North Parish of North Andover
Unitarian Universalist

...a welcoming spiritual community
North Parish Unitarian Universalist Church
190 Academy Rd, North Andover, Massachusetts,
01845-4022
978-687-7948
office@northparish.org

Adapting Small Group Ministry for Children’s Religious Education:

By Gail Forsyth-Vail, Director of
Religious Education,
North Parish of North Andover, MA, Unitarian Universalist

Volume 1:
An Implementation Plan with Thirty-One Sample Sessions

Part One covers the first two years of the small group ministry model for children’s religious education at the North Parish: going form concept, to implementation, to second year refinements.   It contains step-by-step information about what was done, what was learned, and what outcomes, intentional and unintentional, occurred during the first two years.

Part Two contains thirty-one sample worship and session plans for children’s/junior youth small group ministry. Worship plans include information about sources for stories used.  Small group activities and reflections are suggested for three different developmental levels.  All sessions were written for the children and junior youth of the North Parish, and reflect the North Parish liturgical calendar, ongoing social justice projects, and events and issues of importance to the congregation.  All would need to be adapted to reflect the calendar, projects, and events and issues of other congregations.

94 pages, soft cover, copyright 2003.

PRICE REDUCED:  $45 (shipping included)

Volume 2

...hot off the presses as of June 2006!

This second volume contains twenty-seven additional worship and small group ministry session plans for children and junior youth. Included are sessions
on stories from the Jewish and Christian scriptures, as well as stories and plans concerning social justice projects, evolution, the interdependent web, and a "Great Debates about God" series of sessions that examines crossroads in our liberal religious history. The volume contains more extensive material background and storytelling notes on the worship stories.

129 pages, spiral bound, copyright 2006

Price: $50.00 (includes postage)

A little background...

In April 2001, following extensive conversation, the North Parish Children’s Religious Education Committee decided to adopt a whole new model for Sunday morning programming for children in grades one through eight. After a spring and summer of preparation, the new model was launched in September of 2001.

We have learned much two years of practical experience with the model, two years which have included major national events and stresses, and well as a congregational move to two services to accommodate growth. Many have asked both practical and theoretical questions about how to implement such a program in their congregations, questions that cannot be fully answered in a few short sentences or paragraphs. In response to the many questions, North Parish religious educator Gail Forsyth-Vail wrote the first volume of Adapting Small Group Ministry for Children’s Religious Educations.

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Welcoming Congregation

North Parish is a Welcoming Congregation, consistent with the guidelines of the Unitarian Universalist Association. We actively welcome lesbian, gay. bisexual, transgender, and intersex people as full participants in the life of the church. For more information, see our Welcoming Congregation page, or contact our Interweave chapter.