Trekking Through the Testaments began out of desperation.
There was no curriculum for children that was from a distinctly Reformed Baptist perspective. Most had little to no doctrinal teaching at all and many current curriculums:
- Teach that children raised in Christian homes will become believers someday. (Giving children a false sense of security and blindness to their sin nature.)
- Teach children to have a sense of pride over choosing to repent, rather than giving God all the glory for His wondrous work of salvation.
- Teach only the ‘famous’ Bible stories without giving students an understanding of the work of God in the lives of men in the flow of history.
- Feature ‘object lessons’ that distract children’s minds. (Often, when asked what they learned in Sunday school, most children remember the object lesson, having little understanding of its point, and little memory of the Bible lesson/application.)
- Feature pictures of God and Jesus, breaking the Second Commandment. (Even the most talented artist, after years of studying the character of God, and striving to make the most perfect illustration of Him would fall dreadfully short. His best effort could only be an insult to a Holy God.)
Trekking Through the Testaments strives to teach the truth of the Bible to children in a way that builds a correct understanding of God and man. All are depraved with an inherited sin nature. The only hope is that God in His mercy will save all those who call upon Him. Man cannot come to God unless the Holy Spirit draws him. Christ Jesus sacrificed Himself to take on the sins of His people.
Trekking Through the Testaments was made with small churches in mind.
Small churches often have fewer students, fewer classrooms available, and fewer people able to teach. Each classroom must of necessity contain a large age span. Teachers often do not have several hours each week to research the history and theology behind the Bible lessons. Trekking Through the Testaments does that work. Each lesson has been checked for theological accuracy and correct application.
What each Lesson contains:
- Objectives: Objectives are to keep the teacher on track. They are not designed to be read to the students.
- Preparation: At the beginning of the lesson, any extra preparation (beyond studying the Scripture and the lesson.) is mentioned. Check the “Preparation” section a week prior to the day you plan to teach.
- Story: This is the Bible narrative in story form—Be familiar with the story, make it interesting, make it memorable, and be merciful—make it fit the age group you are teaching!
- What can we learn? This is the doctrinal teaching and application.
- Review Questions: These questions are at the end of the lesson to see how well the students listened. Announce before the lesson that you will be asking questions at the end—it is incentive to listen carefully.
- Bible Drills: Students are taught to locate scriptures in the Bible. Verses and passages from the Bible that relate to the lesson have been chosen to prepare and inform students before the lesson begins. Note: Bible drills are only helpful when students are able to read. They are not included in lessons for the younger classes. They begin on Old Testament Lesson 92.
- Activity Sheets: An activity is included as a review for each lesson. It may be a crossword puzzle, a maze, a secret code, or a matching activity. These are included even in the lessons for the youngest students. Often small churches combine large age groups. Younger students prefer coloring pages, but older students often like a bigger challenge. You may choose to print the correct amount of each for the students in your class.
- Coloring pages: These portray a part of the lesson and the reference from which the Bible story was found. It helps the parents review the lesson with the student later. There are no pictures of God or Jesus.
- Scripts: Students love to re-enact Bible stories. The scripts are a recent addition. Not all lessons have scripts, nor are or all stories conducive to re-enactment, but it is a great way to review lessons. Teachers can collect inexpensive items that can be used as costumes to keep at the back of the classroom. This activity should not be attempted until you have trained your students to listen to you, keep their voices down while donning costumes, and to obey directions. It can easily become chaos if you have not trained your students to obey well.
Add Trekking Through the Testaments to your classroom!
Available Separately: Bible Memory Plan
This plan for memorizing Scriptures is a twelve year program. Each family in the church is to be given a copy for home use. It is to be used in the home and at church. Parents and teachers should work together to firmly implant the Word of God in the minds of the children. It contains Bible verses and the Children’s Catechism by Joseph Engles (revised for Baptists). The families are encouraged to memorize the verses at home; the teachers teach and review the verses at church. When a child has perfected memorization of a section of verses or passages, the parents arrange a time for the child to recite to the teacher (not during Sunday school). The teacher initials the place in the booklet, and the students begin working on the next section. (More information on this program is located in the Bible Memory Plan itself.)
