God and Church (Grades 6-8)
Curriculum Goals:
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To strengthen young people’s relationship with Christ
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To challenge young people to learn about and participate in the worship and ministry of the church
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To have young people make a plan for daily Bible reading and memorize a creed or statement of belief or passage of scripture
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To provide the opportunity for young people to experience the joy of serving others
General Description
The God and Church program will lead young people on a journey. It will be a faith journey with three parts: meeting Jesus, worshiping God, and witnessing and ministering for Christ. Participants will create either a video or a photo album to share what they have learned on their faith journeys. Young people will have the opportunity to work with their pastor or other Christian adult as they study the church's structures and objectives and participate in service projects that will give them a better understanding of the mission of the church.
Schedule
The God and Church program can take from three to five months to complete. The program is very flexible and can be structured in a number of different ways. Ideally, the youth will complete this program in his or her own church under the supervision of his or her own pastor. However, it is possible to teach the course to a group of young people who belong to different denominations. In this situation, the individual churches should be contacted ahead of time. The pastors need to be invited to the class sessions that deal with specific church history and doctrine. The young people can benefit from this type of comparative study and learn to appreciate the unique aspects of their own denomination.
Interdenominational Resource
The God and Church curriculum was developed without theological bias; yet it was designed to permit the introduction of particular theological and denominational viewpoints on the material being studied. It is the responsibility of the counselor to provide this specific instruction. Therefore all students use the standard God and Church curriculum regardless of church membership.
It is at the God and Church level (when students study their specific denomination), that the following denominational logos are available on 3/4" Pins to be pinned into the ribbon of the God and Church medallion: African Methodist Episcopal, Baptist, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Episcopal, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Presbyterian Church in America, and United Methodist. Information on ordering these recognition items is contained in the Student Workbook. (Note: These denominational items are available only at the God and Church level.)
Awards
Students must complete all the requirements before ordering any awards. The last page in the Student Workbook is the Award Application Form. This form must be submitted to P.R.A.Y. (awards are not available in local scout shops).
Visit http://www.praypub.org/god_country/church/god_church4.htm to view the awards.