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| |  Posted 7/29/2007 12:31:26 AM | |
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| | I've directed VBS for several years now and absolutely love it! This is my 3rd year with group. We just completed our week of AR and it was a huge success. My co-director and I felt that we couldn't have done anything any better! In our small town, the church that I attend combines VBS with another church. We have done this for more years than I have been there (that's 21+). At the end of this week, we received a very harsh unsigned evaluation that the churches did not need to VBS together. It also stated that each was capable of having their own programs and the current leaders don't appear to need any help because they like to do it all themselves. Needless to say, myself and the co-director were crushed. We have worked for months, trying to get everything together and ready. Begging for volunteers. She and I had to fill different roles each night for lack of volunteers. But all in all, it was fantastic! I don't know how to, or even if I should, respond to this eval in our VBS follow-up meeting. I was in tears by the time I arrived home Friday evening and I cannot let something I love so much, go so easily. I need advice. (By the way, both of us have offered to step down in the past and get new directors, no one will take the job. We are told we do a fabulous job and they would rather teach a class!) Please help. I'm praying!
Carla in Oklahoma  "To ere is only human, to forgive is divine" |
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| | | Posted 7/29/2007 4:00:22 PM | |
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| | Carla, I will be praying for you guys. You know when something so great is happening the old devil is bound to pop up and try to take the joy away. I should know I am over a bus ministry where a lot of the old folks just can't stand to see how dirty or smelly they are. Back to you. It sounds like to be someone is jealous and where does that come from????? You got it satan himself. DO NOT let anyone rob you from the blessings you and those children receive. I noticed you said the person didn't have enough nerve to speak to you guys out of Christian love, they took the coward way out. Sorry I get a little huffy when I see the Lord shinning through in so many ways, and some one who probably has never offered to help or teach. But yet they feel they should have a voice that they wouldn't have anything to do with.God will bless you and the others with even more joy and peace now that satan decided to poke his head in. Just smile hug the person and say bring it on, my God is MIGHTY. Your Sister in Christ Paulette in Charlotte
Your Sister in ChristPaulette pbogatay@earthlink.net |
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| | | Posted 7/29/2007 6:15:30 PM | |
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| | Do not let one unsigned negative evaluation decide the future! There is always someone who doesn't like whatever is happening...that is their opinion and not necessarily the opinion of others. When you have an evaluation meeting with your team, either in person or by email, bring this opinion to their attention and ask for their opinions. Once you hear from at least half, discuss it with God, and you'll have your answer. What I heard on the last day was: why don't we do this for more than one week? (My immediate thought - and where will the volunteers come from!!!) But in further discussion we think we should reach out to smaller churches in the area who don't have VBS and ask if they want to partner with us. Multiple weeks, with different children and different staff. Maybe with more choice of dates we will reach even more children. I hope we can form a partnership as you have had for so many years. God Will Bless You.
Nancy from Delaware |
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| | | Posted 7/29/2007 7:52:48 PM | |
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| | My first thought was that of the first post---someone is jealous. After many months of hours of investment of time and prayers, we do enjoy watching our "babies" come to life. The fact that it wasn't signed says volumes. Do you feel God has called you and blessed this ministry? God's the one you answer to and serve. The fact others don't get it, see it, resent it, envy it is not your problem but theirs. If you feel that this is where God wants you--do it with your whole heart and love it. You will receive blessings but so will our Lord. |
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| | | Posted 7/29/2007 8:02:50 PM | |
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| | I will be praying for you. I agree with the one above me...anonymous letters/evaluations are not worth anything. If the person does not have the guts to sign it, what worth is it? There are always some that will be negative. Hang in there. Love, Melanie |
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| | | Posted 7/29/2007 8:48:35 PM | |
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| | It would be helpful to know the source of that evaluation. I wonder if there is someone from the other church who would like to direct a VBS and was told by that congregation not to bother because your churches combine their efforts? Instead of coming forward to offer assistance in directing, that person took the easy way out to start complaining. I am assuming that you are asking their congregation for volunteers? Is your co-director from the other church? If not, maybe ask for a representative to co-chair from their church? If no one comes foward, then they can not say you want to do it on your own. They were given a chance. This representative can be in charge of finding volunteers from that congregation. I agree with the above that an unsigned eval of this magnitude does take some fire out of it. When the issue is this big, you can not be expected to address it properly without knowing the true source. I would ask your pastor to contact the other church to find out if that is really the opinion of their congregation. If their congregation really does feel that they want to do their own VBS, just remember that their attitude toward it probably is not as harsh as the letter. It is o.k. for them to go their way though it should be handled differently such as a vote from their congregation and a polite notice to yours. In any case, continue to direct the VBS for your church and send an invite to the children of the other. Copy all your positive evals and reread them whenever you think about this negative one. Every project has its negative feedbacks. We can never please everyone. We need to continue doing our best and focus on our successes. I am sure the positive feedbacks far outway the negative ones. God bless you!
- Adrianne
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| | | Posted 7/29/2007 11:08:30 PM | |
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| | I would suspect that far too many of us have received the same type of feedback. Unfortunately. Following Serengeti Trek I received an e-mail from one of my volunteers with "just a few observations to keep in mind for next year." The few observations turned out to be 13 very detailed points of things she thought I was doing wrong. She criticized virtually every aspect of the program and called my volunteers clueless. My first reaction was an expletive, then hurt, then the gamut of emotions. So I have been there. From what you have written it sure looks to me like the person who wrote the evaluation has to be from the other church. To an outsider it may appear that you were filling all of the extra roles because you wanted to. You know that wasn't the way it happened. You were short volunteers and you stepped up to the plate yet again. And you're being criticized for it. Isn't it ridiculous? You may want to let your contact person from the other church know that you had an evaluation that raised the possibility of having separate VBS programs, and that you think the comment came from someone from their church. That person can decide what to do with the info. You can choose to share the evaluation with them or not. If your post-VBS follow-up includes both churches you might also mention the thought there. YOU absolutely love it. YOU think it was a huge success. YOU think it couldn't have been any better. YOU think it was fantastic. As far as I'm concerned, that says it all. DO NOT let that one evaluation bring you down from your mountaintop. You deserve to look back with a smile on your face as you remember the week you had. As you remember the children's faces. As you remember how you helped share God's love. That's what Bible School is about. You can't change how some people feel about the program. And you shouldn't let those people change how you feel about the program. I guess my advice is to let time run its course. Talk it through and pray. If you have a gift to share then you keep sharing it with those kids. They are the ones who matter. There are always bad apples who are only happy if they are spreading misery ... we don't have to give them the satisfaction. I agree with the others who think this is someone who is jealous of what you are accomplishing. Try to think of that as a compliment. My situation? That same lady was supposed to be a preschool crew leader this year and let me know the day before we started that she really couldn't be there all week, just maybe a day or two. I keep her e-mail and every once in awhile I'll reference it in general terms when talking about VBS. Every other person I have ever mentioned it to (and I have the courtesy to not mention her name) has been floored that someone would criticize our program. Especially in seeing where we've come from. Some people will never get it. You've got it. Please keep it. Share it every chance you get.
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| | | Posted 7/30/2007 8:05:00 AM | |
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| | My husband is a Pastor & he used to receive "anonymous" letters & phone calls when we came to the church 9 years ago. They were always negative! We came to the conclusion that there is only one reason that someone keeps themselves a mystery. They do not want to have to own up to anything & that tells me that they are not a person of character! Please, please, please do not let the DEVIL influence what you are doing for the cause of Christ! We have had to face many obstacles in our ministry & we find that when the devil is fighting the most is when we are really doing something for God. If the devil is fighting you, that means you are furthering the Kingdom of Christ! Keep on going for the Lord & hang in there! |
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| | | Posted 7/30/2007 8:18:02 AM | |
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| | I feel as though my VBS leadership career could be over, and I haven't even had my VBS yet! I'm doing Bethlehem Village as a 1 day event in December. The plan was to do this though Youth Group and then all the money that we raise will go to support them. I found out last night that our Youth Group Director is leaving, and while they are trying to find someone new, no one knows who it will be or if the'll even let us still have it. Bethlehem Village has become more of a personal thing to me since I have met so many great people here on the fourms and it seems like such a life changing experience that could really benifit our church. Please pray for me, thanks guys! God Bless,
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| | | Posted 7/30/2007 12:31:21 PM | |
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| | I'm praying for both of you Carla and Matt. Keep on doing what God is calling you to do and He will bless you. God Bless, Josh T. in Ohio
 Group's Crocodile Dock VBS 2009  Date: To Be Determined |
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