Our Bible Learning Program

The Oldham Woods church of Christ

is working to build a quality Bible class program. And you are invited to come take a look inside and see the great benefits that text-centered Bible learning offers you and your family! We have composed this brochure to provide an informative but concise introduction to what we believe is a unique and quality Bible learning program that we call Our Spiritual Heritage. We hope that your interest will be stirred to come and experience first hand the benefits of a truly Bible-centered learning program for you and your family.

Our Spiritual Heritage introduces children to the concept that God created Adam and Eve and all the families of the earth because He desired a great family to love and to love Him in return. Children see God’s plan to build His family unfold from Genesis through Revelation. They learn a few hundred stories that teach them about the kind of people God wants His family to be. Memorable characters and events from the Bible illustrate these powerful moral lessons and fix them in young minds. Children hear how the coming of Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s plan and the demonstration of God’s desire for adopting many sons and daughters. They discover that the Bible story is our story, God’s plan for us and for our family to be a part of His family, and for His book to be our spiritual heritage, the story of our roots and destiny.

Text-centered Bible learning is the strength of Our Spiritual Heritage curriculum. Our students don’t learn crafts, play games, or watch movies. Although such activities are fine in the right setting, our Bible classes are just that—Bible classes. They are crafted to help families raise children who really know the Bible. Parents have plenty of resources available for entertaining children. But few, if any, settings afford the opportunity for children to learn interesting Bible stories with memorable moral lessons and fascinating historical characters who model the spectrum of good and bad life choices and their respective consequences. Offering text-centered Bible instruction is our first commitment.

Contemporary teaching methods make Bible learning effective and interesting. Moral instruction is inherently more difficult than teaching mathematics or grammar or history. Yet moral teaching is the most practical and valuable kind of education since we appeal to our moral training many times a day—at home, at school, at work, at play. For this reason, a number of professional educators, who are also Christian parents and grandparents, contribute to our Bible class curriculum in various ways: developing and refining lesson plans, sharing current teaching methods, obtaining needed resources and equipment, and, of course, functioning in the classroom as instructors. We believe that teaching the world’s greatest book of moral instruction deserves the most effective tools and methods and enthusiasm that we can muster.

Learning can begin as soon as a child sits up on his own. Even one and two-year- olds begin learning a vocabulary that includes the names of God, Jesus, and the books of the Bible. Songs of worship or instruction become familiar through weekly repetition. Basic Bible stories told with objects and characters that are friendly for little hands and eyes (and teeth) build early listening skills and a positive introduction to lessons for a lifetime. Infants and toddlers taught by experienced and caring teachers form warm impressions about Bible class that will fuel their interest in worship and Bible learning as they mature.

Positive encouragement is the rule in the classroom so that all students, whether new or old to the program, are praised for what they know and are learning, not embarrassed or singled out for what they have not yet learned.

• Interactive lessons engage brief attention spans and boundless energy.

• Repetition aids retention of important facts and practical lessons.

• Brief assignments include Bible readings and exercises that involve parents in the children’s spiritual education and reinforce the learning that takes place in the classroom.

• Four years is the duration of Our Spiritual Heritage curriculum. A two-year-old will pass through the program three times and through the Bible numerous times by his eighth-grade year. High school students follow a separate curriculum, a combination of topical and textual studies that apply the Bible to issues and choices relevant to their age and circumstances.

Positive peer influence reinforces moral teaching. Families that are active in Our Spiritual Heritage program establish lasting and valuable friendships with other families who care about spirituality and safe moral boundaries. Both the parents and the children build a circle of peers who are a positive influence and who commend rather than demeaning ethical behavior. Of course, no community is free of hypocrisy or of good people who stumble, but when a group of people are committed to high moral and spiritual standards the incidences that betray trust and dishonor goodness ought to be fewer. We believe that involving ourselves in a community of people with common priorities and values will provide the best environment for raising spiritual families in the world today.

One hundred hours per year is a small investment with great returns. In Our Spiritual Heritage curriculum, students study the main Bible lesson on Sunday morning. Wednesday night is review and drill time when the current story is tied to past lessons both historically and thematically. Using games, songs, flash cards, flannel boards, maps, learning centers and other interactive and age-appropriate techniques, children are quizzed on an ever-expanding repertoire of Biblical books, persons, places, themes, dates and events. Sunday and Wednesday involvement is too much of a commitment for many families especially when there are so many possible concerns that compete for their interest and energy. We believe it is a small investment given the value of the impressions made on the part of a child that matters most—his character.

What exactly will children learn?

• The difference between the Old and New Testaments and yet how they are connected.

• The major periods of Biblical history—creation, the patriarchal age, the exodus, the conquest of Canaan, the judges period, the kingdom era, the captivity, the return from captivity, the time between the testaments, the life of Jesus and the story of the early church.

• The names and sequence of every Bible book as well as each book’s main events, teachings, characters, and historical period (mentioned above).

• The theme of the Bible, God’s plan to save man from sin, and trace its progress through every age from creation to the book of Revelation.

• A few hundred Bible stories each with important moral lessons made relevant and practical for their young lives and choices.

• About God—who He is, what He has said and done, and what He wishes for us. About Jesus—His life, His miracles, His teachings, His death and resurrection, and the story of His church in the first century.

• To pray and sing to God and about the purpose and value of worship.

• Over time, the habit of reading, understanding, teaching and applying the Bible on their own.

• All of these lessons inform their values, their priorities, their consciences, and so influence their character for good. In short, children learn a great deal about the things that matter most in life.

Our ongoing mission is to continue improving our Bible class curriculum. It is a work in progress. Of course, the Bible, which is the core of our curriculum, needs no improvement, but we are constantly seeking ways to improve our methods for teaching it effectively. We believe the greatest of all stories deserves the best possible delivery.

Knowing the Bible does not guarantee that all of our children will live happy, contented lives. Once on their own, they will choose how they apply the lessons they have learned. However, we believe that Our Spiritual Heritage is a great tool for equipping and motivating them to make wise life choices. Obviously, we cannot live their lives for them, but we can sure give them the best start in life possible by teaching them God’s great book, the Bible.

The Oldham Woods church of Christ is comprised of families who believe that Bible learning builds better homes, equips children and adults for making better life choices, and establishes a meaningful relationship with God and with others who share a serious devotion to Him. Come visit our Bible classes—just try them out! Classes for all ages are conducted every Sunday from 9:30-10:20 AM. At 10:30 AM, we assemble for an hour of worship and preaching. On Wednesdays at 7:00 PM, we meet again for a brief Biblical message followed by Bible classes for the balance of the hour.