When I first saw this resource I was impressed by how good it looked. The layout is clean with cool backgrounds and the themes looked interesting. However, the further I got into it, the less impressed I became. I had hoped for something far more contemporary from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, and this resource was anything but. I felt like I was stepping back in time with worksheets that looked like they were produced using Word Art. Theologically, the resource is great and the content is deep with accessible wording, yet the teaching slot was far too long and needed condensing or breaking up. The first half of the session was great with lots of games and activities that fed nicely into the theme. If I were to use this material again, I would intersperse the teaching between the activities in this first section. Something I absolutely loved about this material is that there are elements for children and young people running alongside the adult course, so children, youth and adults can all follow the same themes and passages. It even came with a sheet for them to take home to prompt discussion around the table and challenge families to put into action what they’ve learnt. On the whole, I don’t think I would use this resource again, but if I did it would require some major tweaking.
Joel Botham is the children’s worker at Stanmore Baptist Church in Harrow, London
Who is it for?
Children’s groups, to be used in conjunction with the adult Fruitfulness on the Frontline course
How long is each session?
Approximately one hour
Main strength
This resource runs alongside a youth and an adult’s stream of teaching following the same topics, which makes it much easier for families to discuss and journey deeper into the passages together.
Main weakness
Though the teaching was theologically good, it was far too long, leaving many of the kids disengaged.
