Introduction
What Is Faith Formation?
What Are Thematic Units?
Who Can We Use This With?
What’s in a Leader’s Guide?
Other Resources
Ordering & Download Information
Introduction
Many faith formation resources—including our own—tackle something big. Most of our products here at Spirit & Truth Publishing are designed for a nine-month program year. But this doesn’t fit everyone’s needs. Some people are looking for curricula for the summer, others want to choose from a variety of topics, and still others want materials for a specific period of time (like Lent).
This is where Learning Together comes in. Learning Together is a series of independent units, each with around five lessons.
Our key word for Learning Together is flexibility.
- Flexibility of topic: Choose the topic or topics that work for you
- Flexibility of order: Arrange the units in whatever order you would like.
- Flexibility of audience: Use these in either an intergenerational class or an elementary-aged class
- Flexibility of contexts: These units can be used in a traditional classroom setting, a rotation Sunday school, or even vacation Bible school!
What Is Faith Formation?
Although we have a whole page devoted to What Is Faith Formation?, here is the basic definition we use: We pass on the faith through every action, experience, or relationship that nurtures a transformative relationship of trust with God and shapes the way we see and interact with God’s world. When we do this in meaningful relationships, our faith is enriched from the diversity of the experiences we share with each other. Our families and communities are strengthened, and we have confidence in our sense of belonging to God and with each other.
What Are Thematic Units?
Learning Together is a set of units. When we describe these as independent units or thematic units, we mean that each unit (usually five lessons) is on one topic. The topics will fall in one of four main categories:
- Bible Stories: e.g., The I AM Statements of Jesus
- Love in Action: e.g., Do Justice
- General Themes: e.g., God’s Gift of Water
- People of the Bible: e.g., The Women of the Old Testament
There is nothing in each unit that will prevent you from choosing what topics you want in whatever order you want to use them. This will be especially helpful if you want to fit a couple of topics into a summer Sunday school or a particular focus for Lent.
Who Can We Use This With?
As you can see in a bit more detail in our description of a Leader’s Guide below, each lesson consists of a large group opening activity, a suggestion on how to break up into small groups, and five stations. Each activity is designed to foster cooperation, conversation, and relationship-building between participants of different ages. However, each activity is also written such that it can be used with elementary-age classes.
No matter the age, the lessons can be used traditionally (the leader chooses which activities will fit within the given time and the class participates in each activity in turn) or in a rotation (after the large group opening activity, small groups go to one of five activity stations and rotate to the next station after the activities are completed).
To add one more layer of flexibility, not only can lessons be taught once a week like a typical curriculum, but we also include suggestions on how to use a unit in a vacation Bible school setting!
What’s in a Leader’s Guide?
Each unit comes with a brief unit overview, an activity to divide a larger group into small groups, a unit-long project, service project suggestions, music suggestions, and even a guide to use that unit in Vacation Bible School! Each lesson will have:
- Background Information (The Point, Did You Know?, Why It Matters, and a Prayer of Preparation)
- A Large-group Opening Activity (Introduce the theme interactively)
- 5 stations (These can be done in order or as rotation stations)
- Storytelling
- Craft
- Games
- Science
- Snack
- Closing Prayer
- A “For the Home” devotional resource (take-home)
Other Resources
If you are looking for more products to support faith formation in your congregation, check out our Narrative Lectionary, Revised Common Lectionary, intergenerational confirmation, and worship education products.
Ordering & Download Information
To order, go to the specific Learning Together unit product page you would like and select your best estimate of the attendance range of your class(es). After you add the product to your cart and complete the rest of your shopping, you can proceed to checkout. There, complete the form and select your payment type.
All resource materials are available as digital downloads (PDF files) for printing or using electronically. The end-user licensing agreement (EULA) allows congregations to download, print, and use the curriculum lessons as often as they would like if the materials remain in the purchasing congregation.
After your payment is processed, you can download the materials from your Customer Account as soon as each unit is released (See the current Release Dates page for details). Each unit purchased comes in a single compressed (ZIP) file, which your operating system should be able to open and extract the folders and PDF files, at which point you can print or share with your leaders as you please!
For more detailed information on ordering, downloading, and other topics, please go to our Customer Service FAQ page.