United Church of Christ becomes cooperative user in Gather 'Round.

On Nov. 3, the United Church of Christ (UCC) signed an agreement to become a cooperative user of "Gather 'Round: Hearing and Sharing God’s Good News," the new Sunday school curriculum from Brethren Press and Mennonite Publishing Network. The UCC’s Local Church Ministries department entered into the agreement through the United Church Press.

A positive response to Gather ’Round has extended as well to seven other Christian groups. Denominations that are recommending the curriculum to their congregations include, for example, several other Mennonite groups, Friends United Meeting, the Cumberland Presbyterians, and the Moravians. Some of these groups were users of the earlier "Jubilee" curriculum, and others are coming on board after selecting Gather ’Round from among several options that were evaluated.

Individual congregations from a wide range of denominations are also finding Gather ’Round online at www.gatherround.org, where visitors have been able to learn more about the curriculum, take advantage of some of the training events offered during the introductory period, and order materials online.

"We're certainly gratified when our colleagues in other denominations think highly of our materials," said Wendy McFadden, publisher of Brethren Press. "We’ve worked hard to produce the best curriculum we can for our congregations, and it feels great to have other Christian educators and publishers evaluate Gather ’Round and say it’s the best for their congregations too."

The UCC is a US denomination in the Reformed, congregationalist, and evangelical traditions. With 1.26 million members, it is roughly ten times the size of the Church of the Brethren. "Their support strengthens the financial foundation of Gather ’Round," reported Anna Speicher, project director and editor of Gather ’Round.

The UCC does not currently produce any curriculum itself; instead the Local Church Ministries department selects a few curricula to market to UCC congregations, Speicher said. Several UCC readers reviewed sample Sunday school curricula and chose Gather ’Round as the curriculum that would best replace the Bible Quest curriculum, which will not be produced after the 2007-08 school year.

The UCC intends to market Gather ’Round modestly this year, Speicher said, with a "full rollout" for the fall of 2008. "The UCC is investing a significant amount of money in purchasing Gather ’Round resources for their education consultants, and likely for their resource centers," Speicher said.

Ken Ostermiller, minister for Curriculum Development for the UCC, invited Speicher to lead a workshop on Dec. 4 to equip 18 education consultants to lead regional training workshops on Gather ’Round. Those trained will then introduce Gather ’Round in UCC congregations. The consultants responded extremely positively during their introduction to the curriculum, Speicher said. "They were especially interested in the parent/caregiver guide and the at-home Talkabout. They also resonated with the peace and justice and discipleship orientation of the curriculum, they liked the worshipful elements of the sessions; that we are teaching children that worship is not just something they do sitting in an uncomfortable pew with their legs dangling, but is something that they can make their own."

Brethren and Mennonite congregations also have welcomed the launch of the curriculum this fall, expressing strong affirmation for new products that help connect church with home and for content that brings Christian education to the forefront of congregational life, reported Cynthia Linscheid of Mennonite Publishing Network. Two new products--the Talkabout, a quarterly take-home item designed to sit on each family's dining table, and "Connect," the parent/caregiver study guide--have received especially high praise.

Modesto (Calif.) Church of the Brethren is one of the churches that are enthusiastic about the parent/caregiver class and has introduced the Talkabout to the entire congregation, placing extras on tables in the church building. "I'm also hearing marvelous things about the youth piece," said co-pastor Russ Matteson. Recalling a particular exercise about prayer, he noted that youth talked about it the following Sunday and said they had used the prayer exercise during the week. The church also has invited parents to participate in the preschool class, which has brought in some two-career couples who have not attended Sunday school because they do not want to be away from their children on the weekends.

Gather ’Round "is challenging kids to think in fresh ways about what it means to pray, what it means to be present with God--in ways that give them tools they can use throughout their lives," Matteson said.

Source: 12/06/2006 Newsline