God, A Word for Girls and Boys

This book provides inclusive materials for the religious education of children in the church and in the home. The stories, pictures, songs, prayers, and other resources in this collection teach children to apply a theology of inclusiveness to their everyday experiences. Illustrations and language are inclusive in gender and race. The stories, pictures, songs, prayers, and activities in this collection will help teachers and parents instill in children the theological truth that girls and boys of all races are created in the image of God and thus have equal value. Through a balance of masculine, feminine, and non-gender-specific pictures and references to God, the resources in this book teach that God includes and transcends female and male. All language for people is inclusive as well. Stories highlight girls as well as boys, female as well as male role models of different races. Biblical examples include as many women as men. These materials tell and show children that God is for girls as much as for boys and that God is for children of all races. The hope is that this truth will become deeply ingrained in the minds and emotions of children. The resources in God, a Word for Girls and Boys can be used in Sunday School classes, in Bible school classes, in day-care centers, in separate services for children (children's church), or as part of Sunday morning worship services. Given prominence in worship services, they can be powerful teaching tools for children and adults alike. Focusing on children in a worship service gives them a feeling of importance as a vital part of the church community. The children's sermon thus becomes a "teachable moment" with great potential for permanent influence on thought and behavior.