Bible Way Sunday school curriculum published by CRC Publications in 1972 is taking on new life as El Camino de la Biblia in Mexico.
The 1.5-million-member National Presbyterian Church of Mexico is translating and adapting this pre-kindergarten through sixth-grade curriculum for use in its congregations, with copyright permission from Faith Alive, the Christian Reformed Church’s publishing ministry.
According to Rev. Alejandro Pimentel, director of World Literature Ministries for the CRC, Faith Alive had not sought to create the Spanish adaptation because it is almost impossible to create materials in one culture for another. “Materials are best when produced in the culture in which they will be used,” he said.
Pat Nederveld , director of Faith Alive, said, “It takes much more than just translating materials. Every part has to be contextualized for the people of Mexico. Even the Spanish spoken in Mexico is different from the Spanish spoken in other countries.”
Bible Way served as the sole Sunday school curriculum in most Christian Reformed congregations until 1994, when the LiFE curriculum was introduced. Both were marketed until 2004, when Faith Alive introduced the new Walk With Me materials.
