wfn.org | ELCA Publisher Launches 2004 VBS with Davey and Goliath Theme

[NEWS@ELCA.ORG]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

October 28, 2003

ELCA Publisher Launches 2004 VBS with Davey and Goliath Theme
03-193-JB*

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Augsburg Fortress, the publishing house of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Minneapolis,
announced the release of its 2004 Vacation Bible School (VBS)
curriculum, featuring characters from "Davey and Goliath," the
classic stop-motion animation television series for children.
      Davey and Goliath, which aired on commercial television in
the 1960s and 1970s, is a property of the ELCA, a five-million-
member Protestant denomination based here.
     "Davey and Goliath's Camp Creation: A Super Gospel
Celebration" invites children to celebrate the gospel by learning
from Jesus how to care for everything in God's world, according
to an Augsburg Fortress news release. Activities are contained in
units called "Cabin Crafts," "Goliath's Games," "Discovery
Outpost," "Trail Recipes" and "Davey's Drama."
     "We wanted our VBS to be fun, easy to implement and gospel-
centered, so Davey and Goliath was a natural choice," said Bill Huff,
VBS general manager for Augsburg Fortress. "These characters have a
proven track record of entertaining kids."
     According to Huff, the Camp Creation VBS program is the
first of several new Davey and Goliath productions.  In 2004, a
Davey and Goliath holiday television special is expected to air.
The holiday special is being produced through the ELCA Department
for Communication.
     At Camp Creation participants, or "campers" kick off their
day with "Davey and Goliath at Opening Celebration," where they
worship God and hear Bible stories, Huff said. Davey and Goliath
travel with them as they meet in their camp groups and trek to
the five different activity sites.  In each activity,
participants experience the daily theme and Bible stories through
hands-on activities and games.
     Campers and leaders move from site to site, visiting each
one every day. All conclude their daily activities at "Hit the
Trail," where they worship God with catchy camp tunes, prayer
moments and Bible memory fun, Huff said.
      "We wanted to ensure that kids really learn these stories,
so we incorporated a daily Bible memory verse song into the VBS
music for the first time," said Huff. "There's no better way to
learn the Bible than through music."
     Campers also learn to share Jesus' love with children around
the globe through the "Mission Well" project, the news release
said. Campers help to provide safe drinking water for the people
of Bangladesh by decorating their own Mission Wells and filling
them with their offerings to fund the building of new wells. The
Mission Well can be displayed year-round to remind kids and the
congregation how they can share Jesus' love.
-- -- --
Davey and Goliath's Camp Creation: A Super Gospel Celebration! is
available directly from Augsburg Fortress. Visit
http://www.augsburgfortress.org/vbs on the Web or call 1-800-328-
4648 for further information about the Camp Creation Starter Kit,
Mission Well and other Camp Creation materials, including a full
selection of Davey and Goliath merchandise.

*Information for this story was provided by Augsburg Fortress
Publishers.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news