Yeah, got in trouble for uh filming uh and standing and doing things probably shouldn't be.

SPEAKER_00

That's what you got in trouble for standing, I bet that's what it was.

unknown

Okay.

SPEAKER_04

We got let we got read the Riot Act, I promise. Our kids were there, they were like, oh, it was it was scary. Our our so we have we had an Eddie in uh Mount Vernon, but his name was Max. And for Colossal Coaster World, him and his daughter built a coaster track that came out of the side of the wall, and then they kind of made the wall look like it was been it had been bust through and a car coming through with people in it. You know, that's cool. It looked it was pretty cool. It was pretty cool.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that's fun.

SPEAKER_03

The themes have always been interesting. Submerge. Oh gosh.

SPEAKER_00

I'm gonna I'm gonna say a hot take. I don't know who listens to this, but anyway. I think after Galactic Starveyors, they just got kind of whack. Before then, they were like concrete, I we knew what we were doing, it made sense. And all of a sudden we were looking at the stars. I was like, I don't know.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I love man.

SPEAKER_00

I'm concrete and cranes was fun.

SPEAKER_03

That's fun. Darren, how many VBSs do you remember not participating in as a kid, but being a part of leadership of gosh.

SPEAKER_04

Let me think for a second.

SPEAKER_03

At least probably 20 at least. I'm gonna be over 30. Yeah. Yeah. Just as long as I've been in ministry, I can't remember a time when I haven't done a summer VBS. So I, you know, 35, 36 of them. Yeah, it's crazy.

SPEAKER_04

And uh I you know, uh one of the one of the reasons I really love VBS is I mean, I was I mean, I was saved during during V V VBS. And so man, it's just it's special to me. I love it. I love that we share the gospel with with kids and their parents, and that the kids um come and hear the gospel clearly each each and every week. And so man, I just I just think it's great. So just kind of would lead me maybe to the next question is I mean, we've talked about how many people are here, how long you've been working on on this. Why why would we invest so much of our resources? I don't mean just money, but like blood, sweat, and tears, you know, human resources. Why do we do that here at FBC Tampa? Why is that something that we think it's it's worthy?

SPEAKER_03

I I I'll answer for me. Um and I'm the one that's kind of led our church to the church was doing VBS when I got here, but it was an evening in a much smaller scale. And and I it's always been all right.

SPEAKER_04

Real quick, did you guys ever do like an adult VBS?

SPEAKER_00

No frustrating.

SPEAKER_04

Do you guys ever do an adult VBS? Yes. Okay, yeah, yep. Yep. That's pretty cool. We did one time.

SPEAKER_03

Yep. We did it, we did it a couple times when we were doing evening ones. We would do something for the adults. And yeah, we had we had good results from that. Anyway, very cool. Sorry. Thanks for interrupting. Yes, um, it's my job. What was I talking about?

SPEAKER_00

You're talking about why we invest resources and what it was before.

SPEAKER_03

Um I I see it as just a fulfillment of God's mission that He's given to the church, a fulfillment of the Great Commission, and I see it as a a mission trip that we take without ever leaving our building. You know, it's one of the biggest evangelism events we can do all year long. Um and so we have made a commitment to it with resources, with people, with all all the things that we can throw at it, and we continue to do it for free. Um, that's becoming less and less uh popular these days. Most folks are charging for it. Um, but we just determined as a church, you know, we think it's part of our mission, and that we're not gonna pay, we're not gonna have somebody pay us to tell their kids about the gospel. Right, right. It's just we hardly people to come in and hear the gospel. I I'm not trying to be critical of others that have made that choice, but for us, it's just part of our mission, and our church has decided we're putting that in our budget and we're gonna keep it there and we're gonna reach kids for Christ.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. I piggyback off that, but then also I go to the statistics about the number of or the percentage of people that are saved. So 98% of people that decide to follow Christ that happens between ages four and fourteen. And then um, I was recently at a conference, and by age 13, kids' biblical and moral worldview is set. So we gotta get out of here. By what age was that again? 13. Yeah. So I mean, that's that's why.

SPEAKER_04

We're trying we're trying to get in there early. Right. Right. Yeah. Trying to shape that worldview, trying to give them exposure to the gospel. Um like you said, um 98 98% of people who come to faith, come to faith at an early age.

SPEAKER_00

And on average, I have this statistic too. Um kids make up 15% of the worshiping congregation.

unknown

Wow.

SPEAKER_00

So that's a whole part of our church that you know we need to do. Fifteen percent. Fifteen percent. That's a pretty good chunk. So and that's a national average,

Why The Church Invests So Much

SPEAKER_00

but yeah.

SPEAKER_04

I wonder what we are. I'm just wondering I mean just in my head, I don't know. You can have Lauren run that report, yeah. Yeah. I bet we're I bet we're around there. Probably. Yeah. Probably. That's interesting.

SPEAKER_03

We're we're such a multi-generational church, it's hard to know. But um we've got a large contingency of of little ones, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

I think that's one thing that's really I mean Psalm uh one forty-five talks about you know the great, greater your Lord, greatly to be praised. Uh one generation will tell of your works to the next, right? And that's that's what we're doing. The cool thing about um VBS uh as well is it's not just one generation to another. I mean, you've got probably three to four generations all involved. You're gonna see people here from in the nursery age, you know, to to be cared for all the way up into I mean, I don't want to blow anybody's cover, but how what what who's I don't want to know, I don't want to know who it is. How old do you think your oldest volume is? She's in her 80s. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, I've never missed a VBS that I know of. Yeah. My parents had me, praise God, when I was younger, and then when I was too old, I served in middle school and then I served in high school, and then I would come back and serve in college, and now the Lord has placed me here to oversee it.

SPEAKER_04

So it's a great place to learn to serve. It's a great place to, you know, to to serve and and to make decisions.

SPEAKER_00

Fellowship and be with your church family.

SPEAKER_03

Well, and for many people like the three of us, it is a lifelong memory that you hold. Yes. And some people may not have great memories of church, but typically VBS is a positive memory that and there's some truth that's been instilled in their hearts, and maybe that's God bringing that back. So there's nostalgia that goes with it, but it's also just an understanding that it is a time when we can make an impression on kids. For sure. Um, an eternal impression. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

So for someone maybe who's not real familiar with VBS world or even the way we do VBS, like I'm a new parent bringing a my kid for the first time. What what can I expect uh at VBS?

SPEAKER_00

They're gonna hear the gospel and they're gonna have lots of fun.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Um, it's well organized. So uh we've done it, we did it differently in the w in the past, but now uh classes rotate. So classes stay together, there's an opening worship rally, PB does some silly, silly things on stage. Darren's definitely gonna do some silly things on stage.

SPEAKER_04

I'm gonna have some help, I think, is here as well. Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And then they uh worship together and then as they go together as grade levels and they rotate throughout the church. So they'll do a Bible study um rotation, uh missions rotation, rec rotation, crafts rotation, and music rotation. And then they'll end up back in the in the worship center.

SPEAKER_04

Very cool. And then what time, what how long is it?

SPEAKER_00

8 45 to 12.

SPEAKER_04

All right.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. So it's a it's a good amount.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, and they're going the whole time. Oh, there's yeah. It is nonstop.

SPEAKER_00

It's yeah, no. For sure.

SPEAKER_04

That is for sure, and they're and they're having a blast. I mean, you hear them you hear them going down the halls as like you said, every class rote rotates, and as they're rotating, you're hearing their classes chant, you know, and and we've up the game on that.

SPEAKER_00

There's a trophy now. Oh, it's gonna get passed around. Yeah, for best chant of the day. Yeah. That's awesome. It's exciting. It's a disco ball. Get excited about disco ball.

SPEAKER_03

I'm a little excited about that.

SPEAKER_04

So let me ask you why a disco ball?

SPEAKER_00

Oh, because of the theme. Good segue, Darren. Illumination station is the theme, so it's light. So it's about how we're a reflection of Christ and we're supposed to reflect him in everything that we do. And so um, the light is the theme for that. So hence the disco ball.

SPEAKER_04

So may as you're and I'm I know we're I'm asking stuff to think of off the top of your head, but um, as we're kind of thinking about that theme, like what are some of the scriptures or the the lessons of the day? Like what what would we be what are we what are we gonna be talking about?

SPEAKER_03

So John eight is the main scripture verse. John eight, twelve, I believe it is. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Yeah. So that's the main scripture verse. And then each day there is a a discussion, a Bible story about following that theme that I think uh Olivia's gonna elaborate on.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so day one, they'll learn that Jesus is God's promised son. Um, and that scripture is gonna be Matthew 16, 30 through 20. Um, and the the Bible story title of that day is Jesus Asked People Who Uh They Thought He Was. And then day two is Jesus is God's perfect son, and they're gonna be in Matthew, Mark, and John. Um, and they're gonna be learning about the baptism of Jesus. And then um day three is Jesus is the powerful son of God. Um, was he just a teacher? And um, how he performed miracles, Matthew 15. And then day four is Jesus is the proven son of God, and so that's when um they're gonna talk about resurrection, and that's when the third, fourth, and fifth graders will get the gospel um presented to them. And then day five, uh they're gonna do Jesus is God's plan for forgiveness, and they're gonna talk about when Peter preached um about Jesus in Acts two.

SPEAKER_04

All right.

SPEAKER_00

So I mean they're gonna get the gospel every day, but the formal gospel presentation with Pastor Bob is is on day four and five.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, it's one of my favorite days just to spend on that Thursday. We we bring the older kids in the in their group and rotation, and I just get a chance to talk with them and walk through the gospel with them and hear their thoughts, and and invariably we we then have conversations with their parents because the kids have gone home and said, Hey, I'm interested in this, I want to learn more about this, and and we have baptisms following that. So it's a it's a beautiful thing. That's really cool.

SPEAKER_04

So this is your second VBS. I mean, this is the your second VBS. That that you're running.

SPEAKER_00

Right. Yeah, Claudia and I overlapped on my first year. So this is my second one solo. When I'm not not solo, but you know what I mean.

SPEAKER_04

Yep, yep. Very because yeah, you've got it.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, I'm not so I'm thankfully not solo. I have an amazing team. I'm so thankful for that.

SPEAKER_04

You have a cast of thousands. Yeah, yeah. That are it's and it is really cool to see how it is an all hands on deck. Um one of the coolest things I think about FBC Tampa um is that we're,

What Kids Experience Each Morning

SPEAKER_04

yes, we have different ministries for different life stages, but no one truly is a is an island to themselves, or we don't silo off our ministries. Worship ministries involved with children's ministry, children's ministries involved in worship and the word ministry. I mean, they it is definitely an an all hands on deck week um where you're you'll see representatives of every ministry in And you know, working together, pulling on the same rope at the same time in the same direction.

SPEAKER_00

Safety team, worship team, deacons. Exactly. Everybody.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, we've got we've got guys here today building, you know, putting together all the things that that you have crafted down in the basement, right? They're putting them all all together. And uh it's just really cool to watch it all come together. Um, it's really fun. AVL teams involved. I mean, just all you nay. I don't think there, again, every part there's someone, there's some way every part of our church is in is involved in in VBS. All for all to share the gospel with kids.

SPEAKER_00

Even for those who can't physically help, they've been taking the stuff off the prayer wall and asking how they can pray. Yeah. I don't want to be with kids. How can I help? I'd love for you to bag snacks.

SPEAKER_04

We've got a thousand goldfish. Will there be Kool-Aid? That's what I want to know. Will there be Kool-Aid?

SPEAKER_00

No, Darren.

SPEAKER_04

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00

It's not a VBS without a Kool-Aid. They don't like to do Kool-Aid nowadays.

SPEAKER_04

Everything's so politically crude.

SPEAKER_00

No, it's not even that. Too many dyes and sugar. Well, that's what I mean.

SPEAKER_04

Okay, sorry. We're so gentle.

SPEAKER_00

So we're having water. Okay. Lots of water. Water's good. You get as much water as you want.

SPEAKER_04

Water's good. Water's good. Man, look, so I uh Bob, like what's it doesn't have to be like your favorite memory or like what's like something that you remember about VBS as a first of all, as a as a kid. Like is there a kid? Yeah, is there a VBS that like stands out to you anything?

SPEAKER_03

I don't even remember if we had themes for VBS when I was a kid. I can't remember a theme. You just showed up. But I I do remember going to VBS as a kid and and enjoying VBS, but then me and my buddies would just hang out the rest of the day. And it was just like a day-long, week-long, just you know, some of we'd we'd spend the night at each other's house and go to VBS the next day. So I'd I have fond memories of it as a kid for sure.

SPEAKER_04

Very cool. Yeah, you same thing. So yeah, all my memories are fond except for one.

SPEAKER_02

I could just what you do.

SPEAKER_04

And it's it's all it's on me, right? It's it's on me. Uh and what I mean is I can remember, and maybe it didn't happen this way. This is just the way I remember it as a kid as a kid, but I I can remember like the first summer that I that I started going to VBS. I'm sure that our church was having VBS. I still ever remember going to it until this particular summer. And like I didn't even get like a heads up. Like if it's supposed to be summer, my plan was to get up and go outside and and play with my buddies in my neighborhood. My parents' plan was for me to get up, get in the car and go to VBS. I'm like, what in the world?

SPEAKER_00

You know, I thought school's over. Exactly. That's where I was.

SPEAKER_04

I was just like, you gotta be kidding me, you know. But but but I mean that's how it started. But then I mean, I obviously I have friends at church and and I had a great, had a great time. It was awesome. Uh I can remember one craft. I just only one. I don't know why. I don't remember that episode. Well, I can only remember it because I thought it was kind of cool. Um uh and I I don't know who's in charge of your rub two sticks together with the grooney necklace, but we did light matches. So we would do this.

SPEAKER_00

Don't worry, PB, we're not doing that.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, but like we like we lit a bunch of matches and then but you had to blow them out, and then you made it we made a cross. You know, I remember that now that you're saying it, yes. Yeah, so no fire alarm this year. Why why adults didn't do that for us ahead of time? I'm kind of glad because it made it interesting. You know, but uh but man, I just uh I was not a crafts guy. I did not like the crafts at all. Fire you're okay with though, but fire's good. Fire good fire's good. How about you, Olivia? Do you got a you have a some good VBS memories?

SPEAKER_00

I would say mine are the same as PB. It's just being with your church family every day, all day is so fun. Yeah. I loved it. And my parents worked, so like I I would have to get rides to VBS. So my mom always found someone to take me there and bring me home and everything. And so those are my those are my favorite memories. It's just being with our people.

SPEAKER_04

Man, that's cool. I think my very first Sunday at Mount Vernon, my very first week at Mount Vernon, First Baptist Mount Vernon back in Missouri was VBS Week.

SPEAKER_00

That was mine too.

SPEAKER_04

And yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Here, yeah.

SPEAKER_04

That's a crazy week to see. Oh, yeah. But jumped right in. But it was a good week,

Gospel Night Prayer And Next Steps

SPEAKER_04

uh, in the sense of like I got to know a lot of people. You know, and I don't wanna don't want to leave, we gotta wrap it up, but um there Thursday you talked about the day is the day we're gonna be very intentional about sharing the gospel. So um there's it's also uh family night. So so we'd have VBS during the day, like you said, 840 to 845 to to to noon, but then Thursday night we're coming back. What happens what happens family night?

SPEAKER_00

So it's more than just parents, any family aunts, uncles, grandmas, whoever, um are invited to come, and that's when we do what we do in a morning worship rally, but with parents there.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So they get to see what it's like and then they get to hear the gospel clearly. They get to watch their children perform their songs that they've learned all week. Um, and then we do we have a little competition with our missions offering, and so that's when they get to find out if the girls or the boys have raised more money. Yep, yep. So and then we pray together and we have Kona Ice outside. It's it's a fun night.

SPEAKER_04

So it's a great time to get to know people. Yes. If you don't know, you know, if you if you're newer at FBC Tampa, you don't know where this is a great time to meet other families and uh just to to hang out and have have a good time, but then also to again just to m share the gospel. And and so I would say before we wrap it up that if if uh if you're not actively serving, you can still serve in V in VBS by by praying, and you know, praying for our workers, praying for our teachers who are teaching the the the Bible lesson, uh praying for our our kids and their hearts as they they come, that they be soft and ready. And and then sometimes even we need to be praying for those kids' parents. Yes. Uh-huh. Do do we have very many like unchurched kids that that come to our VBS?

SPEAKER_00

The majority are churched, but doesn't mean they're saved, but right um there there is a good percentage of ones that have marked on registration that they are unchurched. So definitely would be very important.

SPEAKER_04

Right. And I think it's an important thing what you just said. I think a lot of times in children's ministry we tend to tell stories, narrate stories from the perspective that you are already saved. And that there that's not true. Right. Right? We, you know, we there's a comes a comes a point in everyone's life where they have to trust Christ and we have to treat ever those people as if they were unbelievers in the sense that we're going to share the gospel with them and give them the opportunity to do that. All right. We gotta go. But anything else that um you wanted me to ask you that I didn't ask you, or thought I might ask you, and I didn't, or anything else you want, if you just it what do you want people to know about VBS?

SPEAKER_00

It's an impactful week and it matters, and I appreciate our church's support for it. Um, just not even just financially, but prayerfully, and just words of encouragement that they give us. So just I'm really excited for it.

SPEAKER_04

How about you, Bob? Any last words on VBS? It's the best week of the year. I knew he was gonna say that.

SPEAKER_00

I knew he was a good one. I know Ben lied from the stage the other day. He said that Thrive Camp was the best. Incorrect. Incorrect. My kids are way cuter than his. Oh, 100%.

SPEAKER_04

100%. Yeah,

Reviews DMs And Closing

SPEAKER_04

they don't have acne yet now. No axe body spray. We're so glad you joined us today. Hopefully, you made it all the way through to the end. If you did, write us a review, give us a five-star rating. If there's any topics or questions you want an unsexy take on, make sure you send those to us on the DMs. And as always, remember to stay unsexy.

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Bob Block

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Darren Selvidge

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