By Henry R. Moncur III | ACTU Communication
Sabbath School and Children’s Ministries leaders of the Atlantic Caribbean Union (ATCU) convened with other leaders from throughout the Inter-American Division (IAD) in Mami, Florida, March 11-13, 2024, for the Alive in Jesus Advanced Training in Teaching Religious Education hosted by the IAD Sabbath School and Children’s Ministries Departments. Alive in Jesus is the new Sabbath School curriculum of the Seventh-day Adventist world church for babies through youth set to launch in 2025.
Jennifer Kerr, ATCU Sabbath School director, and Cheryl Rolle, ATCU Children’s Ministries director, led the team of leaders attending the workshop at the IAD. According to Rolle, “The Children’s Ministries Department welcomes the new curriculum and will work along with the SS Department in helping to train the teachers and leaders in the effective utilization of the curriculum to meet the learning and spiritual growth needs of our children.”
The three-day training was organized to equip directors with new skills, new knowledge, and new attitudes to deliver religious education to children with the outcome of children loving Jesus and sharing that love with others.
According to the Sabbath School and Personal Ministries Department (SSPM) of the Seventh-day Adventist world church, “The Alive in Jesus Curriculum is designed to nurture the spiritual lives of children from birth until 18 years of age. The Bible curriculum seeks to equip and empower parents, caregivers, Sabbath School teachers, and church leaders to model and foster a thriving relationship with Jesus to the children in their spheres. By incorporating what is known about faith development, best educational practice meets Bible narrative and truth to grow faith and impart a clear Seventh-day Adventist worldview in this seamless 18-year scope.”
The SSPM Department also notes that the Alive in Jesus Sabbath School curriculum seeks to facilitate a growing love for Jesus and His mission through supporting families and individuals in the daily study of God’s word. The goal of the curriculum is to make disciples who make disciples. With the Bible as the foundation, the Alive in Jesus curriculum introduces children and youth to Jesus by bringing the stories and lessons of the Bible into the twenty-first century lives of children and youth in a way that is meaningful to them.
The curriculum is divided into 7 levels: Baby Steps (birth – 12 months); Beginner (1-3 years); Kindergarten (4-6 years); Primary (7-9 years); Junior (10-12 years); Teen (13-14 years); and Youth (15-18 years).
The curriculum, which has been piloted in the 15 world divisions of the Seventh-day Adventist church, is currently set to launch Baby Steps and Beginner in 2025, Kindergarten and Primary in 2026, Junior and Teen in 2027, and Youth in 2028.
To learn more about the curriculum, visit sspm.adventist.org/aliveinjesus
With a membership of 27,694, ATCU, which is headquartered in Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas, comprises four fields, namely, the Cayman Islands Conference, the North Bahamas Conference, the South Bahamas Conference, and the Turks and Caicos Islands Conference. In addition, Northern Caribbean University, which is in Mandeville, Jamaica, is jointly owned and operated by ATCU and the Jamaica Union.