Title

Publisher

Denomination

Junior Children’s Church

David C. Cook Publishing Co.

Non-Denomination:  This curriculum, as a whole, represents evangelical and conservative strands of which most denominations can take hold. 

Materials of This

Resource

The Leader’s Guide, The picture Bible, Worship Time Music Book, The Idea Book, Maps and Activity pieces.

The Reason for

Children’s Church Time

This resource teaches children the parts of a worship service from invocation to benediction through real children’s church time. By this learning process, children themselves experience and learn how they worship God. Therefore, this resource needs the special children’s church time.

Activity for

Children’s church

Creative readings/ Bible-time activities/ Skits, dramas, puppet shows/Adult church presentations/ Yearlong class projects. 

Flow/Structure of the

Children’s Church Time

Every lesson has five parts that relate to each other.

1.Getting started - activities help students realize a need they may have right now that will be addressed in the lesson help create interest in the Bible story

2. Exploring the Bible - students will see the dynamic truth of the Bible story and reflect on how it relates to their lives.

3.Exploring Worship - students will be taught about the parts of the worship service so they can take on new meaning for them.

4.Worshiping Together - students will respond corporately to God by conducting their own worship service.

5.Responding Personally - each student will respond individually and personalize the worship theme of the session.

Worship of  Children’s church time Included?

This resource actually includes worship service in children’s church time.  The worship service consists of these orders: Call to worship/ Invocation/ Hymn/ Scripture Reading/ 

Prayer/ Hymn/ Student Worship Talk (Time for completing Bible sentences with children’s word)/ Benediction. 

Organization

This resource is organized by both theme and the Bible chronology.  It is a curriculum through the Old Testament that teaches the parts of a worship service from invocation to benediction.

Age level/Appropriateness

For ages 8-11 / Activities offered are appropriate for their ages, but the contents of the Bible study is somewhat difficult to understand for ages 8-11.

How is the Bible Treated?

This resource treats the Bible as the eternal truth.  In this curriculum, all themes, principles, and life applications are drawn from the stories of the Old Testament.

Features or characteristics

For or Against some denomination?

The contents of this curriculum do not deal with the “sacraments.”  It seems to ignore the importance of the sacraments in worship.  In this sense, this curriculum may not be adequate for the denomination which emphasizes the sacraments like the Episcopal church. 

Kinds of leader/ teacher

This resource needs leaders or teachers having various talents and knowledge such as drama, music and puppet with the Bible knowledge.  These knowledge have to be considered in terms of children’s view.

Distinctive features

of this resource

1. This resource is distinctive in that it deals with the theme of “worship,” somewhat difficult and unfamiliar to children.

2. This resource is much focused on the children who don’t seem excited about church.  So it is very special in that children will respond individually and personalize the worship theme of the session on the base of the Old Testament with various activities.

3. This resource is also distinctive in that it is full of peak-experience activities with both large–scale planning, creativity and short projects.

Strengths and Weakness

Strengths

1. Includes many activities that raise the creativity of the children (ex:  adult church presentation). 

2. Make children concentrate on and learn one theme (worship) deeply through one year.

3. Children can learn worship from real presentation of worship with voluntary participation (= practical method of learning).

4. Children can worship every week on the basis of their learning.  The theme drawn from the Bible stories raise the balanced understanding of main subjects.

 Weakness

1. Too various activities and long-term projects have risk in causing the misunderstanding and dullness on the main subjects: It also requires teachers to invest much time for preparing this session.

2. The contents of this curriculum, as a whole, can be difficult for young children.   

3. Even though unit 8 (session 33-36) deals with the “sermon,” the children’s worship order even does not include the “sermon.”                                       

4. The design seems to look old.   All activity pieces of children are for black copy.     

5. The pictures of “the Picture Bible” may not be attractive to children because it is too old (1978 version). 

6. Even though this curriculum includes the “music book,” no CD or cassette offered, so hard to learn for worship leaders these songs by themselves.