Activities & Programs
Ave Maria Press
https://resources.avemariapress.com/resources/36/The-Old-Testament-Third-Edition/ https://resources.avemariapress.com/resources/23/The-Old-Testament-Revised/ Ave Maria Press makes available free downloadable teaching resources, learning activities, and videos for teaching Catholic faith themes: Old Testament, New Testament, Jesus, Church, Sacraments, and Morality. There is also a blog with practical lesson ideas and activities for educators. The Bible Project (For high school youth and older) https://bibleproject.com BibleProject is a nonprofit ed-tech organization and animation studio that produces 100% free fully animated Bible videos, podcasts, and educational Bible resources to make the biblical story accessible to everyone, everywhere. The Bible Project resources help people experience the Bible in a way that is approachable, engaging, and transformative by showcasing the literary art of the Scriptures and tracing the themes found in them from beginning to end. Rather than taking the stance of a specific tradition or denomination, the Bible Project creates materials to elevate the Bible for all people and draw our eyes to its unified message. The Bible Project resources include:
Building Faith buildfaith.org buildfaith.org/bible-study/# Building Faith, a service of Virginia Theological Seminary, provides hundreds of articles and activities for faith formation with all ages. Use the "Bible Study" link above to access Bible activities. Use the "Articles by Topics" category to find other scripture-based activities. Christian Practices: Reading the Bible www.lifelongfaith.com/reading-the-bible.html Lifelong Faith's Christian Practices project has produced 18 Bible activities with a teaching plan. All activities are included on separate MS Word document so that you can create handouts for sessions, a booklet, online playlists and activities, social media posts, etc. Each Activity can be done in 20 minutes (approximately). There are also five reading the Bible worksheets/activities for children that can be combined with other Bible activities or used as part of a children’s program and home activities. Daily Discipleship and Daily Faith Practices (ELCA) https://www.elca.org/Resources/Bible-Studies Daily Discipleship and Daily Faith Practices are downloadable Bible studies based on the lectionary used at Sunday worship (Revised Common Lectionary). Daily Discipleship is based on the Gospel and Daily Faith Practices is based on the second reading. Both are available for each liturgical year. For example, Year C begins with the season of Advent 2021 and is completed at the end of liturgical year in November. These two-page Bible Studies connect the Word of God with daily life experiences and strengthen faith practices in everyday living. Episcopal Children's Curriculum (ECC) Curriculum Website The Episcopal Children’s Curriculum is a thematic Sunday school curriculum tied to the seasons of the church year: Advent-Epiphany, Lent and Easter, Spring and Pentecost. It was developed by the Center for the Ministry of Teaching under the direction of the Rev. Locke E. Bowman, Jr. and Amelia J. Dyer, Ph.D. Although no longer in print, ECC curriculum materials are available for free download. Enter the Bible enterthebible.org Enter the Bible helps people engage Scripture in ways that are thoughtful, accessible, and faithful. All content on the Enter the Bible is created and/or vetted by Luther Seminary (St. Paul, MN) professors - providing reliable biblical learning that draws from the best insights of both the academy and the faith. Enter the Bible provides commentaries - people, places, culture, and theological themes - for all of the books in the Old Testament and New Testament. Many of the books of the Bible include videos that explore the themes more deeply. Enter the Bible resources include:
Group Publishing Resource Hub www.group.com/free-resources Group Publishing has free Bible lesson plans, video lessons, and activities for teens. Lesson Plans that Work https://lessonplansthatwork.org Published by The Episcopal Church and designed to follow the Revised Common Lectionary, these lesson weekly plans include sessions for young children, for older children, and usually a lesson plan for adults. Intergenerational lesson plans are available for many major feast days throughout the liturgical year. Most lesson plans are based on the Gospel, and some also have an Old Testament Lesson Plan. Life.Church Open Network Resources for Youth open.life.church/categories/315-youth The Network includes a colorful, Bible-based series for elementary students of all ages. In this category, you'll find free lessons, videos, art, teacher guides, and in-class activities for kids in 1st grade through 4th grade. Saint Mary's Press Resource Center www.smp.org/resourcecenter/subject/Scripture/9/ The Saint Mary's Press Resource Center has a variety of free Scripture resources for download including maps, activities, lesson plans, prayers, articles, worksheets, and videos. Thoughtful Christian - Youth Bible Studies ($) https://www.thethoughtfulchristian.com www.thethoughtfulchristian.com/TabCenter/23/Youth.aspx The Thoughtful Christian provides a wide variety of individual and group Bible studies for adults available for digital downloads. Spirit and Truth Publishing ($) https://spiritandtruthpublishing.com Spirit and Truth Publishing offers faith formation resources for the Narrative Lectionary, Revised Common Lectionary, Cross+Gen Ministry, Worship & Liturgy, and Family Formation @ Home. All resources are digital and for download. There are special instructions and restrictions for using the digital resources on a church's digital platforms. Vibrant Faith at Home Activities www.vibrantfaithprojects.org/teens--families.html Hundreds of activities for home and church, created by Vibrant Faith, are available to download as PDFs. Teen activities are organized in six categories: Bible Stories, Conversations, Learning about Faith, Prayer, Ritual & Tradition, and Serving Others. Visual Faith Activities www.vibrantfaithprojects.org/visual-faith-activities.html Vibrant Faith has created 32 Visual Faith Experiences that connect a Bible passage to visual images that you can download as PDFs and use as thematic lessons at home or church throughout the year. There is also a guide for using the experiences on online platforms. Wesleyan Resource Center - Teens resources.wesleyan.org/?fwp_categories=students The Wesleyan Resource Center curates theologically Wesleyan and holistic resources motivated to move people from making decisions to trust Christ to actively following Jesus in close discipleship communities. All of the resources are free. Includes lesson plans and small group activities on a variety of biblical and faith themes, seasonal programs, and videos. Yale Bible Study (For high school youth and older) https://yalebiblestudy.org The mission of the Yale Bible Study is to engage people in small group (and individual) Bible study by providing studies of biblical books, deepened by insights from Yale Divinity School professors. These materials form an accessible, free, and deeply thoughtful and informed group Bible study program. Each lesson in each study includes a video overview with our scholars, a study guide, questions for reflection and discussion, and suggested additional resources to enrich the understanding of the sacred text. Courses and resources include:
YouVersion Bible Reading Plans www.bible.com The YouVersion Bible App has dozens of Bible Reading Plans online and in the App. Download the App (for iOS and Android) and then select a reading plan. You church can focus on a reading plan for youth and then organize an online group (e.g., Facebook Group) to connect everyone.
|
Videos
#30SecondBible Series
thirtysecondsorless.net/30secondbible/ The #30SecondBible series features dozens of voices reflecting on the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, you will hear summaries of each book and reflections on the good news they contain. Follow along each day to hear progressive and liberal voices claiming the Bible as book that they know and love. This is the Bible for busy people, thirty seconds at a time. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook to catch each episode the minute they’re available. And sign up for the monthly newsletter to stay in the loop on what’s coming up next. Chuck Knows Church https://chuckknowschurch.com The videos from Chuck Knows Church helps people learn more about our church while inviting them to have deeper conversations. There are individual videos on the following topics: the Bible, the Lectionary, the New Testament, Parables, the Psalms, the Torah, and the Apocrypha. Use the search function to find these videos on the website. Spoken Gospel www.spokengospel.com Spoken Gospel is a non-profit digital media ministry committed to fostering transformative Bible engagement by producing creative videos that help people see and savor the good news of Jesus on every page of the Bible. It is their goal to make a video introduction to every book of the Bible, using spoken word poetry to tell the story. Each introduction shows the main themes of every book and how those themes are fulfilled in Jesus. They are also making Christ-centered devotionals and podcasts that cover every chapter of the Bible. Spoken Gospel content includes:
The Skit Guys skitguys.com www.youtube.com/c/skitguys/featured The Skit Guys have produced hundreds of videos of their skits on a variety of topics: seasonal, faith themes, life issues, and more - for teaching, sermons, events, and more. The videos are available on YouTube and on their website (for purchase and download). |
Apps
YOUCAT Daily App
www.youcat.org/daily/ Designed for young people to grow in faith with a daily 5-minute prayer time of a Gospel reading and a reflection question. YouVersion Bible App and Reading Plans www.bible.com The YouVersion Bible App has dozens of Bible Reading Plans using the App (for iOS and Android)
|