For the first time since 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources is releasing new curricula: DWELL and WE.
Dwell is for students from kindergarten through eighth grade, while WE is an intergenerational curriculum intended for use by the entire church.
Dwell is simple in nature and aimed at a minimalist classroom. The idea is for it to feel different from the fast-paced culture in which we live.
“It is more quiet and reflective,” said Rev. Leonard Vander Zee, editor in chief for Faith Alive. “It focuses on the biblical story and how the children can really interact with the story and make it theirs.”
And, like all curriculum produced by Faith Alive, including Walk With Me and Kid Connection, it is distinctly Reformed.
“It’s very much centered on the Bible and upon God as the main actor in the Bible,” said Vander Zee, rather than on, like many curricula, the stories as lessons about how human beings should act, a moralistic approach.
With growing interest from churches in programs that involve the whole church, Faith Alive created WE.
“It’s really so new we have no idea how the Spirit will use it or where it will move or how it will grow, but it will be exciting,” said Ruth Vander Hart, managing editor and senior curriculum editor for Faith Alive.
Each WE event begins with a meal, with people of different generations sitting together. After a shared story, people at the table talk with one another and do crafts or activities, then rejoin the larger group.
“We tend to silo people into age groups in the church,” said Vander Zee. “I think this is particularly harmful for young people who need to hear faith stories and need to hear older people—not just their parents, but other older people in the church—talk about what faith means to them.”
Both Dwell and WE are now available through www.faithaliveresources.org.
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Melissa Holtrop