Our world is always changing, but this global pandemic has changed the landscape of our lives more drastically than most anything before. For us as faith formation leaders, we now need to figure out how to continue faith formation even when we are not meeting in person.

Here at Spirit & Truth Publishing, we create and sell faith formation resources that provide tools for you to work within your context. Our goal is to make our resources flexible so that they can be used in many different contexts. Below are some ideas on how to use our different products in these unusual times.

At-Home Resources

• Living the Word: God’s Word @ Home (RCL): This Revised Common Lectionary curriculum is being created this summer in direct response to the pandemic. Each lesson contains four activities adapted to be used by the whole family, at home. We provide a supplies list for the entire quarter so that leaders and parents can plan ahead. Some congregations provide families with the simple supplies needed for the activities in a “box” for the month or quarter. Others ask the families to provide their own supplies. More information.

• Living the Word: God’s Story @ Home (NL): Using the same basic format as the God’s Word @ Home (RCL) above, this Narrative Lectionary product is being created this summer in direct response to the pandemic. Each lesson contains four activities adapted to be used by the whole family, at home. We provide a supplies list for the entire quarter so that leaders and parents can plan ahead. Some congregations provide families with the simple supplies needed for the activities in a “box” for the month or quarter. Others ask the families to provide their own supplies. More information.

• Living the Word: Sharing God’s Story @ Home (NL): This is a resource that we have published for quite a while. Each week, this product has a half-sheet, double-sided document that provides many ideas and resources for individuals and families to use in daily devotions. The daily Bible readings are based on the Narrative Lectionary, but anyone can use them to move through the story of God in the Bible. This resource was originally designed to be placed inside a worship bulletin, so that’s why we often call it a “bulletin insert.” However, each week has a single PDF file that can be sent or emailed to households, whether you have a worship bulletin or not! More information.

Leader Resources

• Living the Word: Contexts & Connections (NL): This resource provides background information and real-world connections for each Narrative Lectionary reading. As such, this can be a valuable preparation tool no matter how worship or education are offered. More information.

• Living the Word: Planning Tool (NL): This planning tool has an expanded overview of all the Narrative Lectionary readings and then one page for each reading. This is a fillable PDF file that can be used to help individual leaders or leadership teams plan and coordinate. It can also be printed if that works best for you. The best part about this? It’s FREE! More information.

Cross+Generational Resources

• Living the Word: Cross+Gen Education (RCL): This classroom curriculum follows the Revised Common Lectionary, teaching participants of all ages God’s Word and the church seasons and festivals. As a classroom curriculum, it is specifically designed for in-person use. The God’s Word @ Home (RCL) family curriculum product (above) is based on this, but if you would like a more in-depth resource and are willing to adapt the activities to your unique context, order it here! Otherwise, we would recommend the God’s Word @ Home (RCL) family curriculum. More information.

• Living the Word: Cross+Gen Education (NL): This classroom curriculum follows the Narrative Lectionary, teaching participants of all ages God’s story throughout Scripture. As a classroom curriculum, it is specifically designed for in-person use. The God’s Story @ Home (NL) family curriculum product (above) is based on this, but if you would like a more in-depth resource and are willing to adapt the activities to your unique context, order it here! Otherwise, we would recommend the God’s Story @ Home (NL) family curriculum. More information.

• Living the Word: Cross+Gen Worship (NL): This product provides guides for each reading of the Narrative Lectionary to promote interactive, intergenerational worship experiences. Again, this product was designed with in-person worship in mind, but some congregations have engaged their creativity to use this in remote worship. You can download a sample guide and determine if this would be a worthwhile resource for your worship capabilities. More information.

Confirmation and Youth

• Chosen Together (Cross+Gen Confirmation): This intergenerational confirmation program is designed to connect students in a new way to God, their families, and their congregations. If you are looking for a program that can be used online, in-person, or the ability to move back and forth, choose Chosen Together. Each lesson is designed to be used in-person or online. Your purchase of this program includes coaching from the writer herself, who can help get you going in your own context! NEW: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have added an Online Community for Chosen Together which includes a feature-rich digital meeting space (group) and the curriculum as an online course! More information.

• Living the Word: Youth (NL): This is a curriculum product that allows confirmation classes and youth groups follow the Narrative Lectionary. While this is designed for an in-person experience, the primary activity each week is a Bible study that can be adapted for interactive online use. Each lesson also includes a Media Connection that uses some form of electronic media and can also be adapted for distance use. Other activities may or may not be adaptable to an online environment. More information.

Adults

• Living the Word: Small Group Guides (NL): Each week, these discussion guides help small groups dig into the Narrative Lectionary Bible readings. As with any small group experience, this can be done in an interactive online environment. Each guide also has a faith practice activity, which may or may not translate well into a virtual gathering. More information.

Elementary-Age Children

• Living the Word: Kids (NL, PK-2^nd): This early-elementary-school curriculum helps our pre-readers and early readers engage in the weekly Narrative Lectionary Bible readings in active, age-appropriate ways. Some faith formation leaders have been able to adapt activities for parents to use at home with their children, however, as the resource was not designed for that environment, this would require work and creativity on your part. For a simpler solution, use our Living the Word: God’s Story @ Home (NL) family curriculum. More information.

• Living the Word: Kids (NL, 3^rd-6^th): This upper-elementary-school curriculum helps our younger disciples engage in the weekly Narrative Lectionary Bible readings in active, age-appropriate ways. Some faith formation leaders have been able to adapt activities for parents to use at home with their children, however, as the resource was not designed for that environment, this would require work and creativity on your part. For a simpler solution, use our Living the Word: God’s Story @ Home (NL) family curriculum. More information.

• Living the Word: Singing God’s Story (NL): This resource provides lively, original songs that reinforce the lessons learned from the Narrative Lectionary. You can purchase just the sheet music or those with MP3 accompaniment. It is designed for use in a large-group opening, children’s church, or children’s choir. As such, it would be possible, but difficult to ask families to sing along during an online faith formation event. More information.

• Spirit & Truth: Kids (PK-2^nd): This early-elementary-school curriculum is designed to teach pre-readers and early readers about worship, the liturgy, and the church year. The primary teaching activity each lesson is an illustrated story. These stories are in PDF format and can be sent home to families to share together. The other activities are designed for in-class teaching, but some could be adapted for home use. More information.

• Spirit & Truth: Kids (3^rd-6^th): This upper-elementary-school curriculum is designed to teach our younger disciples about worship, the liturgy, and the church year. The primary teaching activity each lesson is a reader’s theater-style skit, which may be able to be used in an interactive online environment. These skits are in PDF format and can be sent home for students to use. The other activities are designed for in-class teaching, but some could be adapted for home use. More information.

Digital Product Files

All our products are digital files (primarily PDF documents) which you will download from your customer account, available and downloadable by quarter (fall, winter, spring). You are able to download all product-quarters which are released as of the time of your order from the completed order email you are sent, however, these links only work for a limited time and do not include product-quarters which are released after your order. See our Release Dates page for more information.

Permissible Online Use

Each lesson (or equivalent) is provided as an individual PDF file. As such, they are easily emailed to households. However, there are some restrictions to online use as stated in the End User Licensing Agreement (EULA) you agree to by downloading our products.

The basic guideline to follow is that the products are only for use within the purchasing congregation. Therefore, if people not associated with your congregation are able to access the files, that is not permissible use.

Examples:

• You may upload files on your website for households to download if they are not publicly accessible, such as in a password-protected area.
• You may upload files to a private Facebook group or other social media platform that is specifically for your congregation or congregation’s ministry.
• You may upload files to a cloud storage account (e.g. Dropbox, Google Drive).
• You may email files to households.
• You may not upload files to the public pages of your website,
• You may not upload files to a publicly accessible Facebook (or similar) group, either belonging to your congregation or anything with a wider membership.
• You may not include files in a general use (i.e. not congregation-specific) electronic newsletter or similar.

This list is intended to give examples, not be an exhaustive list. If you have any questions, please contact the publisher via the Contact Form or phone number (262-358-6574).