Learning About God Through Lessons of the Past
Civil rights heroes are front and center in new
multi-cultural resource,
Walk It Out: Together in the Way of Jesus
"I was amazed and overjoyed after reviewing Walk It Out program materials. I am so enthused and filled with expectation as our children, youth, teen, and adult ministries come together in what promises to be a blessing to the community and our church."
- Rev. Rahim O. Shabazz, John Wesley UMC - River Rouge, MI
In a day when too many young people believe that Martin Luther King, Jr. “freed the slaves,” Abingdon Press presents Walk It Out: Together in the Way of Jesus to introduce participants to some of the pillars of theCivil Rights movement and to demonstrate how God uses people to promote the beloved community of Jesus Christ, then and now.
Walk It Out: Together in the Way of Jesus is a multi-generational resource with five-lessons, a format often used for Vacation Bible School by tens of thousands of churches each summer, that includes a multicultural heritage component that makes it unique and compelling for today’s culture. This work is influenced by historian Vincent Harding’s efforts to tie the story of freedom to the contemporary experience of children. Through contemporary hip hop music, stories, role-playing, crafts, and games, Walk It Out: Together in the Way of Jesus encourages children to step forward and learn who God is through the lessons of former generations.
Participants will learn about people like James Lawson, Ruby Sales, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Andrew Young, and Dolores Huerta who were strategists, warriors, organizers, and movers of the mid 20th century Freedom Movement in the United States. In addition, they will learn about the role of children in liberation movements from civil rights to farm workers to South African apartheid. They will be introduced to how marching, walking, and dancing were crucial to gaining understanding and effecting change. These lessons from former generations are also linked to Bible lessons from the Old and New Testaments.
As participants study the account of the Israelites crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land, they will learn to step out in faith. The persistence of a widow demanding justice will remind them to keep working toward their goals, even when they face adversity. Through the proverbs, they will learn to heed the wisdom of the older generations. This biblically based curriculum will inspire younger generations to “walk about Zion,” learning about how all people are more free because the people of God stepped out in faith.
Walk It Out is sold through Christian bookstores. For more information, contact Abingdon Press or visit www.abingdonpressvbs.com.
Walk It Out: Together in the Way of Jesus
Abingdon Press - February 2008
ISBN: 978-0-687490-47-9 Binding: Boxed Set
Starter Kit, $62.00 (other pieces sold separately)
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Abingdon Press publishes resources for church leaders, scholars, and students engaged in leading congregations and theological education, and inspirational books and study materials that reach broad ecumenical audiences. Wholesale orders may be placed through Abingdon Press (www.AbingdonPress.com or 1-800-251-3320). Retail purchases may be placed through Cokesbury Christian Bookstores, online at www.Cokesbury.com and at your local booksellers.
