It is with pleasure that we offer our teaching program, intended for Christian children ages 8-12, who have accepted Christ as their Savior and have been baptized or are spiritually ready to be. This lesson curriculum was used in a pilot program at the Tabernacle Church in Melbourne, FL, and the response was enthusiastic, to say the least. This encouraged us to further edit and expand its scope. These lessons are intended for Sunday school or home-school teachers. The curriculum spans a 12-week program, with opportunities to expand it for presentations to the church congregation or for special meetings such as at retirement homes. Several craft projects are included to encourage outreach in the family and community.
About the authors
Doris McGeary
Doris, mother and grandmother, is a long-term Home Group and Church Bible teacher of adult and youth groups in several states and, for a period of about 8 years, in Algeria. In her extensive teaching experience she recognized two important factors which led her to initiate this course:
- Few instructors realize the important learning phase in young people aged 8-12. This is a time of special receptivity which, if nurtured, the lessons remain for many years.
- Too few instructors prepare lessons appropriate to this critical phase. Also, some teachers are prone to lecture rather than seek creative participation.
Barbara Wallarab
Barbara earned her Master's degree at Michigan State University (Thesis: Creative Dramatics in Christian Education) and completed another Master's Degree in Theology at Christian Life School of Theology in Columbus, Georgia. Se has been a teacher and Director of Christian Education for 20 years in the United States and was a full-time missionary in Lebanon and Japan, teaching at Christian Colleges for another 20 years. Barbara has recognized that her students have been most responsive when they are encouraged to express themselves and participate in creative activities such as role-playing drama and other art forms.
Doris and Barbara developed this program through pilot trials in several churches. Their combined effort resulted in gratifying positive interest by young Christians who wished to be examples to their peers, active intercessors, and soul-winners.
Our prayer is that the teachers and students participating in this program will be as excited about it as we have been in bringing young people to a deeper, vital, living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ that will continue with them all their lives.
-Doris and Barbara