Vacation Bible school program to benefit Missouri Synod disaster response

Kits now available from Concordia Publishing House

ST. LOUIS, January 23, 2013—Mission offerings collected through the new Concordia Publishing House (CPH) vacation Bible school (VBS) program for 2013, “Tell It on the Mountain – Where Jesus Christ is Lord,” will benefit a special fund of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) that aims to help those suffering from a disaster.

In this year’s VBS program, children will gather their gear and set out on an expedition to learn about God. They will learn that with God, it’s possible to scale any “mountain” of difficulties they encounter.

The ministry beneficiary of this year’s VBS offerings is the LCMS’ “Ready Now: Disaster Response Fund,” which enables the LCMS to respond quickly to those who are suffering in the wake of a disaster. “Ready Now” funds are used to provide food, water, and survival and shelter kits to those whose lives have been turned upside down.

“Typically, when a disaster strikes, it can take several days and perhaps weeks for donations from the church to move from household and congregation across the nation to those who have been traumatically impacted,” said Mark Hofman, executive director for LCMS Mission Advancement. “People affected are forced to wait until resources are available. The new “Ready Now: Disaster Response Fund” is designed to function as a bridge between the disaster event itself and the availability of long-term financial assistance that follows, as households and congregations respond in Christian love to a specific disaster event.

“The fund will serve as a source of immediate, rapidly deployable assistance in the first critical hours and days after an event,” he said. “During peaceful times, until a disaster event occurs, it will stand as a mountain of hope positioned to deploy at a moment’s notice. The offerings gathered by children participating in this year’s VBS program will make a tremendous difference when this new fund is called into action.”

The “Tell It on the Mountain” Starter Kit ($129.99, item no. 32-1343) includes guides for VBS elementary and preschool program leaders (both with CDs), materials for openings and closings (with opening and closing skit DVDs), storytelling, music, Bible challenges, crafts, snacks and games. Also included are publicity and craft samples and a tote bag.

New to this year’s VBS program are Passalong CD/DVDs ($4.99, item no. 32-1385) with song action videos as well as the audio music.

Also new are resources for pastors, including materials for getting involved with VBS and a sermon for “VBS Sunday.”

“All VBS programs are not alike,” said CPH VBS editor Pam Nummela. “We are committed to creating a VBS with purpose, and ‘Tell It on the Mountain’ is engaging, fun and, most importantly, it provides a backdrop for a clear presentation of the Gospel.”

To order the “Tell It on the Mountain” Starter Kit, or for more information, visit www.cph.org/vbs, call 800-325-3040 or send an email to vbsteam@cph.org. Prices quoted do not include shipping charges.

About The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
The 2.3 million-member Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is a mission-oriented, Bible-based, confessional Christian denomination headquartered in St. Louis. Through acts of witness and mercy, the church carries out its mission worldwide to make known the love of Jesus Christ. Learn more at www.lcms.org.

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