Sunday School & Bible Skills Goals

2015-2016

Sunday School Goals:

  1. Bible Knowledge (Scripture memory, Bible skills, theology, Biblical Story)
  2. Spiritual Formation (spiritual disciplines: prayer, stewardship, silence, service; discipleship, sharing testimony and life)
  3. Fellowship and support (fostering friendship, accountability and encouragement; helping to children to know and be known)

**Parents: for a good books of the Bible song, try “Bible Books” by the Bigsby Show on Youtube*

Children in the Preschool (3s and 4s)and the Pre-Kindergarten class will learn that the Bible is the book of the church. They will be encouraged to touch, hold, care for and “read” it. They will learn “Christ is the light of the world – Jesus is always with us.” They will experience the stories of the Bible through Godly Play, focusing on 12 key stories throughout the year.

Children in theKindergarten and First Grade class will learn that there are two parts of the Bible – the Old Testament, which is the story of the Hebrew people, and the New Testament, which is the story of Jesus and the church. They will experience the stories of the Bible through Godly Play on a two year curriculum rotation. They will listen, wonder and the respond to the story each week.

2ndgraders will learn the 66 books of the Bible, with emphasis on the Old Testament in the fall and New Testament in the spring. They will have the opportunity to memorize two Bible verses each semester. Please encourage your child to bring his/her own Bible to Sunday School. They will also learn and memorize The Lord’s Prayer.

3rd and 4th graders will learn the narrative framework and classifications of literature in the Bible. They will work on finding verses and passages in the Bible. They are challenged and encouraged to memorize one Bible verse a month from the lessons they have studied. Please encourage your child to bring his/her own Bible to Sunday School. Students will learn and memorize the books of the Old and New Testament.

For the main passage in each Sunday’s lesson, students will learn to ask these questions:

What section of the OT or NT is it from? (i.e., law, history, wisdom, prophecy, gospels, letters, etc.)

Where is it in my Bible? What is before and after it?

Is this passage a story? An idea or teaching about God? A prayer? An instruction to follow?

All 2nd through 4th graders will gather together in song and then hear the Biblical Story as told through Godly Play. They will respond to the story through art, journaling, reading or retelling the story and then they return to the circle for a time of community we call “the feast” where they share prayer requests and listen to each other. The 2nd through 4th grade class uses a 3 year curriculum rotation with Godly Play that includes more complex stories from the Bible as well as Christian Saints. Children are challenged to synthesize the many stories they have learned over the years and see the over-arching theme of a God who never stops loving God’s people and the gift of Jesus, His Son, The Good Shepherd.

5th and 6th graders will work at developing community and support for each other. Each Sunday they will be given a scripture reference for the next week’s lesson. They will be encouraged to look it up at home in preparation for the following week. Using the Feasting on the Word curriculum, each lesson follows the Revised Common Lectionary. This enables families to prepare for worship together each week and share in conversation after worship each Sunday. Children will take home a verse to commit to memory during the week. Please encourage your child to bring his/her own Bible to class. In class they will review books of the Old and New Testament and memorize and study the Apostle’s Creed.

For the main passage in each Sunday’s lesson, students will learn to ask the above questions, plus:

What section of the OT or NT is it from? (i.e., law, history, wisdom, prophecy, gospels, letters, etc.)

Where is it in my Bible? What is before and after it?

Is this passage a story? An idea or teaching about God? A prayer? An instruction to follow?

What is the context of the passage? What familiar story or character is it associated with? Who wrote it (if known)? Where does it fit in the overall story of Hebrew/Christian history?

Parenting and Spiritual Formation Resources

Families Starting Out:

Good Families Don’t Just Happen, What we learned by raising our 10 sons and how it can work for you by Catherine Musco Garcia-Prats and Joseph A Garcia-Prats MD

The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, Using Jewish teaching to raise self-reliant children by Wendy Mogel, PhD.

To Dance With God, Family ritual and community celebration by Gertrude Mueller Nelson

Leading Little Ones to God by Marian Schoolland

When children join you in worship:

*Parenting in the Pew (available in the church office) Guiding your children into the joy of worship by Robbie Castleman

Spiritual formation of children through the family:

Family The Forming Center, A vision of the role of family in spiritual formation by Marjorie Thompson

Habits of a Child’s Heart , Raising your kids with the spiritual disciplines by Valerie Hess and Marti Garlett

*To Dance with God, Family ritual and community celebration by Gertrude Mueller Nelson

*Living in God’s Time, A parent’s guide to nurturing children throughout the Christian year by Margaret McMillan Persky

*The Christian Family Toolbox, 52 Benedictine activities for the home by David Robinson

*The Busy Family’s Guide to Spirituality, Practical lessons for modern living from the monastic tradition by David Robinson

Sabbath In the Suburbs, A family’s experiment with holy time by MaryAnn McKibben Dana

Others

*My Monastery is a Minivan, Where the daily is divine and the routine becomes prayer by Denise Roy

*In the Midst of Chaos, Caring for children as spiritual practice by Bonnie J Miller-McLemore

Family Celebrations, Meeting Christ I your holidays and special occasions by Ann Hibbard

* Email Tiffani if you would like to study one of these books in a book club ()*