Free books support at-home faith formation for children

Book bundles highlighting Matthew 25 now available for churches and worshiping communities to get into people’s homes

by Paul Seebeck | Presbyterian News Service

“The Marvelous Mustard Seed” and “Who Counts?” are part of a bundle of books for Spanish- and Korean-speaking households.

LOUISVILLE — Free books to support at-home faith formation for children are now available for churches and worshiping communities in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Each book listed below will support families and households with younger children at home in forming their faith together at home.

English

• Growing in God’s Love: A Story Bible
• Who Is My Neighbor?
• For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World
• God’s Big Plan

Spanish

• El maravilloso grano de mostaza
• ¿Quién cuenta?

Korean

• The Marvelous Mustard Seed (Korean Edition)
• Who Counts? (Korean Edition)

“For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe In a Better World” is part bundle of children’s books for English-speaking households.

For Stephanie Fritz, coordinator of Christian Formation, offering church leaders these books to equip households is a continuation of The Scattered Church project from Theology, Formation & Evangelism.  The resource page has helped church leaders — and families at home — stay faithful and remain creative in faith formation during the pandemic. Each of the books being offered highlights aspects of the PC(USA) vision of being a Matthew 25 faith community, which invites congregations to work at building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism and eradicating systemic poverty.

“For us, one of the important lessons of COVID is that we should continue to emphasize home faith formation,” she said. “Since there aren’t many Matthew 25 children’s resources, we felt like this would be a good time to help churches and worshiping communities get these books into people’s homes.”

When applying for the free children’s books, church and worshiping community leaders will be asked to think about how they will utilize these resources to support at-home faith formation. Applications will be reviewed every two weeks beginning on Friday, July 16, until funding runs out. Depending on demand, priority will be given to smaller congregations and worshiping communities.

Stephanie Fritz

An endowment made possible by generous donors, and a partnership between the offices of Theology, Formation and Evangelism and Racial Equity & Women’s Intercultural Ministries, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation and Flyaway Books,  is making it possible to get these children’s books into people’s homes.

“We are delighted to once again be partnering with our friends in the mission agency to help provide resources for children and families,” said PPC president and publisher David Dobson, “especially in this time when many people haven’t been worshiping in their church settings.”

The Rev. Rosa B. Miranda

For the Rev. Rosa B. Miranda, associate for Hispanic/Latino-a Intercultural Congregational Support in REWIM, this type of collaboration among mission agency offices serves faith communities of color the best, providing a way for all generations to learn from each other.

“By making available resources that gather families to read, reflect and nurture one another’s faith, we are empowering parents and grandparents to cultivate relationships and passing along wisdom of living plentiful lives honoring God,” she said. “In such times as these, families are the sacred place where values of commitment, solidarity, generosity, love and justice are taught and modeled.”

 In late October, there will be a follow-up webinar with members of the partnership on faith formation at home.