For nearly 15 years Riverside’s Children’s Ministry has sought to provide the best hour of our children’s week. We have used Willow Creek’s Promiseland curriculum to help kids learn about the Christian faith and to develop authentic and lasting relationships with Jesus Christ.
Over the past year our Children’s Ministry team has been prayerfully and systematically reviewing our Promiseland curriculum and other curricula available to determine whether a change is now necessary. We have gathered input from teachers, parents, and staff and have reviewed sample curriculum from many different sources. We evaluated each curriculum based upon its biblical content, age-appropriate lessons, and ability to develop life-long disciples.
We are excited to announce that in the Fall of 2015 Riverside will begin using Group Publishing’s Hands-On Bible Curriculum for toddlers through 6th grade. Riverside has used Group’s Vacation Bible School materials for several years and has found their content to be biblical, challenging, and relevant. The Hands-On Bible Curriculum is modeled after the way that Jesus taught and uses everyday objects to teach eternal truths. Kids do not just hear God’s Word – they experience it!
We also believe that the new curriculum will be easier for our teachers to implement and is much more conducive to Riverside’s teacher to student ratio. We hope that the new curriculum and step-by-step instructions will help our teachers feel confident and know they are making a difference as kids stay attentive and engaged with lessons.
In the Fall we will have six classrooms using the new curriculum: Toddler-2, 3-4, 5-K, 1st-2nd, 3rd-4th, 5th-6th. As kids mature, the content becomes more developed and appropriate for their experiences and stage of life. We will now be keeping the 6th graders instead of promoting them on to Junior High Youth Ministry. Although this may disappoint some of the kids, we along with Becky Wellner, the Jr/SR High Discipleship Director, believe it will benefit our 6th graders to have another year in Promiseland.
We are confident that the Hands-On Bible Curriculum will help us offer our kids the best hour of their week and to help them experience the fullness of God’s love through discipleship. Thank you for your prayers during this process and thank you for letting us be your partners as you disciple your children.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Children’s Ministry Director, Dar Muehlhausen, or anyone on the Children’s Ministry Team.
If you want to learn more about the Hands-On Bible Curriculum and/or Group’s learning philosophy follow the links below.
Hands-On Bible Curriculum Introduction
Group Publishing’s Learning Philosophy
We would also like to give our current Promiseland teachers a break this Summer by having others who are a part of our congregation volunteer to help. God has given all of Riverside the privilege, responsibility, and call to disciple Riverside kids and when God calls He also equips us for the task. Our children watch Bible DVD’s in the summer and we believe everyone is already equipped to spend time with Riverside’s fantastic kids. Someone from our Children’s Ministry Team will be in the back of the sanctuary for the month of May to sign you up…. You’ll love it!
Blessings,
Dar Muehlhausen, Children’s Ministry Director
Kelly Blanchard
Stephanie Stout
Dana Teefey
Margie Story
Megan Mills
Laura Russell
Amy Fisher, Leadership Team
“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 11:18-19