The new Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) denominational children’s curriculum, Growing in Grace & Gratitude, supports an environment that helps children of all abilities experience God’s grace.
Coming this fall, Growing in Grace & Gratitude is a quarterly curriculum that will help transform the lives of children and those who love them, shaped by grace and gratitude.
The Stories, Colors & More component of Growing in Grace & Gratitude includes a Children with Disabilities and Special Needs Support Map that helps leaders become familiar with developmental terms and descriptions, and provides ideas for enabling all children to participate in various activities. It offers suggestions for supporting children who have difficulty communicating, transitioning, reading, and/or writing, as well as practical ideas for working with children who are visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, or need mobility support. The material also provides tips on celebrating the strengths of children through leadership, generosity, and fairness.
A visual schedule, also included in Stories, Colors & More, helps children move through the session by providing clear expectations and visual cues for the group.
“Christian hospitality is a strength of our churches and is at the heart of our community life,” said Rev. Deborah Huggins, writer of the support map, PhD candidate in special education, and Presbyterian church educator. “It is our hope that Growing in Grace & Gratitude will give church school leaders the supports they need to feel confident working with families to include all of God’s children in the life of the church.”
Published by Congregational Ministries Publishing, each session of Growing in Grace & Gratitude shares a Bible story that reveals God’s grace for us. Through fun, age-appropriate activities, prayer, and singing, children and their leaders will celebrate the meaning of this grace in their lives as they encounter a living God.
Introductory workshops are taking place across the continental U.S. and Puerto Rico this spring and summer. Visit growinggracegratitude.org for more information. Dates and locations are continuously being added.
Churches can try Growing in Grace & Gratitude for free by ordering a sampler in English or Spanish at pcusastore.com. Congregational Ministries Publishing is the denominational curriculum publisher of the PC(USA). Its mission is to bring glory to God by inspiring, equipping, and connecting Presbyterians of all ages with faithful, affordable, educational resources that further commitments to live as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Order Growing in Grace & Gratitude here.