These Are Our Bodies: Middle School Leader Guide

Talking Faith & Sexuality at Church & Home

Jenny Beaumont and Abbi Long

Aug/2016, 248 Pages, PAPERBACK, 8.5 x 11

ISBN-13: 9781606743119

$34.95

$34.95

• Easily accessible, theologically progressive, mainline Christian Education resource on human sexuality
• Comprehensive guide for an adult to implement and lead the human sexuality These Are Our Bodies program with Middle School age participants
• Middle School module component for the These Are Our Bodies program

These Are Our Bodies is a comprehensive faith and sexuality program that can be used in a array of settings and is adaptable to a meet the needs of a variety of groups. Based on the universal needs of young people and their parents, it honors and lifts up parents as the primary sexuality educators to their children by involving parents as an integral part of the experience. For the Middle School module, there is a parent-only session and a parent and middle-schooler session to empower parents and children to have meaningful conversations around sexuality and faith.

This Leader Guide contains 10 sessions that are developmentally appropriate, creatively interactive, and faith-based. They place human sexuality in the context of faith. Direct and indirect teaching around concepts such as God's creation, scripture, and sexuality as gift from God are intertwined throughout the sessions. Conversations and teaching around the stewardship of gifts, responsible behavior, and God's grace and love are found throughout the sessions. Facilitators and Small-Group Leaders will find detailed planning information as well as the background and useful information to employ the program in your church or community.

Comprised of two sections, The Introduction introduces the curriculum, describes parts of each lesson, focuses on recruitment and training of Small-Group Leaders, and provides information for Facilitators and Small-Group Leaders to implement the program. The second section has the plans for each of the 10 sessions in the program. There are options outlined for using this in a 10-week program, weekend retreat, or youth group setting.

SESSION 1: You are GOD'S CREATION (Genesis 1:1–31; Galatians 5:22–23)
SESSION 2: You are COMPLEX (Psalm 139: 13–14)
SESSION 3: You are ACCEPTED (Genesis 1:27)
SESSION 4: You are RELATIONAL (Part 1) (John 15:13; 1 Corinthians 13:4–7; 1 Samuel 18:1–5; 20:1–42)
SESSION 5: You are RELATIONAL (Part 2) (Ruth 1:8–17)
SESSION 6: You are RESPONSIBLE (Ephesians 4:1–3)
SESSION 7: You are KNOWLEDGEABLE (Proverbs 2:10–11)
SESSION 8: You are CONNECTED (1 Kings 19:11–12)
SESSION 9: You are EMPOWERED (Philippians 2:2–5)
SESSION 10: You are THOUGHTFUL (Romans 12:2)

Each of the 10 sessions has five parts that work together to create a hands-on interactive approach to learning: GATHER, GAME, GRAPPLE, GUIDE, and GO. The parts offer creative and playful activities to engage the material and participants in ways that provide intentional group formation, time to wrestle with new material, words of blessing and affirmation, and time to move from the sessions back into the world. The Facilitator leads each session with the help of Small-Group Leaders who facilitate the games, activities, and discussions.

Learn more about the program at theseareourbodies.org

Jenny Beaumont is a Christian educator, trained facilitator, and teacher currently serving at Christ Episcopal Church, Charlotte, North Carolina. She brings more than 15 years of experience in education and ministry to the dynamic conversation that connects the experience of faith with our sexuality through her "He, She, We and God" seminar. She writes curriculums, trains other facilitators, and leads workshops throughout the nation.

Abbi Long is the Director of Ministry at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Previously she served for six years as a youth ministry program leader in the United Methodist Church and taught special education for seven years in both elementary and middle school. Her MaEd from the University of Louisville and MDiv degree from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary combine as a strong foundation for Christian education and curriculum development.

"Finally, a comprehensive curriculum that connects sexuality and faith, as well as drawing in middle school students and their parents to have frank, honest, and life-affirming conversations! Each session of These Are Our Bodies are so wonderfully written as to empower students and leaders to explore and wrestle with the topics of sexuality & relationships in ways that invite questions and honor that we are all God's children. Don't be afraid to talk about sex and sexuality with your youth in church. You can do it with These Are Our Bodies!"
—Eric Travis, Missioner for Youth and Young Adults, The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan

"These Are Our Bodies is a thoughtfully crafted program designed to underscore the beauty and grace of God's gift of human sexuality. Emphasizing the central role of parents, the program helps reassure the youth that home is the place to find answers to all of the many changes in their bodies and attitudes toward life."
—Mindy Boynton, Children, Youth & Family Minister, Ascension Episcopal Church, Stillwater, MN

"For anyone working with tweens and young teens in a faith-based setting, the Middle School module of These Are Our Bodies is a must-have resource. The Leader Guide and Participant Book, together with the program's Foundation Book, offer a comprehensive program for middle school faith leaders, teachers, and parents to guide our youth through the complex questions and discoveries of this critical time in their personal, spiritual, and physical development. The materials are complete, inclusive, and current to the vast array of issues surrounding faith and sexuality in the 21st century."
—Christina Clark, author of Arts Camp, and Family Minister at St Barnabas Episcopal Church, Denver, CO

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$34.95

Keywords

  • Human Sexuality
  • Education
  • Formation
  • Youth Ministry
  • Family Ministry
  • Parenting

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