(RNS) — Sean Sutton was preaching at a small Bible camp in Georgia last year when he noticed a group of children and young adults focusing intently on building a small model of the tabernacle — they were using bricks repurposed from a Lego Minecraft set to recreate the tent-like sanctuary that housed the ark of the covenant, described in the Bible’s Book of Exodus.
Sutton, a 28-year-old entrepreneur, realized he could use brick sets as a missionary tool to reach children. In May he launched a Kickstarter campaign and quickly raised $10,000 to manufacture his own tabernacle set. He eventually pre-sold around 6,500 of them and raised more than $245,000, allowing him to found his new company, Bible Bricks.
The Wilderness Tabernacle — complete with a figurine of the Israelite high priest, blue Ten Commandments tablets, and goats and sheep for sacrifice — will start shipping next month.
“A lot of us grew up with Legos and understand how fun they are,” Sutton, who was raised in the Southern Baptist church, said by phone from his home in Arkansas. “I think people are hungry for high-quality religious sets.”
The main message of the Wilderness Tabernacle, he said, is that “God loves you and he wants to be with you.”
Bible Bricks is one of a number of Lego-compatible bricks tapping a market for offline toys inspired by biblical figures and e …