Contact: Joni Sullivan Baker, Buoyancy PR, 513-319-3231
CINCINNATI, July 20 /
Christian Newswire/ -- Ask folks about the heroes in the Bible and they'll start telling you about David, Esther, Moses, Elijah, Deborah, Samuel, Mary, John, Paul, Priscilla – the names just go on and on.
But what about those unnamed heroes – the ones whose names we don't know? We know their stories, but we don't know their names.
Last week at the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) in Denver, Standard Publishing unveiled its exciting 2010 Vacation Bible School, Hero Headquarters: Where Kids Join Forces with God.
In Hero Headquarters, kids will identify with the stories of five unlikely, unnamed people in the Bible who are often overlooked. They were not famous leaders or called by God to perform amazing miracles – yet they became heroes because their small acts became great achievements in God's hands.
Standard Publishing is one of the nation's leading publishers of VBS and last week at ICRS also received the 2009 Retailers Choice Award for top VBS in the nation from Christian Retailing. Standard Publishing's VBS programs consistently rank high with consumers for Biblical content, thorough lessons, and variety of extra materials available.
For 2010, Hero Headquarters will help kids discover that with God's power at work, they, too, can be heroes right where they are.
"In Hero Headquarters we explore heroes in the Bible from all walks of life who made choices that changed a lot of people's lives – and we don't even know their names," said Standard Publishing's VBS Editorial Director Ruth Frederick. "The message is, anybody can be a hero. One small choice done out of love can make you a superhero in God's eyes."
In field testing, children found the stories encouraging and comforting and they loved the new emphasis each day of experiencing the story as well as hearing it.
Appropriately, Hero Headquarters is based on Timothy 4:12, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."
"I like that it's about unnamed heroes," said Penny McVay, VBS director for Ross Christian Church, Hamilton, Ohio, where Standard field-tested Hero Headquarters. "All too often we think we have to 'be someone' to do something for God."
"And the songs have been really good," she continued. "On Monday night they had already learned them and also learned the motions really quickly."
The field-tested lessons and activities work in classroom settings or with children grouped in small crews that move from site to site. The program is adaptable for preschoolers through teens. In addition, small group materials for adults are also available.
Extensive materials to help guarantee a church's success include downloadable resources and web-based tools in addition to CDs of everything from nametags to thank you notes, and from music song sheets to snack recipes.
"We want to do all we can to ensure the success of churches that will be using Hero Headquarters," said Bob Wallace, Standard Publishing's Marketing Manager for Vacation Bible School. "We are so excited about this message that empowers even the smallest children that with whatever they can do, they can be a hero in God's eyes."
Standard Publishing also offers all participating churches the opportunity to create their own customized VBS web sites with unique URLs, even those churches that do not have a church web site. Using a web site builder, a church can upload photos, logos and forms to customize its site.
In addition to providing information about an upcoming VBS, the site can streamline registration by allowing participants to register online, and also provides an opportunity for participants to obtain documents such as medical release forms, permission slips and emergency contact forms.
At
www.vacationbibleschool.com, VBS leaders will find additional helps, free downloads of MP3 files of VBS music, and a forum for churches to share experiences, tips and even their gently-used décor, costumes and sets. These tools are in addition to other helps such as a Director's Guide, a Decorating Pak and a Planning DVD for promotion.
The Starter Kit and Power Pak for Hero Headquarters may be pre-ordered now, and will ship in December. The Starter Kit, at $69.99, will include director's resources, plus sample site leader's guides, and teacher and student materials, a total value of more than $175. The Power Pak will include all items in the Starter Kit plus the Costume Pak, Theme Pack, Art and Decorating CD, Life Focus Poster Pak, Site Names Poster Pak and Community Corner DVD. The Power Pak costs $199.99, with materials valued at more than $325. All additional items will be available in February 2010.
For more than 140 years, Standard Publishing has been raising the standard for true-to-the-Bible resources that educate, encourage and enrich. The company is based in Cincinnati, Ohio where it was founded in 1866. For more information, visit www.StandardPub.com or call Standard Publishing at 1-800-543-1353.
