Fill the Gap! contains 120 easy-to-play Bible-based games with little or no preparation needed - perfect for picking straight off the shelf! The ideas are designed to help local churches fill up those awkward gaps of time in Sunday schools, midweek clubs, holiday clubs, after school clubs and children's camps. The games are divided equally across the Old Testament and the New Testament and offer a fun-filled way to reinforce a teaching point or help children unfamiliar with Bible stories. There are two games for each story, one aimed at 4-7s and the other at 7-11s, but many of the games can be modified slightly to make them appropriate for older or younger children to take part. Most of the games are suitable for both smaller and larger groups of children and many can be easily adapted to fit different Bible stories, allowing favourite games to be used again with a different emphasis.

In 1643 when the Long Parliament of England called the Westminster Assembly to produce the Westminster Confession, it also asked for a directory of "catechising." The Assembly asked Herbert Palmer to produce a draft of the Larger Catechism. Robert Baillie and other Scottish delegates found the work disappointing. In December 1643 a committee was formed to write the Catechism. In January 1647 the Assembly gave up writing one catechism and split it into two. The Westminster Shorter Catechism was to be "easier to read and concise for beginners" and the Larger Catechism was to be "more exact and comprehensive." The Catechism was completed by the Westminster Assembly in 1647. It was then adopted by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1648 and by the Presbyterian Synod of New York and Philadelphia in 1788.

In 1643 when the Long Parliament of England called the Westminster Assembly to produce the Westminster Confession, it also asked for a directory of "catechising." The Assembly asked Herbert Palmer to produce a draft of the Larger Catechism. Robert Baillie and other Scottish delegates found the work disappointing. In December 1643 a committee was formed to write the Catechism. In January 1647 the Assembly gave up writing one catechism and split it into two. The Westminster Shorter Catechism was to be "easier to read and concise for beginners" and the Larger Catechism was to be "more exact and comprehensive." The Catechism was completed by the Westminster Assembly in 1647. It was then adopted by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1648 and by the Presbyterian Synod of New York and Philadelphia in 1788.

With dramatic artwork and colorful detail, "The Story of Jesus" tells the story of Jesus in a fresh, biblical way--from the angelic appearance to Zechariah through Joseph and Mary's escape to Egypt. Available in packs of 25, "The Story of Jesus" is ideal for church programs, community outreach, family devotions, and as an outreach tool for children or adults.

Explore a new way of pastoral care that enables caregivers to develop relationships and provide meaningful pastoral care to the children and youth they encounter! The Pastoral Care of Children focuses on the need for pastoral caregivers, clergy and chaplains to develop relationships with youths and gives you suggestions to overcome the anxiety associated with caring for an acutely ill child through unique, playful, and child-centered approaches. Many pastoral caregivers have high anxiety when children are ill or hurt, are unsure how to have a substantive conversation with a nine-year old, or their fears of what could be said keep them from hearing what children have to say. The effective approaches in The Pastoral Care of Children are illustrated to assist you with serving the spiritual needs of children. You will explore actual pastoral care experiences that will help you gain confidence in handling situations such as a teenager's desire to be baptized out of fear of death when neither he nor his parents believe in Christ. Intelligent and heartfelt, this valuable book gives you a complete theological exploration of ministering to children who may ask you "Why me?", "Why do people have to die?" and "What happens to children if they die before they are baptized?" The Pastoral Care of Children helps you answer these questions with meaningful responses that are genuine and grounded with yourself, and reflect the parents'beliefs. Some of the help you will discover in The Pastoral Care of Children includes: understanding the similarities and differences of caring for children in comparison to adults, such as different vocabularies but similar emotions, and realizing that children are very perceptive using play as a tool, for example referring to a puppet's experience in reference to the child to eliminate the child's self-consciousness and help him or her open up confronting pastoral issues in acute care settings, such as fear, guilty feelings, and anger, from parents, family and the child helping children recover from mental health issues such as depression, eating disorders, and identity and self-esteem issues by using cognitive therapy conducting prayer and rituals with children such as baptism, naming ceremonies, anointings, and funerals to assist the child and family through this spiritual rite of passage Complete with child and family focused approaches for dealing with the questions surrounding death, The Pastoral Care of Children also provides you with several cited scriptures, and a list of questions you may be asked by a child who is facing death. You will learn from actual circumstances pastoral caregivers have encountered and discover how to approach topics, and answer questions on God and death. The Pastoral Care of Children, an extremely resourceful book that will assist you in overcoming anxiety and help you deliver thoughtful and uplifting pastoral care to children and youth.

Adventure is extensively used as a teaching tool throughout the Bible. In God of Adventure Bruce Dunning proposes 19 principles from the Bible that outline the validity, core concepts and teaching approaches of Christian adventure learning. "Finally A book has been written for adventure learning leaders that is grounded in Scripture. This well-researched and highly readable text will be a valuable resource for Christian educators desiring a stronger theological basis for their practice." -Ken Kalisch, Author of "The Role of the Instructor in the Outward Bound Educational Process," Associate Professor of Outdoor Education, Montreat College, Montreat, North Carolina "Adventure learning has long been with us but seldom understood or valued as the powerful tool for learning and personal transformation as this book so clearly shows it to be. Bruce Dunning has crafted a solid biblical treatise for adventure learning with great applications to ministry and personal life. It is valuable reading for any youth worker or Christian educator who is willing to go beyond the normative approaches to the teaching-learning paradigm in helping young people become all that God first created them to be." -John H. Wilkinson, Executive Director of Toronto YFC, Toronto, Ontario "I would buy this for the Appendix alone." -Stephen J. Cyphers, Outdoor Leadership Program, Colorado Christian University BRUCE DUNNING has been involved in Christian camping every year of his life and has worked full-time at Medeba Adventure Learning Centre since 1980. Medeba is located in West Guilford, Ontario, Canada and specializes in Christian adventure learning. Its mission is to use adventure and community to challenge young people to continually say "yes" to God. Bruce also has extensive experience within the world-wide Christian camping movement. www.GodofAdventure.com

What if God is saving the best for last? Of all the books of the Bible, Revelation is the one that mystifies and unsettles people the most. From numerical signs to monsters, the book of apocalypse in the Bible can be difficult to wrap our minds around, but the message that Revelation really brings is hope. In this six-session video Bible study (video streaming included), Bible teacher and author Margaret Feinberg digs into John's Revelation to show us how the final book of the Bible reminds us of God's power and promises during times of great suffering and persecution. This study guide has everything you need for a full Bible study experience, including: The study guide itself-with discussion and reflection questions, video notes, and a leader's guide. An individual access code to stream all six video sessions online (you don't need to buy a DVD!). Scripture memory cards and coloring pages. In this study you will: Uncover the supernatural power of Jesus' names and titles. Be equipped with tactics on how to overcome the wily ways of the enemy. Discover how to triumph through the blood of the lamb and the word of your testimony. Learn that, though life is not always fair, Jesus is NOT finished. John, the author of the book of Revelation, was blessed to see what each of us longs to know, and he gave us a descriptive and poignant expression of the place, the end, and the eternity that God has promised to us. God has indeed saved the best for last, and in Revelation's pages he gives us the one thing we all long for-hope, extravagant hope. The Beautiful Word Bible Study series makes the Bible come alive in such a way that you know where to turn no matter where you find yourself on your spiritual journey. Featuring celebrated authors and teachers, like Margaret Feinberg and Jada Edwards, each guide is a creative and illuminating journey through one book of the Bible. Watch on any device! Streaming video access code included. Access code subject to expiration after 12/31/2027. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet connection required. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.

Born at a time of intense religious controversy, Anglicanism was marked from the start by an ability to hold opposing Catholic and Protestant tendencies together in a wise and generous spirit. Rooted in the earliest formularies of faith, it was able to withstand many passing theological disputes. As disagreements threaten once again to separate one Christian from another, here is a succinct and timely reminder of the core beliefs and values that unite all Anglicans so powerfully. What Anglicans Believe is ideal for new and seasoned but weary believers. A refreshing and inspirational guide, it is arranged in four parts: The Faith - what we believe The Source of the Faith - the famous 3-legged stool of Scripture, reason and tradition The Order of the Faith - how our worship and mission reflect our beliefs The Character of the Faith - how our history equips us to deal with new challenges

Catechesis for Infant Baptism will help parishes design a catechetical process for the formation of a ministry team to share "our common treasure" of faith with parents preparing for their infant's baptism. This book is for pastors, pastoral staff, liturgists, DREs, and all those who prepare catechists to engage in this ministry. Ellen Marie Collins employs primary symbols, the Lectionary and prayer texts for infant baptism to offer a process for deepening the catechists' understanding of the Rite of Infant Baptism and to help them as they share their faith as a baptismal ministry team.

"Beginning With Christ," designed for new believers, provides a format for telling others about salvation and the Christian life. Topics include assurance of salvation, answered prayer, victory over sin, forgiveness, and guidance. Includes Scripture memory cards.

The first privately published edition of We Believe appeared anonymously in 1983 and subsequently, to the author's great surprise, took a wider readership by storm, selling more than 15,000 copies before his death at the age of 97 in 1998. Alfred Gilbey was already a well-known priest, having been from 1932 to 1965 Chaplain to the Catholic Undergraduates of Cambridge University. The course of instructions he gave to enquirers into the Catholic Faith had, in A. N. Wilson's words, already "acquired a legendary status," and had been responsible for more than forty vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Devoted to the life of prayer, his Commentary on the Catechism of Christian Doctrine, as this work is sub-titled, is based on a lifetime's reflection on the truths of the Faith and, his many friends would wish to add, on the daily example he gave of the precepts of Faith, Hope and Charity. The late Basil Cardinal Hume OSB, OM, revealed at Mgr Gilbey's 90th birthday celebration that he had been the model of the Cardinal's own priesthood. Anyone who has read this book without having known the author will have been aware of the spirit of humility and integrity breathing through its pages. Mgr Gilbey was endowed with remarkable gifts which were both pastoral and expository, and We Believe is an enduring legacy of his life and thought. Above all, Alfred Gilbey was guided by a conviction that, contrary to the collectivist spirit of the age, our Creator made us to be not equal to one another but, in virtue of our relationship to Him, unique; as awe-inspiring a thought, whenever we allow it to come into focus, as the author fully intended it to be in the pages of his book.

The Classic Guide for Educators of Any Denomination

What mission calls us to teach? How do societal issues-social oppression, poverty, politics-affect what we teach, how we teach it, and how people learn? Who are our students? What and when are they ready to learn? Once we understand these foundations, how can we facilitate an educational experience that has the power to shape and transform people and communities in life-giving ways of faith?

In this classic text, Thomas Groome asks and answers these central questions, providing a comprehensive integration of the history, theory, and practice of modern religious education for a new generation of educators. His self-reflective approach-shared praxis-will inspire school teachers, students of religious education, pastors, parents, and religious educators in local churches who want to understand themselves, their mission, and their surroundings-to inform, form, and transform their students' lives.

"Anyone tugged by the calling at the heart of education or religious life can only cheer for the republication of this classic book."-Robert Kegan, Harvard Graduate School of Education

"Whether returning Christian Religious Education or reading it for the first time, readers will discover freshness leaping from the page; you will soon know why this formative book of the past is a beacon for the future-informative, inspiring, and wise!"-Mary Elizabeth Moore, professor of theology and Christian education, Claremont School of Theology

Exploring Scriptural Sources is an innovative, ecumenical textbook enabling students to explore key aspects of the early Christianity using primary texts. The interactive aspect of the case study methodology (problem-based learning) is engaging even for bored college students and enables persons with no background in textual criticism to learn it rudiments effortlessly. This textbook is a natural choice for introductory New Testament courses. The author has prepared a teacher's manual and interactive software versions of his Case Studies that can be accessed at www.didache.info.

Planning for Christian Education Formation was written to help congregational leaders, clergy, staff, and laypersons, plan and organize a Christian education ministry from the approach of Christian formation in a community of faith context. This book provides a model for organizing the Christian education leadership committee or team of the church, demonstrates how to use the church year as a framework for planning the Christian education ministry of the church, and gives a model for assessing the effectiveness of the educational ministry of the church and a process to help congregations move toward the Christian Education Formation approach.

Adapting C.S. Lewis's classic allegory, this book is a gathering of 33 instructional letters written between demons. With wit, insight and a fearless honesty, this book shows how alcohol addiction ravages human lives and relationships.

Full-color rattle board book that expalins lessons that can be learned from the saints

Focus on the Five Practices: A Congregation-Wide Initiative Based on the book, ""Five Practices of a Fruitful Congregation"" by Bishop Robert Schnase Imagine a congregation-wide focus on these practices that includes a five week sermon series, five weeks with every household reading daily devotions and sharing prayers on these practices, five weeks of leadership teams and small groups stimulated to take new initiatives, five weeks of conversation and commitment focused on the mission of the church. These are the practices that lead to excellence and fruitfulness, and they can change your church. Imagine "Cultivating Fruitfulness" is a congregational resource that inspires participants through 5 weeks of prayer and devotion. Each day includes a Scripture, a short story or concept from book, a personal question and a prayer. Click here to preview a sample devotion from "Cultivating Fruitfulness." Download a brochure on all available Five Practices products. Other resources for the "Focus on the Five Practices: Congregation-Wide Initiative": ""Five Practices Leader Manual and Media"" A participant guide for group study on each of the Five Practices """Five Practices Radical Hospitality" "Five Practices Passionate Worship Five Practices Intentional Faith Development Five Practices Risk-taking Mission and Service Five Practices Extravagant Generosity Focus on the Five Practices - Complete Set "Contains one of each of the above resources, including the original book by Bishop Schnase.

For more information on the entire intiative, go to fivepractices.cokesbury.com.

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The best-selling Catechism of the Catholic Church offers not only a new, definitive account for our times of the full teaching of the Catholic faith, but it is also a superbly crafted work from which to learn and to teach the faith. Teaching the faith in a systematic way - catechesis - is a craft and, like any craft, it requires the development of skills on the part of those who desire to excel in it. The Catechism of the Catholic Churchshows catechists and others what to teach. This book examines the important issue of how to teachit (pedagogy). A must for every teacher who wants to be more effective inhanding on the faith to others.

Love one another, just as Jesus loves you... Follow Dr. Jeremiah through the letters of 1, 2, 3, John and Jude in a chapter-by-chapter study that will help you understand what it meant to the people at the time it was written, and what it means to Christians today. The Christians of the first century were facing a difficult battle. False teachers had emerged in their churches who were spreading a gospel that was contrary to the one proclaimed by Jesus. The situation was so distressing to John that he wrote a series of letters to call them to remember that Jesus' greatest command was for them to love God and to love one another. Similarly, Jude called on believers to remember the truth of the gospel and persevere in the face of these attacks from false teachers. Each of this study's twelve lessons is clearly organized to include: Getting Started: An opening question to introduce you to the lesson. Setting the Stage: A short reflection to explain the context of the study. Exploring the Text: The Scripture reading for the lesson with related study questions. Reviewing the Story: Questions to help you identify key points in the reading. Applying the Message: Questions to help you apply the key ideas to their lives. Reflecting on the Meaning: A closing reflection on the key teachings in the lesson. -ABOUT THE SERIES- The Jeremiah Bible Study Series captures Dr. David Jeremiah's forty-plus years of commitment in teaching the Word of God. In each study, you'll gain insights into the text, identify key stories and themes, and be challenged to apply the truths you uncover to your life. By the end of each study, you'll come away with a clear and memorable understanding of that Bible book. Each study also contains a Leader's Guide.

To succeed in the world today, students need an education thatequips them to recognize current trends, to be creative andflexible to respond to changing circumstances, to demonstrate soundjudgment to work for society's good, and to gain the ability tocommunicate persuasively. This book argues for returning to theclassical liberal arts educational system so that students areprepared for lifelong learning.

The Way of Prayer is a 10-week resource designed to help people expand their understanding of the nature and practice of prayer. Many Christians grow up with a limited vision of what prayer is and how to pray. The Way of Prayer offers many forms to explore and practice, both individually and as a group. People with different temperaments, spiritual types, and learning styles will each find expressions of prayer that draw them closer to God. They will also learn to integrate body, mind, and spirit in prayer, and to live a more creative rhythm between the inner life and the outward journey of service. This resource can help bring greater scope and vitality into the prayer life of your congregation. Topics include:
How do you Pray?
Images of God?
Praying by Heart
Praying with Music
Praying by Gazing
Praying with Our Bodies
Scriptural Prayer
Contemplative Prayer
Praying with and for Others
Prayer and Social Transformation
- Small groups in local churches
- Companions in Christ customers

Candles & Conifers is a collection of seasonal resources - prayers, liturgies, poems, reflections, sermons, meditations, stories and responses - written by Iona Community members, associates, friends and others. It offers resources for groups and individuals covering the weeks from All Saints' Day to Christmas Eve, including saints' days, Remembrance Day, World AIDS Day and Advent. There are liturgies for an outdoor celebration with fireworks, a Christingle service and a longest night service, as well as Advent candle ceremonies, personal prayer practices, a series of responses and blessings and a cats' Advent calendar. A companion resource book, Hay & Stardust, covering the season of Christmastide, from Christmas Eve to Candlemas, is also available. In towns and villages In tower blocks and terraces Christ is waiting to be born In palaces and shanty-towns In high streets and back-streets Christ is waiting to be born In the vastness of the universe In the intimacy of our hearts Christ is waiting to be born Come, Lord Jesus Come into our homes Come into our lives Come and stay