Jim, Thank you for your questions! I've written a few different responses. I hope this one will provide some helpful insights.
Also, I feel like I need to put a disclaimer here, my response does not represent the entirety of the 242 Kids department. I do not speak for the organization. This is my personal answer based on the questions posed.
The Orange curriculum does provide resources to equip children and families to continue learning from the Bible throughout the week. Every week we send home devotional pages, Parent cue pages, along with the monthly memory verse magnet. We recently relaunched the Parent Cue App. Along with trying to meet people on other platforms like our Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify.
As someone newer to Kids ministry, I’ve not experienced other curriculums. Both churches my children have attended utilized Orange. I’ve not sought out other curriculums to be able to provide such an analysis. The best thing about our curriculum is the flexibility & encouragement for the leaders to share their faith. When leaders are on fire for God, living out their faith daily, and seeking ways to share with the kids/families that makes a huge difference. We, in Lansing, are striving to support our Kids Team leaders to be walking in their faith and sharing their stories with the kiddos. We've seen the most growth from kiddos who have faith support systems in their home & school lives. These kids are getting more than the 4 hours of exposure that we can provide. In terms of "falling in love" with the Bible, I was fortunate to have a Mom who loves Jesus, taught us praise songs, and brought us to church regularly. I had leaders in AWANA who loved God and the Bible (and honestly the sticker collecting didn’t hurt!). I had a Sunday School teacher who taught me that the Bible wasn’t written here in the Midwest, but in the Middle East with a unique people and culture so very different from my own. It wasn’t a curriculum, but the people who fostered a love for the Bible that encouraged me. It would be ideal to have the kids 4 hours a month or more, I realize that many of them only come once a month or every other month. I hope that our team makes the most of that time together to foster the kids’ faith.
I will avoid utilizing the term "best practices" as there is a silent "should" in that terminology that can lead to frustration/disconnection. One way we've been trying to encourage parents is to just start having conversations with them. To pick up on something said during church and encourage them to continue the conversation with their child after church. My hope is to be a beacon of encouragement. And when I don't have the necessary knowledge, to point them to someone more qualified than me. I am teaching the leaders to do the same. Thank you so much for your questions. I am thankful for the opportunity to share my humble thoughts with you.
Lastly, since taking on this role, I've sought ways to incorporate more of the Bible into our activities and lessons. During Large Group, I encourage the kids to read their Bibles because Jesus is so much cooler than anything we can do in an hour of church. This series through the Bible has been fantastic for getting the kids interested in the Bible.
Also, I feel like I need to put a disclaimer here, my response does not represent the entirety of the 242 Kids department. I do not speak for the organization. This is my personal answer based on the questions posed.
The Orange curriculum does provide resources to equip children and families to continue learning from the Bible throughout the week. Every week we send home devotional pages, Parent cue pages, along with the monthly memory verse magnet. We recently relaunched the Parent Cue App. Along with trying to meet people on other platforms like our Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify.
As someone newer to Kids ministry, I’ve not experienced other curriculums. Both churches my children have attended utilized Orange. I’ve not sought out other curriculums to be able to provide such an analysis. The best thing about our curriculum is the flexibility & encouragement for the leaders to share their faith. When leaders are on fire for God, living out their faith daily, and seeking ways to share with the kids/families that makes a huge difference. We, in Lansing, are striving to support our Kids Team leaders to be walking in their faith and sharing their stories with the kiddos. We've seen the most growth from kiddos who have faith support systems in their home & school lives. These kids are getting more than the 4 hours of exposure that we can provide. In terms of "falling in love" with the Bible, I was fortunate to have a Mom who loves Jesus, taught us praise songs, and brought us to church regularly. I had leaders in AWANA who loved God and the Bible (and honestly the sticker collecting didn’t hurt!). I had a Sunday School teacher who taught me that the Bible wasn’t written here in the Midwest, but in the Middle East with a unique people and culture so very different from my own. It wasn’t a curriculum, but the people who fostered a love for the Bible that encouraged me. It would be ideal to have the kids 4 hours a month or more, I realize that many of them only come once a month or every other month. I hope that our team makes the most of that time together to foster the kids’ faith.
I will avoid utilizing the term "best practices" as there is a silent "should" in that terminology that can lead to frustration/disconnection. One way we've been trying to encourage parents is to just start having conversations with them. To pick up on something said during church and encourage them to continue the conversation with their child after church. My hope is to be a beacon of encouragement. And when I don't have the necessary knowledge, to point them to someone more qualified than me. I am teaching the leaders to do the same. Thank you so much for your questions. I am thankful for the opportunity to share my humble thoughts with you.
Lastly, since taking on this role, I've sought ways to incorporate more of the Bible into our activities and lessons. During Large Group, I encourage the kids to read their Bibles because Jesus is so much cooler than anything we can do in an hour of church. This series through the Bible has been fantastic for getting the kids interested in the Bible.