‘Mighty Fortress’ VBS celebrates Jesus’ victory

Hear ye, hear ye! You’re invited to take part in “Mighty Fortress,” the new 2017 vacation Bible school program from Concordia Publishing House.

In a world where princesses and battles fill a child’s imagination, children quickly discover that they can’t win every game, ace every test or conquer every challenge.

But there is good news: They don’t need to! With “Mighty Fortress,” children learn that they have a champion — Jesus — who has won the battle over sin and death. They can trust God to be their mighty fortress, their sure defense, even when times are tough.

Along with its formidable theme, the “Mighty Fortress” VBS offers a unique tie-in to this year’s 500th anniversary of the Reformation with “Truth Be Told,” found in the all-inclusive Starter Kit.

This Bible-challenge alternative shares five key events in the life of Martin Luther — which correspond to truths found in God’s Word — that are part of each day’s VBS lesson.

“Mighty Fortress” also offers:

“rock-solid theology” that illuminates what God has accomplished through His Son, Jesus. Every day, children are exposed to God’s Word as they explore God’s victory in five biblical accounts.

a “clear presentation of God’s Law and His Gospel” — shared every day — so that even those who attend for only a day or two will hear about their need for a Savior and God’s gift of Jesus.

teaching methods that encompass a variety of learning styles through hearing, seeing and doing. For example, “Stronghold Storytelling” gets children involved in re-enacting a Bible story with costumes and props, with the aim of making Bible learning engaging, active and memorable!

CPH’s exclusive “Victory Village Bible Challenge” website encourages Bible-verse memorization through songs, activities and science demonstrations designed to “go beyond the words and move into practical application.”

Families can take home a “Majestic Music Passalong CD & DVD” ($5.99, item no. 321785WEB) to remind VBS-goers of all the Bible truths they learned.

Also available is “Promise Comics” ($1.49, item no. 320815WEB), a new graphic-style comic book that shares five Bible stories designed to help children understand the Gospel message and share it with friends.

In this year’s VBS mission project — in cooperation with Concordia Gospel Outreach (CGO) — children can gather up offerings that will be used by CGO to provide books that share God’s story with children worldwide. More information about the mission project is included in each of the four “Starter Kits”: the all-inclusive Starter Kit ($169.99, item no. 321743WEB), the Digital Starter Kit ($149.99, item no. 321713DCRWEB), the Early Childhood Kit ($99.99, item no. 321711WEB) and the Basics Kit ($99.99, item no. 321742WEB) for smaller churches.

CPH’s VBS website — at vbs.cph.org — offers a number of practical and free helps, from decorating tips to song actions, theme art to resources for leaders. A 12-page “Pastor’s Overview” is designed to help pastors understand the VBS theme and become involved in the program.

And VBSMate, a free, online registration tool, can aid in keeping track of enrollment, making group assignments and generating reports.

To order a “Mighty Fortress” starter kit, visit vbs.cph.org/2017 or call 800-325-3040.

Questions or comments may be directed to the CPH VBS Team at vbsteam@cph.org .

Posted February 7, 2017