300th anniversary curriculum: ‘Piecing Together the Brethren Way.’

A curriculum for the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Brethren movement, titled “Piecing Together the Brethren Way,” is designed to help children explore the marks and practices of faith that are distinctively Brethren, and to help children internalize these marks and practices so that they give shape to their faith.

Written by Jean Moyer of Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the Brethren and Joanne Thurston-Griswold of Stone Church of the Brethren in Huntingdon, Pa., the 14-session curriculum can be used for a quarter of Sunday school, as an after-school or midweek program, as a foundation for monthly intergenerational events in a congregation, or for Vacation Bible School.

Each lesson is shaped by an “Essential Question” and an “Enduring Understanding.” The questions are those children might ask as they begin exploring a topic; the understanding is the kernel of truth the curriculum hopes to help children integrate into their faith. For example, the topic for the first lesson is “Church/Believers Church,” and the question is “What is church?” The enduring understanding for the first lesson: “Grounded in Word, prayer, and love, believers walk together in the way of Jesus.”

Each lesson also will provide opportunities for students to explore the topics through multi-sensory activities, a take-home page for families to interact with children and reinforce the lesson, and suggestions for how to draw youth into the process with special projects.

The lesson materials will be available on CD-Rom and the curriculum will include a copy of “River Still Running,” a new CD of Andy and Terry Murray's Brethren heritage music featuring an original theme song as the title track.

Brethren Press is handling sales of the curriculum. A special launch price of $42.95 will be available at the Brethren Press Bookstore at the 2007 Annual Conference in Cleveland, Ohio; or the curriculum may be ordered for $49.95 after the Conference, call 800-441-3712.

Other anniversary resources for youth are available at www.churchofthebrethrenanniversary.org/youth.html. Study guides for the anniversary, for use by adults and youth, are at www.churchofthebrethrenanniversary.org/guide.html.

Source: 06/06/2007 Newsline Extra