wfn.org | Bishop's book becomes material for online Sunday School class

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

Dec. 15, 1998	Contact: Linda Green((615)742-5470(Nashville, Tenn.
{739}

By United Methodist News Service

The contents of a book written by a United Methodist bishop have been
turned into a Internet Sunday School class for the lay members of the
church.

The Birth of the Book, written by Bishop Edward Tullis, has been
incorporated into an online interactive Bible course, that began Dec.
15,  allowing lay people to study the Bible in their own way and at
their own pace. For more 15 years Tullis has taught an adult Sunday
School at Long's Chapel United Methodist Church, Lake Junaluska, N.C.,
where he resides.

"I wrote the book because of my concern for a more knowledgeable laity,"
Tullis said. The book was published by the Intentional Growth Center at
Lake Junaluska.

Throughout his years of teaching Sunday School and lay speaker's and lay
preacher's schools Tullis discovered that older adult students had
knowledge about the Bible but younger adults did not. As his class
became more intergenerational, he found that the younger students had no
understanding of the Bible but also background in Sunday School.

"I wrote the simple little book and I am teaching the course to prepare
church teachers, lay members and lay speakers who have had little formal
training in the Bible, who do not know how it came to be or how it is
put together," he said.

According to Jerome Smith, ministry division director of communications
for the Southeastern Jurisdiction Administrative Council, the online
educational endeavor is different from other online courses because it
is part of the Nicodemus Project, an interactive online learning center
that incorporates live chat, discussion boards, virtual reality field
trips, customized note-taking, text highlighting, audio, video and more.

"Imagine learning from some of the leading teachers in the church today
while sharing with others in a truly Interactive 21st Century
Classroom," Smith said.  The Nicodemus Project is not just a web page
with information, he said. It is an interactive environment using all
the components of the electronic media to share class material.

The five-week class begins after a $25 enrollment fee is paid and a
student enters the electronic classroom by typing
http://www.sejac-umc.org/Nicodemus/descript.asp?CourseNom=N006 to
register. 

After enrolling, a student will hear Tullis lecture, read biblical
material and interact with others taking the class. A student will work
at his or her own pace, checking in at their convenience. The course
includes scheduled live chats with Tullis, opportunities for topic
discussion, a class members page so that a student can see the people in
the classroom with them and move around  in a 3d environment.  

The Nicodemus Project began in July at Lake Junaluska and has expanded
to include seven courses. Project officials have recently teamed with
the Foundation for Evangelism to offer another course called "Sunday
School Evangelism," which is based on a program developed by Joe Peabody
of Norcross (Ga.) United Methodist Church.

According to Smith, the Nicodemus Project works with a three-fold
approach to sharing material. The first lets students work at their own
pace, allowing them to determine how long the course will last by how
long it an individual to complete the required assignments, read the
lecture materials and share understandings.

The second works at a student's own pace while on a preset schedule.
Courses in this category run from two to four weeks. 

The third  is a live event occurring at a scheduled time that gives the
visiting professor opportunity to be with students.
# # #

United Methodist News Service
(615)742-5470
Releases and photos also available at
http://www.umc.org/umns/