LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 58

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a8 PARISH. YOUTH, AND COMMUNICATION SERVICES

dividing the previous or the next Sunday's text into two parts
and schedule one part on the “‘too difficult” Sunday.

(2) Elementary-grade levels materials are expanded and
improved. The new Teachers Guides are 64 pages instead of the
former 48 and feature a reproduction of the Student Guide
pages (complete with suggested answers) and expanded prac-
tical helps.

The board also produced a new teacher training course.
How to Become a Better Teacher. Chapter by chapter this
textbook unfolds the rationale for, and the “How to...” ofa
Sunday school session: How to Prepare for Next Sunday, How
to Use the Presession Profitably. How to Plan for Meaningful
Sunday School Worship, How to Tell a Bible Story, How to
Involve the Learner, How to Use Audiovisuals, How to Teach
Memory Work, How to Evaluate Your Effectiveness.

C. Mission Life

As the new Eternal Word’ courses become available for all
the grade levels, the Blue (day school) and Red (weekday
school) courses are being discontinued, as are the old ‘Units in
Religion.” Mission:Life Green (Sunday school) preprimary
materials will be available only through the summer quarter of
1985.

D. Eternal Word’

Designed for use with both Christian day school and
weekday school classes. Eternal Word® courses are now avail-
able for grades 3 through 8. Courses for grades 1 and 2 will be
available in the spring of 1984, and courses for Kindergarten
and preschool classes in the spring of 1985.

The weekday school courses in grades 3—8 also serve as the
first semester courses in day school. These courses provide a
foundation in Christian doctrine. The second-semester day
school courses expand the study of doctrine and apply it to
various life and worship experiences.

Eighth-grade course for day weekday use: Called to Believe.
Teaches the Smal! Catechism and applies it to church mem-
bership and congregational activities. For day school classes:
Called to Follow. A study of the Gospel of Matthew, empha-
sizing Jesus’ call to all disciples: “Follow Me.”

Seventh-grade course for day weekday use: Called to Be-
long. The Six Chief Parts of Luther's Small Catechism form the
basis for unfolding the richness of God's life-creating Word.
Students probe the practical. everyday aspects of life in God's
family. Called to Witness, for day school classes, emphasizes
the role of the Holy Spirit in the witnessing of Christians. The
course includes a study of the Book of Acts, the early church
fathers, and the history of the church since the Reformation.

Sixth-grade course for day weekday: Alive by Grace is a
survey of Bible history from Creation to the early Christian
church. Alive to Grow, for day schools. aims to help sixth-
graders grow in faith and Christian living. Included are units
on ‘“‘my faith and others”; the intertestamental period: the
person and work of the Holy Spirit: worship.

Fifth-grade course forday weekday: Alive to Serve reviews
the salvation themes that served as the basis for the Refor-
mation; examines selected New Testament people and how
God acted through them; studies the Epistle to the Galatians:
and synthesizes these three units in a final unit: “My Life with
Jesus.” Alive in Our Lord, for day schools, surveys the life of
Christ as it is presented in the Gospel of Luke.

Fourth-grade course for day weekday use: God Loves U's
provides a comprehensive survey of Bible history and syste-
matically builds Bible study skills. God Lives in Us. for day
schools, overviews Christian doctrine and includes units on
Old Testament people. worship, and missions.

Third-grade course for day weekday use: God Calls Us
focuses on the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed (the church,
daily forgiveness, last things. person and work of the Holy
Spirit) and includes a unit on developing Bible skills. God
Leads Us, for day schools, aims to help students live as a
Christian community in their classrooms and provides units
on worship, Lent Easter. and witnessing. stewardship, and
evangelism.

Second-grade course for day weekday use: The Story of
God's Love. This course traces the love and care of God for His

people from the creation, through the redemptive work of
Christ, through His continuing work in the history of the
church. A unique feature of this course is a new Bible story
book intended to be read by the children themselves.

First-grade course for day’ weekday use: Based upon Bible
stories, the weekly units in first grade deal with themes
designed to meet the developmental needs of children. Themes
include “Jesus Loves Me.” “My Family—God’s Gift.” and
“God Gives Me Friends.’ among many others.

E. Eternal Word’ —Media Aids

In addition to the students book and teachers guide for the
seventh- and eighth-grade catechism courses, the board has
produced and CPH has published two enrichment resources:

DJ Joins Up—Catechism Filmstrips—This set of six film-
strips with one cassette and two copies of a Leaders Guide is
unique in that it not only reviews the basic doctrines of the Six
Chief Parts, but ties them all together in an interesting,
dialogical way. All six filmstrips feature the same two char-
acters. for learner identification—a junior high boy (“DJ") and
his Christian friend. DJ shares his doubts and questions about
the Christian faith—in the everyday language of a junior high
student—and receives answers and enlightenment from his
friend. The subtitles of the six filmstrips indicate the progres-
sion of thought and how the set ties the Six Chief Parts
together: 1—The Ten Commandments—I Want to Join Up:
2—The Apostles’ Creed—What Am I Getting Into? 3—The
Lord’s Praver—What Kind of Life Is That? 4—Baptism—How
Do I Get In? 5—Sacrament of the Altar—How Do I Stay In?
6—Office of the Keys and Confession—Who's in with Me?

Catechism Poster Kit—This kit provides six patterns for
constructing teaching posters of the Six Chief Parts. One kit
per class provides an activity approach to learning the
Catechism.

Both the catechism filmstrip and the poster kit may be used
with catechetical materials other than Eternal] Word’.

F. Magazines

Three BPS-edited magazines continue to serve the age
levels from preschool through grade 8. Happy Times begins its
20th year of publication with the October 1983 issue. For ages 3
to 5. it's a monthly take-home magazine correlated with the
themes of the preprimary Sunday school lessons. Happy Times
provides a resource for parents in their task of nurturing their
preschool children in the new life in Christ. (The Concordia
Nursery Roll Program Packet provides foundational resources
for the parents of children from their birth’ baptism through
age3.) Story Time isthe weekly BPS’ CPH take-home paper for
first- and second-graders. It correlates with the Primary New
Life in Christ Sunday school lessons. The growing child of
grades 3 to8 has available Uy Devotions, a monthly magazine
of daily devotions. My Devotions is in its 26th year of publica-
tion. Teen Time. a monthly (October to May) devotional and
inspirational magazine, is published for the visually impaired
and the blind. Teen Time is funded by the Board for Missions,
written and edited by a BPS editor, and distributed by the
Lutheran Library for the Blind (large-print edition) and the
American Printing House for the Blind (Braille edition).

Plans are being made to introduce a sequel to My Devotions
intended for youths 14 and older. This monthly magazine of
meditational devotional resources is scheduled to appear in
the latter part of 1984.

Interaction magazine—an every-month practical news-
letter and an every-other-month magazine—continues to serve
as the primary resource for Sunday school teachers. The
mixture of articles—theological, educational, practical—offers
the teacher background. ideas, helps and techniques for effec-
tive and successful teaching experiences. Interaction begins its
25th year of publication this fall. Congregations should seri-
ously consider subscribing to this synodical publication for
everyone involved in their educational programs.

G. Materials for Special Classes

Besides Teen Time magazine, the staff of the board has
developed the following resources for use with developmentally
disabled people during the past biennium: