First United Methodist Church

CHURCH SCHOOL CURRICULUM Children This year, children in the lower grades (Preschool through Grade 5) will be using the United Methodist approved curriculum, Exploring Faith: God’s Word for God’s Children, a publication from Cokesbury, The United Methodist Publishing House.  Exploring Faith is a comprehensive Bible study based on the church year. Bible stories and activities relating the Bible to everyday life is a component in each lesson. The Bible is God's gift to us.  Learning the Bible, how to use it, and how it relates to our lives is the primary focus of Exploring Faith.   The first unit of each fall quarter, "The Bible:  The Book of God's People," will teach Bible skills to all age levels, as well as the importance of the bible as a book for Christians.  Even the youngest children can begin to develop knowledge about the Bible, and more importantly, a love for the Bible that will last a lifetime.  FALL 2001 September 16 – November 25 Unit 1   The Bible: The Book of God’s Word The Old Testament contains history, stories, law, poetry and more to teach us about God and God's chosen ones.  Stories cover Deborah, Jeremiah, Daniel and Jonah.  Young children will learn what God wants us to do and that God is always with us.  Older children will learn who God is, what God has done and what God expects from us.   Unit 2   In The Beginning Since Old Testament times, God has had a special relationship with God's chosen people, who respond with trust and praise.  Young children will hear stories about some Bible families beginning with Abraham, Sarah and Isaac.  By emphasizing family relationships, these stories teach children how t o value and love their own families.  Older children will focus on the same stories but much more in depth study.  A new addition to elementary curriculum is "Living as a Christian Kid" a weekly story which helps kids understand and apply God's message to their lives.  YOUTH Students in our Junior High and Senior High classes will be using another United Methodist resource, "LinC", which challenges youth to think about their faith.  LinC provides relevant information about current issues that have an impact on youth.

First United Methodist Church57 Peters Street, North Andover, MA 01845-5085 (Corner of Rte. 114 & 133) (978) 682-5305       e-mail: fumc@netway.com