Welcome to the Fall quarter!

Welcome to the Fall 2023 quarter of Shine: Living in God’s Light! The theme for the quarter is “Becoming a People of God.” We begin with stories from Genesis, focusing on the family of Abraham and Sarah. This family has many challenges, as all families do! They struggled to get along and love each other well. They weren’t sure if God was going to come through for them. They also learned to make peace and to trust God’s promises. Next, the book of Exodus follows the story of the Israelites as they suffered in slavery and then were led to freedom. After many years, they finally settled in the Promised Land.  

These ancient stories have much to teach about who God is and what it means to be the people of God. We can learn more about living in community with others. Through times of struggle and times of joy, we can draw strength from our relationship with God and each other. 

Our last cycle of Shine curriculum launched during the pandemic when many churches and Sunday schools were not meeting. Fall 2023 is a bit of a re-launch! You’ll find all the things you love about Shine: well-crafted retellings of the Bible story, wondering questions, spiritual practices, and fun activities to round out the sessions. But there is a whole new look and new products!

We think you’ll love our new student materials this fall! The PreK-Kindergarten age level has tear-off booklets with one activity for preschoolers and one for kindergarteners in each session. To address the wide age range of the Elementary age level, we created new tear-off booklets for Younger Elementary (grades 1–3) and Older Elementary (grades 4–5) children. Each booklet has two activity pages per session. You’ll still order the Elementary Teaching Kit but order the booklets that correspond to the ages in your group. Quest, the Junior Youth devotional, retains its at-home format but with a new look.

Shine’s new storybook Bible, The Peace Table, is the source of the weekly Bible story for Elementary. It contains all the stories for the next three years of the curriculum, so it is a good investment for your faith formation ministry with children. Just like Shine On: A Story Bible, we’re sure this storybook Bible will become a favorite of children of all ages.

If you are new to Shine curriculum or need a refresher, there are new overview videos for each age level of the curriculum. These brief videos will take you through the session plan and all the products you need for teaching. You can find these videos on the Shine YouTube channel or on the Shine website.  Share them and this blog with teachers in your church.

We are excited for a new quarter of learning and appreciate your commitment to encouraging children and youth to love Jesus, grow in faith, and change the world!

Stay Connected!

Find Shine on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Join the Teachers Helping Teachers Shine Facebook discussion group to interact with other teachers who are using Shine curriculum. Reach out to us with questions or concerns.

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