Christian Education

CEWeb

Welcome to the Christian Education page of the American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin Website!

This online resource will serve as a forum to share ideas, get information and the like.

Please share the Web address for this site with Christian Education workers in your church. I would also invite you to offer suggestions of things which would make the site useful to you.

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October 2005

Fall discipleship/Christian Education programs are already up and running in your church I am sure. I hope there is excitement about the task which lies ahead of you for the year. Let me make a few suggestions of things you might want to think about or do. Some of the ideas I have suggested to some of you before. Others may be new. I hope they may spark some creative thinking for you and the leaders in your church.

• Plan an appreciation day for your teachers and leaders. Everyone needs to know she/he is appreciated! Cards made and signed by the learners in the class mean even more than something purchased!
• Dedicate your teachers/leaders during a worship service. Be sure to include Bible Study leaders, youth workers, etc., as well as Sunday School teachers.
• Consider your age groupings. If you do not have enough persons in one group, or you do not have enough leaders available to do a good job, consider how you might organize in another way. Materials are now available for "one-room" Sunday Schools. Or try a "centers approach" so that learners have more choices and activities can cover a broader age grouping.
• Consider individual learners. If you have a learner who fits better in another class, consider placing them there. We want all learners to gain as much as they can from the classroom setting. Individual needs can be considered without as much difficulty as we sometimes think we will face. Remember children are accustomed to this plan in school.
• If the traditional time for Sunday School isn't working, consider some alternatives. (after school, an evening program, etc., etc.)
• Start now to plan some enjoyable activities for various times during the year. For example, try a winter picnic or a service project.
• Plan an occasional intergenerational activity. It is good to know who else is involved in your discipleship programs. Special seasons are easy times to give this a try. Christmas lends itself to things that "family groupings" can enjoy such as singing carols, making Advent wreaths or decorations for the tree. Be sure to include the reading of the Christmas story! Or try some drama!
• Plan some training events for your leaders during the year. Don't forget to include others who might be interested in teaching! These events could take many different forms. For example:
  • Training Time Workshops are available by downloading them from the National Ministries website: http://www.nationalministries.org/resources/training. These workshops can be used as-is or modified. All materials may be photocopied.
  • Partner persons interested in teaching with a experienced, dedicated teacher. It is a good way to learn!
  • Become familiar with useful resources. Judson Press or your local bookstore are good sources of such material. Make some of these materials available to teachers through your church library.
  • The Pebble is a newsletter for children's workers. It has helpful suggestions which come from other persons teaching children. It probably already comes to your church. (It is a two-fold sheet with a National Ministries return address. The title will appear on the inside only.) Or look at www.nationalministries.org/children. Please ensure that your children's workers see a copy. It can be photocopied.

Here are just a few ideas to "prime the pump." What are you doing that you could share with others? Let me know if I can help.

Maxine Ashley
Staff Associate in Christian Education
Christian.Education@abcofwi.org

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