What this city needs is a new kind of hero! At Hero Central, kids will “discover their strength in God” by soaring into stories of Bible heroes who display the character qualities that make us truly heroic under Christ.
HEROES WORSHIP: One of the unfortunate (but sometimes accurate) complaints about VBS programs is the disproportionate focus on fun rather than leading kids into authentic, worshipful relationship with God. Cokesbury recognized this and began including a daily closing worship service. This optional script closes each day in a worshipful tone, leading kids to adore God for who He is and what they’ve learned about Him.
VBS FOR ADULTS?: Let’s be honest. We all want to be a hero. And we all need heroes to follow. We love that Hero Central has created curriculum for age groups from the littlest mini-mutants through High School heroes and all the way up to Adult apprentices! That’s right, Hero Central has a program for adults to join in the learning and the fun with special study to help them discover their strength in Christ. Use this as a separate small group study or as training for your volunteers before VBS.
Strong and Courageous whatever we face, believe and take a leap of faith!
BIBLE POINT: We all need heroes to look up to as examples to follow, especially those heroes who follow God. Each day, your VBS kids will encounter Bible heroes who display incredible abilities (Hero Codes) that bring glory to God. On Day 1, “God’s Heroes Have Heart,” kids learn about Samuel’s assignment to find a King for Israel by looking, not at their outside appearance, but at their heart. Day 2 brings you face to face with Abigail, the Bible hero who showed that “God’s Heroes Have Courage!” The Hero Code on Day 3 is “God’s Heroes Have Wisdom!” This is described in young Jesus when he astounded the teachers in the temple with His understanding of Scripture. Day 4 introduces not just one Bible hero, but all those who Jesus describes in the Beatitudes. Whether meek, mourning, or hungering and thirsting for righteousness, “God’s Heroes Have Hope!” Lastly, we see real-life heroic power displayed among the believers at Pentecost as we learn that “God’s Heroes Have Power!”
Ready for action! Ready to Move!
FLAME: Look! Up in the sky! It’s a raccoon! It’s a fox! No, it’s Flame, the red panda! Every day during assembly time, Flame joins Captain Shield to talk about the day’s hero and to reveal the Bible point. Kids are going to love Flame and his banter, hilariously scripted by the Cokesbury folks. What’s a red panda, you may ask? They’re awesome, that’s what! Google it.
THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT: Just like any modern super hero, your VBS kids have the coolest gadgets to help them save the day. Enter the Hero Central phone/tablet app. This exciting app brings together the songs and lessons from each day’s VBS with the gaming fun of an app kids will want to play again and again long after VBS is over. There are 3 separate games including a trivia game that encourages kids to memorize verses and Bible points, and a fun maze-type puzzle game where kids get to create their own unique hero avatar. But the coolest part of the Hero Central app is the augmented reality card game. Students take home a hero card each day which, when scanned in the app, brings to life a 3-D animated Flame character who reinforces the day’s lesson and memory verse. This helps kids share their VBS learning with siblings and friends who can’t make it each day.
PRO-TIP: Touch screen devices are everywhere and whether we like it or not, our VBS kids are more and more engaged with technology than ever before. The Hero Central app capitalizes on this reality by bringing the learning and technology together. Still, the distraction can be a little much for any church volunteer or ministry leader to contain. So encourage families to leave the devices at home. The best way to do this is to make it very clear within the registration process that devices will not be allowed at VBS. Encourage parents to leave them at home. For parents who feel they need a way to reach their kids at a moments’ notice, provide a general phone number which will be manned all VBS morning long to ease their fears. Don’t forget to arm your phone center operator with an accurate schedule and roster to help them locate any child at any time.
EXTRAS: Batman has the “Bat-a-rang.” Thor has his hammer. Wonder Woman has her golden lasso. Your young heroes have lots of options for those little extras that make VBS so much fun!
- The De-Materializer – One of the coolest gimmicks used in the daily videos is the de-materializer. Like Star Trek, the characters in the video “beam up” a fresh message to the assembly leader using a simple gag. The kids will believe that the people in the video actually sent a physical object that shows up in a tangible form on the stage in your own de-materializer receiver. Fun!
- Create A Hero Clay Set – Set the creativity of your young heroes free! These awesome play-doh kits come with primary colored clay and a groovy cape and hero mask. The clay hardens over night, so this souvenir could sit on a shelf for a long time as a reminder of the heroes God made each of us to be.
- Red Panda Carabiner – Some of you are just now learning that there is such a thing as a red panda. But would you believe there’s a carabiner shaped like one? Okay, maybe it’s a cat-shaped carabiner. But the point is, kids can collect and carry all of their hero cards on this cool tie in to Hero Central’s mascot, Flame!
Purchase your copy of Cokesbury’s Hero Central VBS HERE.
