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| Finding Your
Way Through Bible Quest An Invitation to Interpretation |
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Bible Quest encourages all participants, both leaders and learners, to engage the stories as interpreters. Open-ended questions invite learners of all ages to think about the meaning of the stories and to imagine what the words meant to people long ago as well as what they mean to us today. "I wonder how Abram and Sarai felt as they left their home for a strange land?" "What might Moses have thought when he saw a burning bush?" Questions such as these encourage learners to place themselves in the story rather than asking them to figure out the "right" answers. Also read the article "Every Learner an Interpreter" (found in the Bible Quest Leader Kit). Although Bible Quest does encourage all ages to develop practical skills in using the Bible, such as finding certain passages, it also encourages them to ask questions and to use their imaginations. Let's face it, none of us lived many centuries ago when the Bible was written. Although the culture in which the Bible was written is unfamiliar to us today, we can still identify with the feelings and the faith of a people who trusted in the living God. The underlying message of the biblical stories remains as true today as it did centuries ago: God is with us. Bookmark Stories |
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| Components Each session begins with "Enter the Story," a section designed to help the leaders spiritually prepare themselves for their task as leader. It invites them to read, contemplate, and pray as a method to encounter the biblical story. Writers invite the leaders to ask questions of the story and recall their own experiences related to the story. |
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"Consider the Learner" helps leaders connect the story to their group's age level. How might a kindergarten child relate to the story of Noah, or how might a youth encounter the story of Paul? How do second-grade children learn, or what issues might teenagers struggle with in their lives? "A Story behind the Story" provides leaders with background information on the biblical text. It examines the historical context of the biblical passage, such as the author, date of writing, type of writing, or cultural context. Although leaders may not always use this information with the learners, it helps them broaden their understanding of biblical context. All age levels share a common "A Story behind the Story" for the Bookmark Stories, enabling leaders to meet for study and discussion. The next sections present a four-step process for leading a session: Prepare, Tell, Connect, and Celebrate. "Prepare for the Story" invites leaders to prepare the learning environment through greetings, activities, and the physical set-up of the learning area. When learners arrive, the leader has prepared the space to greet them and engage them in learning. "Tell the Story" describes multiple ways a leader can present the biblical story. Activities will help learners tell, retell, investigate, and explore the story through creative storytelling, drama, music, movement, discussion, and other activities. "Connect with the Story" helps learners connect the biblical story to their life experiences and to the world beyond themselves, including other cultures. At times, this section will call learners to respond to the story through service projects or other ways of caring for others. This section may include stories about contemporary people or events related to the biblical story. "Celebrate the Story" invites all participants to celebrate both new insights they have gained and their encounter with the story. Leaders may invite participants to review the story, sing, pray, and move forth into the world. Each section of the four-step process has "Other Choices." These options allow leaders to select alternative activities to fit the interests of their age group. Core session activities are marked with a letter in a box. "Other Choices" are indicated with a letter in a circle.
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Each age level includes learner pieces designed in relation to the age of the learners, so none of the age-level components look exactly like another age level. As children grow and experience the stories at different age levels, even the components reflect this growth. Ages 3–4 begin with small Story Cards, while grades K–1 use large, horizontal Story Cards, and grades 2–3 use a vertical format for their Story Cards. The cards contain the biblical story and are used to tell the story in the group setting and to aid families in retelling the story at home. The Story Cards also contain puzzles, activity suggestions, family messages, music, and other stories. |
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| Learners in grades 4–6 receive Spinners, a four-color magazine filled with stories, games, puzzles, and activities related to the biblical stories. Youth in grades 6–8 use BQ a devotional booklet that encourages them to extend their experience of the story into their daily meditation and worship. Learners using the Multi-Age resources for grades K–8 receive leaflets containing stories, games, puzzles, and dramas designed to attract learners across a wide span of age levels. | ||
Leaders will delight in the resources contained in the Action Packs for ages 3∫4, grades K–1, grades 2–3, and grades K–8 (Multi-Age). Each pack includes four-color resource pages for story illustrations, sequence cards, games, cutout figures, or other uses. Using a photocopy machine, leaders can duplicate the one-color resource pages for games, skits, patterns, or stories. Story figures aid in the telling and retelling of the biblical story. |
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