wfn.org | Newsline: Gather 'Round curriculum looks to the future

[cobnews <cobnews@brethren.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service -- Jan. 23, 2009
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, News Director
800-323-8039 ext. 260 -- cobnews@brethren.org

GATHER 'ROUND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION CURRICULUM LOOKS TO THE FUTURE

(Jan. 23, 2009) Elgin, IL -- As the Gather 'Round curriculum moves into its  third year of use (and fifth year of writing), staff and denominational re presentatives have met to evaluate the materials and make plans for the fut ure. Gather 'Round is a Christian education curriculum jointly produced by  Brethren Press and the Mennonite Publishing Network.

The meeting brought together Gather 'Round staff, other publishing house st aff assigned to the project, and representatives from each of the publishin g denominations. A key resource for a Nov. 2008 Gather 'Round "summit" was  data collected through a major curriculum survey conducted in Mennonite and  Church of the Brethren congregations across North America (see story below ).

"We dealt practically with challenging issues such as declining denominatio nal identification and tightening budgets by coming up with improvements in  our products and creatively developing new ways to reach congregations and  members," said project director Anna Speicher.

Participants affirmed the importance of faith formation and Christian educa tion in the life of the church, and grappled with the difficulty today in t raining and equipping teachers. Teachers tend to serve for shorter periods  of time and are less available for training events. Though the curriculum f rom the outset was developed with a special emphasis on "embedding" teacher  training into the teacher's guides, the group recognized a need to build e ven more teaching assistance into the curriculum.

The group discussed refinements in the teacher's guides that are already in  the works. Sessions are being redesigned to streamline the flow and make i t easier to follow. Editors are also giving extra attention to age-appropri ateness, particularly at the Preschool level. More teacher assistance is be ing provided in the quarterly "Roundabout" newsletter, an expanded "Roundab out Online" e-newsletter, and recent upgrades to the Gather 'Round website.

In a wide-ranging conversation about Christian education in a postmodern er a, participants reflected on the trend toward small group gatherings outsid e the traditional Sunday school setting, including homes, workplaces, resta urants, and malls. The team brainstormed ways the curriculum can be adapted  for midweek use, church retreats, and other alternate settings.

The team was heartened by survey data that showed a high percentage of cong regations using denominational curricula. When choosing resources, congrega tions reported placing a higher priority on theological orientation and den ominational values than on price. Among both Mennonite and Brethren congreg ations, Gather 'Round was the dominant choice for children's Sunday school  programs. Distant second and third choices were David C. Cook and Group.

However, a significant number of congregations had few or no children. Thes e demographics are a challenge. The Gather 'Round project is small compared  with other available Sunday school materials. Most small denominations hav e found it impossible to continue this sort of publishing. Not lost on the  meeting were the realities of the current economic climate for church budge ts.

Remaining committed to the importance of educational materials with Mennoni te and Brethren values, the group spent time analyzing ways to ensure that  each component is financially viable--particularly the signature Talkabout  and "Connect" resource for parents and caregivers. A number of congregation s are already using "Connect" as a general adult Bible study, and Gather 'R ound is planning to broaden the writing so that it can be used easily by al l adults. There will still be content aimed at parents and caregivers.

The group also explored ways to keep broadening the base for Gather 'Round.  This unique curriculum already appeals to other denominations, and orders  on the website have increased significantly. Users come from a wide range o f other denominations, including congregations from several cooperative use rs--the United Church of Christ, United Church of Canada, Moravian Church,  and Mennonite Brethren.

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continu ing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in  community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith t raditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrated it s 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts more than 125,000 members across the  United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nig eria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.

>CURRICULUM SURVEY RESULTS

The following results are reported from a recent curriculum survey of Churc h of the Brethren congregations, carried out by Brethren Press. The respons e rate was 23 percent, with 230 out of the 1,006 Church of the Brethren con gregations responding. All of the Church of the Brethren districts in the U nited States were represented.

What is the approximate age of those attending your congregation? 0-12: 13  percent, 13-18: 9 percent, 19-24: 7 percent, 25-39: 13 percent, 40-55: 21 p ercent, over 55: 37 percent.

How important do you consider Sunday school to be to the spiritual formatio n of your congregation? 90 percent described it as "crucial" and "very impo rtant."

What best describes your Sunday school attendance? Growing: 16 percent, sta ying the same: 62 percent, declining: 22 percent.

Do you have a children's Sunday school program? Yes: 81 percent.

What curriculum are you using for children's Sunday school? Gather 'Round:  59 percent, David C. Cook: 16 percent, Group: 13 percent, Gospel Light: 11  percent, write our own: 9 percent.

What are the most important factors in choosing a Sunday school curriculum?  1. Upholds Brethren values, 2. Theological orientation, 3. Easy to teach,  4. Educationally solid, 5. Developed by Brethren Press. 6. Price. (Users of  David C. Cook materials ranked theological orientation highest, and users  of Group materials ranked "easy to teach" the highest. For Gather 'Round us ers, "educationally solid" ranked second.)

Within the past year, have you used a curriculum developed by Brethren Pres s? Yes: 67 percent.

(This report was provided by Wendy McFadden, executive director of Brethren  Press.)

># # #

>For more information contact:

>Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
>Director of News Services
>Church of the Brethren
>1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
>800-323-8039 ext. 260
>cobnews@brethren.org