LifeWay Christian Resources To Add Second Line of VBS Curriculum Beginning in 2005

Business Wire, March 15, 2004

Lifestyle Editors/Business Editors

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 15, 2004

LifeWay Christian Resources, the nation's leading provider of Vacation Bible School (VBS) curriculum, announced today it will add a second line of VBS resources beginning in 2005 to meet the demand of churches for wider selection in their summer evangelism and outreach ministries. LifeWay has provided churches with VBS literature for more than 80 years, including curriculum in English and Spanish for preschool, children, youth, adult and special education needs.

The themes of the 2005 VBS lines will be unveiled this August. Promotional packets will be available early in the fall, and the full lines of curriculum will be available for purchase Dec. 1 through lifeway.com, by phone and in LifeWay Christian Stores.

"While LifeWay's single line of VBS curriculum for all ages continues to be immensely popular, our customers are expressing their desire for a wider range of options, especially as churches tailor their VBS to meet the needs of their communities," said Mary Katharine Hunt, LifeWay's VBS division project manager. "LifeWay offers multiple lines of curriculum for Sunday school and discipleship programs, so it makes good sense to help churches grow their ministries with a greater selection of VBS materials."

Customers choose from a wide array of VBS resources to meet their specific needs: directors' guides, teaching aids, student handbooks, set decorations, themed Bibles, music CDs, program DVDs, promotional helps and much more.

"Vacation Bible School is one of the most effective ways churches reach out to their communities, share the gospel of Jesus Christ and minister to families," said Hunt. LifeWay's 2004 VBS curriculum, "LifeWay's Far-Out Far East Rickshaw Rally: Racing to the Son," will reach more than 1 million people. Over the last 10 years, churches using LifeWay's VBS resources have recorded more than 800,000 professions of faith in Christ.

"The success of LifeWay's VBS is another reason we're expanding to a second line," said Hunt. "Many churches in a single community often use the same LifeWay VBS curriculum, so they're asking us to provide more options for them and more opportunities for the kids in their community."

Hunt said both VBS lines will be theme driven, such as last year's "Kingdom Caper" and 2002's "Amazon Outfitters," and both will feature Biblically sound curriculum with stories each day about Jesus.

VBS is a fun-filled spiritual adventure for boys and girls that provides concentrated Bible study and encourages real-life application. Mrs. Waler Aylett Hawes, a doctor's wife in New York, is credited with the VBS concept. In 1898, she began renting out a beer hall on New York's east side to conduct what she called Everyday Bible School. LifeWay began producing VBS resources in the early 1920s under the direction of Homer Lamar Grice.

For more information about LifeWay's 2004 VBS theme, log on to http://www.lifeway.com/yourvbs.