Ministries to Children & Families Curriculum - FaithWeaver

Faithweaver Scope & Sequence

New Curriculum Selected for Children’s and Youth Sunday School
The mission of St. Michael’s Ministry to Children and Families is to partner with parents to raise up girls and boys who know, love and follow Jesus Christ. After months of prayerful consideration, a new curriculum, FaithWeaver, has been selected to use for our Sunday school program (infants through youth age 18) and children’s worship services. Please take a few moments to read the information below which I believe will clarify how FaithWeaver supports the mission of this ministry. Please contact me with any questions you have at 723-0603. ~Amy

What prompted the development of FaithWeaver Bible Curriculum?
At Group [Publishing Company] we’re committed to providing for the church effective learning resources that encourage Christian growth in children, youth, and adults. Most people working in the church realize that the home has a far greater influence on Christian growth than the church does. And we’ve heard that churches and parents alike are frustrated with what’s happening. They all want to see more learning take place in the home, but few feel equipped to make it happen. So we developed FaithWeaver Bible Curriculum to help families weave faith into life. Everyone in the family—no matter how one defines family—studies the same Bible story on a given Sunday. That gives families common ground for discussion about the Bible. To encourage that interaction, FaithWeaver Bible Curriculum provides multiple ways to connect the learning that happens at church with daily life at home. Our goal is that churches will see changed lives as a result of families talking about their faith together.

How is FaithWeaver a Christian growth system?
FaithWeaver is more than a Sunday school curriculum, a children’s church program, and a set of other resources. It is a coordinated system in which family members learn about the Bible and apply it to their lives through classes at church and interaction at home. It is a system that incorporates Bible learning, Bible application, the worship of God, the building of Christian relationships, and serving God in our lives—all through multiple elements that work together uniting church and home in the process of Christian growth.

What benefits does FaithWeaver bring to our children?
Within FaithWeaver Bible Curriculum there are many elements that bring exciting benefits to children:
• Each lesson concentrates on presenting one important Bible Point and applying that point to kids’ lives. The Bible Point leads children to examine Scripture and discover truth. Kids then examine that truth to determine its relevance to them. Before the lesson ends, kids will also be challenged to take steps toward active application of that Bible principle, weaving their faith into their lives.
• Scripture memorization concentrates on understanding and application. Each week children can study a Key Verse in class and continue working on it at home. But they aren’t just told the words and asked to spew them back. Instead, the memorization activities ensure that kids know what they’re learning and challenge them to apply the learning to their lives.
• Systematic coverage of the Bible helps children put God’s story all together. Many who grow up in the church have scores of compartmentalized Bible stories stacked in their minds. But few are able to put all the stories together in chronological order. Within FaithWeaver, students walk chronologically through the Old Testament over the course of three years, during the summer and fall quarters. During the winter and spring quarters, the students walk through the New Testament each year, looking primarily at a different Gospel account each time. This way, children zero in each year on Jesus—the center of God’s story— and also systematically work through the Bible history of the Old Testament that leads up to Jesus.
• The curriculum makes Bible learning fun. Children don’t have to be sitting silently in rows of chairs to be learning. In fact, we know that the more kids are actively involved in the learning process, the more they learn. And when the learning is fun, it does at least two positive things: It gives kids a positive emotional attachment to the church, and it makes them want to come back to be part of things and learn more next week!
• Student Books encourage continued learning at home. Each student book contains material that is worked on in class, but it also includes ideas for activities and discussion that can easily be used at home to further the learning throughout the week.
• The FaithWeaver Adult Bible Curriculum and the weekly parent ideas equip parents to encourage their kids’ faith at home. We all know that parents have far more time to influence their children’s faith than we do. And studies have shown the huge importance of parents talking with children about faith in the home. Using the resources that are part of FaithWeaver, any parent or caregiver can make a huge contribution to a child’s Christian growth by leading activities and discussions that help connect what’s learned at church with daily life.
• KidsOwn Worship®: FaithWeaver Children’s Church can promote worship and further learning. Each week, KidsOwn Worship connects what children learn in Sunday school with the worship that takes place as a group. At the same time, kids learn what worship is all about and begin to practice it at church and in their own lives.

What ministry philosophy is behind FaithWeaver?
Our goal in the development of this curriculum is to see changed lives as we help people know, love, and follow Jesus. We do that by concentrating on the essentials of the Christian faith and helping people understand and apply the Bible’s principles. When we cover elements of the faith on which people disagree, we give the teacher the opportunity to present the church’s position.

How does FaithWeaver make the same passage of Scripture relevant to all ages from infants to adults?
Obviously a 2-year-old can’t learn or experience the same thing from a Bible story that a fourth-grader can. And a fourth-grader can’t grasp the same thing an adult can. However, every Bible story exhibits principles that can be covered and grasped at different levels by students of different ages. Take, for example, the story of the prodigal son. Infants and toddlers might simply hear that God loves them. Third- and fourth-graders might explore the joy we can experience in realizing how freely God forgives us. And adults might grapple with how difficult it is sometimes to forgive others, as seen in the example of the older brother in the story. The common element among all the age levels is God’s Word, and as families discuss the applications made within their classes, they’ll see just how amazingly relevant it can be to students of all ages. Because each age level approaches the Bible stories in different ways, no child will be bored when a Bible story is covered again in his or her new class three years later. Instead, the new look at the story will help to cement both the old and the new learning in each student’s mind. [St. Michael’s adults will not be using the FaithWeaver curriculum at this time].

Why are there so many different things sent home?
There are so many barriers to family interaction—especially when it comes to talking about the things that matter most. We want to provide the families in your church with every possible opportunity to talk about faith and life. This type of rich discussion will come naturally out of the fact that every family member will study the same weekly Bible story in FaithWeaver. However, we believe that it is important to provide structured opportunities for families to deliberately talk about their faith. The take-home pages of the student books are colorful, fun, and substantial. They include activities, questions, and games that children will want to do with their families. And we’ve made sure that every age level provides students with opportunities for family interaction. But just in case a child misplaces his or her take-home page, we’ve created the “FamilyConnect” weekly pages that you can e-mail or print out and hand directly to parents. We believe that these various opportunities only increase the likelihood of families talking, praying, and learning together.

Volunteer Form for Children's Ministry

Sunday School Registration Form

St. Michael’s Church Nursery Caregiver
Positions Available

Responsible for the care and well-being of children ages 3 months to 36 months in the church's nursery during weekend services and weekday programs. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, interacting with children, changing diapers and feeding children, reading Bible stories, communicating with parents, leading toddlers in games and activities, etc. Caregivers are also expected to clean up the nursery at the end of each shift.

Nursery Duties

Experience caring for small children is a requirement. CPR/1st Aid training is preferred but training will be provided. Previous experience working in a church nursery is a plus. Must be reliable, punctual, show signs of maturity and have a love for working with young children. Background checks are required for all nursery caregivers.

Rate of Pay or Compensation: $10 per hour with a two-hour minimum

Nursery caregivers are needed for the following shifts: Sunday mornings 8:45 - 12:00; Sunday evenings 5:30 - 7:30; Monday evenings 5:30 - 9:00; Tuesdays 12:15 - 2:30; Tuesday evenings 5:00 - 9:00; and Wednesday mornings 9:00 - 11:30. Please respond only if you are available to work at least one of these times.

Please download an application. Complete the application and return it to:
Nursery Caregiver Position
St. Michael’s Church
71 Broad Street
Charleston SC 29401

Phone: 843-723-0603
Fax: 843-724-7578
Email: amy@stmichaelschurch.net