Let's talk curriculum!

There are many ways of bringing intergenerational community to your congregation. But not a lot of curriculum. At my last congregation, we had monthly intergenerational activities. The congregation was small and the attendance at the events ranged from 6 to about 25 or so on a good week. I will be publishing online some of the curriculum that we used that was written by my pastor and myself. The curriculum is ideal for a small congregation or any type of small group gathering. It could be used for churches that are made up of small groups. Often those small groups are made up of families where the parents have Bible study together while the children or teenagers of those families are off doing their own thing. This curriculum would work well for those type of groups if they would like to take time once a month to have a time for all the families to come together to learn and fellowship as one group. It may be a week before I get the first lesson up on another website so not to keep you waiting, here is the outline for each lesson plan. Feel free to use it and fill in your own Bible lessons!

Basic Format

Icebreaker games: Time for us to get to know one another. Kids and adults should share with each other. As kids and adults get to know each other and have fun with one another, a family atmosphere can begin to form.

Worship: Important to repeat songs so that they become familiar. Use motions for younger kids to enjoy and better understand the meaning of the songs. It is helpful to use some songs that congregation sings during the regular worship service

Lesson: Since children are present, stories should be simple and relatable to the lives of kids. The lesson should involve some hands on activity because kids learn well this way. Also, this time will include time to discuss lesson with one another. Most adults should feel comfortable helping share basic stories of the faith with the kids. In addition to Bible stories we should also use some months to learn about mission and outreach. We can use this time for the whole congregation to take part in the work of the food pantry and other mission and outreach projects of the church. In doing this we will be passing on a living, active faith to the kids.

Snack: Food is important to good fellowship. While we eat, we are able to allow the kids time to play with and talk with one another. The kids also can use this time to talk with the adults about the lesson or what is going on in their lives. We should encourage the adults to use this time to be intentional about talking with the kids and developing relationships with them especially those whose families do not come to the church. Also we should strive to bring healthier snacks when possible. Most of the kids have not had dinner yet and tend to eat a lot of the snacks. We need to be careful that what they are eating will not ruin their dinner.

I hope some of you can find this useful. Keep looking back for actual curriculum!

Later
Resa

Celebrating Jewish Style!

The Jewish are a great way of worship and learning intergenerationally. They are designed to teach in a family setting with all generations present. The Jewish faith has been passed down for thousands of years from one generation to the next through the feasts. The stories of the Jewish faith are some of the stories of the Christian faith as well.This week, Jews are celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as Sukkot. A Sukkah is a booth or tabernacle. It is the type of dweling the Israelites lived in while they wandered the wilderness. The holiday is intended to remember the living conditions of the ancient Israelites during the 40 years of wandering before entering the Promised land.  The command from the Lord to the Isrealites for the feast can be found in Leviticus 23:39-43:

" 'So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; the first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest. ⁴⁰ On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. ⁴¹ Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. ⁴² Live in booths for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths ⁴³ so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.' "

Typically, Sukkot is celebrated by Jews by constructing sukkah inside or outside the home. Many families share meals in the sukkah. Some sleep and play inside sukkah during the week of the feast. This is a time of celebration and thanksgiving.

So how can we use this as an intergenerational teaching tool in our churches and homes? Well, I actully have not practiced this feast in a church just yet. I just learned about the feast a few weeks ago. But I cannot wait to try it some day soon! A few ideas come to mind. A church can construct a sukkah in the worship area for a time of intergenerational worship. It should be a simple construction project. The forts we built around our house as children come to mind when I read about this feasts. Sheets, chairs, and clothes pins could do the trick. It does not need to be stable for a long time, just a few hours. Even some large camping tents would work if you have a smaller group. Sharing a meal, maybe even a Thanksgiving meal in the tent would be an excellent idea. During the meal read some stories of the wandering Israelites. Also, take time to share stories of thankfulness. Of course singing songs of thanksgiving would be in order as well. To keep the yound kids' attention while telling stories, be sure to ask questions the kids can answer. Also, be sure and invite children to share their stories of thankfulness first so that they feel involved from the beginning. Remember that it is a time of celebration so let the kids run and play after there has been time to share stories of faith and thanksgiving.

If you want to learn more about The Feast of Tabernacles you can read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukkot

Also, if you are not Jewish do not feel obligated to only celebrate this feast right now. Any time is a good time of year to learn stories of our faith!

If you try this out in your church or with your family, let me know how it goes!

--Teresa

Worship is for All Ages

Some of my favorite worship experiences happened in my last church. It was a small congregation with few resources. Out of necessity the children and most infants were present for most, if not all of the worship service. Because of this the children were able to participate in many elements of worship that other kids miss out on. During my years at that church I learned how important it was for the whole community to worship together. Even the youngest kids were aware of what was happening and were wanting to participate. One of the defining moments of intergenerational worship happened when Gracie was a toddler. Gracie had always been present in the worship service for communion. One Sunday Gracie was sitting behind me with her family. Our pastor walked over to the communion table and picked up the bread. Completely aware of what was about to happen, Gracie says to her mother in an excited whisper "Mommy! Mommy! Me too? Me too?" Two things went through my head. One, little Gracie was excited to receive the elements. She was too young to explain to anyone why she liked it or what it meant to her, but we could tell it was special for her. Two, Gracie wanted to be included in what the community was doing. The "Me too, me too" stuck out and is burned into my memory. Sometimes Christians can forget how important the community is and how important the community is to the kids. There are many challenges to including all generations in a worship service and many times those challenges look too big that the benefits do not seem worth the challenge. I've created this blog to help those who would like to find ways to overcome those challenges. I want to pass along the learning moments that I had, share the resources that I've found and some I have written or co-written with my friends and classmates. I would also like for this blog to be a place where we can share ideas and stories about intergenerational worship.

Now, why "Breaking Bread"? Several reasons. First because of the story I shared with you. Communion and the breaking of the bread has become a symbol for me personally of intergenerational worship. Second, breaking of bread is a universal symbol of community. When we break bread together we are sharing with others and building community. And no community is complete when an entire age group is left out. The church cannot experience true community if the kids are always off in another room. Last and defiantly least and insignificant is because during this time between seminary and career, I have found a job working at Panera Bread and I do all of my writing in Panera, which is where I am right now.  So I am almost always thinking about bread, which is not really a bad thing.

So if you are interested in intergenerational worship resources or stories, please come back and join me on this journey. I would love to hear some of your stories or answer any of your questions!