(An introduction to a free series of studies in the Gospel of Mark for kids aged 9-12)
Twenty five volunteers from our church tutored at-risk kids from our neighborhood school this year. We are one of many sites, working in partnership with City Gospel Mission to reduce poverty and bring God’s truth and love to people in Cincinnati.
One of the most successful things we’ve done is make the Bible the reading text for our older students during the tutoring hour. Since the program is after-school, there’s no conflict of church and state. We have parents sign their approval to have their child in a faith-based program, we use a simply-worded translation of the Bible, and we train our tutors to invite but never push their students into a closer relationship with God.
Click here to link to a PDF of all the lessons we used this year. Feel free to use them, but you will have to edit them; they contain site-specific activities and references, especially in the introductory paragraphs and in the box at the bottom of the page which suggests other activities. But I refer you to them as an example of how the Bible can be used to teach fluency and comprehension, as well as introduce children to the life and work of Jesus.
About halfway through this year, I asked a group of sixth grade boys how they were enjoying the program. They said they really liked coming. I assumed the main reason would be the snacks we serve, but the all the answers stated that they enjoyed learning and talking about God. That was confirmation that we were on the right track!
Delightfully inspiring to visualize kids bent over a Bible with a tutor, discovering all the heart-stopping adventures of people like Moses, Daniel, Esther, and Paul! Your experience and informal survey prove: the Bible is NOT stale or boring. Thank you, Colleen, for your eternally valuable work!
Thank you Nancy, for your constant encouragement. Praying for you.