OceanSide church of Christ
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A NEW PROGRAM FOR
EDUCATION
By Aaron Cameron
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth...” It is with that passage, 2 Timothy 2:15,
that we are told what we hopefully already know: we need to study the Bible to
continue in our education of the Word, so that we can use it in bringing others
to God.
One of the ways that we study the Bible is through the time the Elders
have set aside for Bible study, which occurs twice each week. Through our Catch a Vision Day, as well
as the goals that the Elders have set before us, an Educational Incentive
Program was created to help foster excitement and enthusiasm among Bible study
students of all ages. Through this
article, we hope to provide the parents and members with details regarding the
program and answer any questions that you might
have.
The Incentive Program can be broken down into two main categories: “Kids”
and “Adults.” The “Kids” program is
for those students up through the high school class, and the “Adults” program is
for the Adult class, as well as any other adult-level class that meets on Sunday
mornings or Wednesday nights.
Incentives will be awarded at the “Kids” level twice per year: on
“Move-Up Day” in June, and again at the beginning of the year, in January. The “Adults” level Incentives will be
awarded in January of each year.
There are four individual “Kids” awards. The first is Daily Bible Readers. Children will be required to read their
Bible daily, in each week throughout the year. We'll start this award at the 4-K class
level, and assisted reading (parents reading to their kids or helping their kids
to understand) is perfectly fine when needed. The second award is called Exceptional
Attendance. Children will be
required to miss no more than six class periods in each award period. This award will be effective at all
class levels. The third “Kids”
award is the Memory Verse. If a
child is in the 2-3 year old class through the 4th - 5th
grade class, then he or she is required to correctly recite their memory verse
monthly. If a student is in the
middle or high school classes, then he or she is asked to correctly recite their
memory verse each week. And
finally, there will be a Most Improved Bible Class Student award. Teachers of each class will submit names
of the student in their class showing the most improvement through the half-year
period.
There are also four individual “Adult” awards. The first is Daily Bible Readers, and
adults will be required to read their Bible every day, in each week throughout
the year. The second award is
called Yearly Bible Readers. This
one is for those who read the entire Bible, the New Testament, or the Old
Testament all the way through in the course of a year. Next, there is the Memory Verse
award. It will be for all those who
learn their memory verse each week throughout the year. And finally, there will be an
Exceptional Attendance award.
Adults will be required to miss no more than twelve class periods per
year.
How will we keep track of these awards? In the younger classes, attendance
sheets will be used, in a modified fashion that will allow the teachers to track
each category week to week. In the
Adult class, a sheet will be passed around with members’ names on it. Simply check the boxes applicable to
you. It’s that
easy!
What are the prizes for these awards? Well, you can see some of them in the
bulletin board in the foyer. Some
of the others will be surprises that you will have to simply wait until your
respective Award Day to find out about.
In addition to the individual awards, each class will participate in the
“Henry's Helpers” program. A
container will be placed in each classroom, and at the end of each quarter, the
class who brought the most items to fill Hungry Henry's belly will win an ice
cream sandwich party. In addition,
those who bring items each week will receive an “I Fed Hungry Henry!” sticker to
wear for the rest of services, to facilitate recognition and
participation.
We also have two non-Bible school programs in place. The Servant’s Corner will continue to be
a part of the bulletin each week.
In addition, there will be a Shining Light Award, that will focus upon
achievements our members accomplish within the community, such as citizenship
awards, honor roll placement, or work-related
awards.
It is hoped that these incentives, and this program overall, will provide
not only recognition and prizes for all ages, but also involvement and
encouragement for families and friends.
Set aside a time each day to study a chapter or two from the Bible so
that all members of the family can keep up with their Bible reading. Help children learn how to budget their
time to include Bible study, prayer, and other activities that will help in
their Bible education. Invite
others to Bible Study; guests of all ages, to come and see what the excitement
is about and help them to participate as well.
Let’s learn all we can and grow on the vine in
2009.