wfn.org | New curriculum set for January rollout

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org>]

Note #7451 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

28-September-2002
02377

New curriculum set for January rollout
 
Publishing officials soldier on with aptly named "We Believe"

by Jerry L. Van Marter 

LOUISVILLE - Despite continuing financial problems, Congregational Ministries
Publishing (CMP) officials say they're on schedule to release the
Presbyterian Church (USA)'s new curriculum We Believe: God's Word for God's
People - in January. 

"It is incredible what our editorial people have been able to do," Publisher
Sandra Moak Sorem told the Congregational Ministries Division (CMD) committee
during its Sept. 26-27 meeting here. 

It's hard to believe that the new denominational curriculum is nearing
completion just one year after CMP pulled the plug on Covenant People, a
package that took more than six years to develop. Covenant People was praised
by professional educators, but most churches found it too expensive and too
hard to use, and it was discontinued after second?year sales dropped
precipitously in the summer of 2001. 

Since We Believe was authorized last September, one top editor at CMP and its
two top marketing employees have resigned (although the editor, the Rev. Mark
Hines, who left to rejoin his family in San Antonio, TX, continues to work on
We Believe on a contract basis). 

Nonetheless, the first quarter of We Believe will be rolled out in late
January during the annual convention of the Association of Presbyterian
Church Educators (APCE), and is expected to be available for churches to use
in the fall of next year. 

Sample lessons will be ready in November. Between then and the APCE
gathering, CMP officials will be introducing parts of the new, Bible-based
curriculum in kickoff events at 27 locations around the country, according to
Scott Dowd, CMP's new marketing director. 

Dowd, who has been on the job just a month, said he and his new assistant,
Ivy Crutcher Bell, who came on board two weeks ago, want to confer with
Christian-education leaders in the presbyteries "so we can adapt to better
meet the educational needs of congregations."

Dowd said the presbytery events "will give us an opportunity to personally
introduce congregations to We Believe and answer questions about it" before
unveiling the new curriculum at APCE. 

CMP wants to be well prepared for the convention. During last winter's
meeting it heard from numerous Christian educators dismayed about the abrupt
demise of Covenant People. 

"One of the questions I know we're going to have to answer," Sorem said, "is,
'Why should we trust the PC(USA) again?'"

CMP officials say it's the quality of We Believe that will win over the
skeptics.

Editorial Director Bill Owens said "post-mortem" research on Covenant People
- which is still available, and sells in modest numbers to churches that
tried it and liked it - indicates that Presbyterians do want denominational
materials, "and they gave us plenty of ideas for what and how to do
curriculum."

Outlines of We Believe were shown to commissioners and visitors to last
summer's General Assembly in Columbus, OH, to rave reviews. 

With Covenant People discontinued and We Believe not to be ready until next
year, CMP is looking at a $280,000 deficit for this year so far; the year-end
shortfall is certain to be higher.

But two other curriculum lines - Present Word and Bible Quest - are doing
very well. July was CMP's highest sales month ever. 

The bottom line for 2002 was sunk by a write?off of $250,000 in obsolete
inventory at the start of the year. "Without that we'd be in pretty good
shape," Sorem said, adding: "We knew 2002 was going to be a rough year."

CMD committees members who saw some of the new materials were encouraged -
and supportive.

"I'm amazed by what staff has been able to do under these circumstances,"
said the Rev. Gregg Neel, of Peoria, IL, the committee vice-chair. "This is
about value, not success - to provide Presbyterians with what they say they
want." 

*** For instructions on using this system (including how to UNJOIN this
meeting), send e-mail to mailrequests@ecunet.org
------------------------------------------
Send your response to this article to pcusa.news@pcusa.org

------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send an 'unsubscribe' request to

pcusanews-request@halak.pcusa.org