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Faith Inkubators Resources + Introduction

It’s the Bible meets the theater. It’s active listening meets active learning. It’s youth group meets youth education. It’s youth education meets participatory worship. It’s the best of systems theory meets the most current brain science. It’s the best of pastoral care ministry meets regular, personal prayer ministry It’s the church meets the home meets the streets. It’s the parents meets the kids and engaging in caring conversations every night at bedtime.

It is a redefinition of children, youth and family ministry as children, youth and families doing ministry rather than children, youth and family doing programs.

It’s faith formation and not mere information.

It’s five simple steps to keeping our families together in a world that could tear them apart.

It may be the future of Christian education in an over-committed, under-committing post-Sunday School, post-television world.

It’s an international movement, a little publishing company, and a non-profit foundation.

It’s Faith Inkubators.

And it’s ready and willing to help you cancel your role as a program directors doing the parents’ job for them and answer your call to equip the saints for ministry.

Every night in every home.

FIXING BROKEN SYSTEMS

“You can’t fix a broken system by ignoring the most important element of that system,” says Rev. Rich Melheim, founder of Faith Inkubators and the Faith Inkubators Foundaiton. “Parents have always been, are, and always will be the most important element of the faith incubation system. At Faith Inkubators, we think it’s high time the church give the parents back to the children. We are dedicated to designing, creating, testing, contextualizing effective systems that do just that.”

INTEGRATED RESOURCES

"All of Faith Inkubators resources have been designed into an integrated whole-church system meant to transform Christian education from something the church does TO kids FOR parents, into something children, parents and the church do TOGETHER,” says Melheim.

“Turning parents into partners in their own children’s faith journey – that is what our we are all about. Our newest resources revolve around a simple five-set process called “The FAITH 5” (share, read, talk, pray, bless) and are designed to simply get a theme started at church each week, then give church leaders tools to send it home seven nights a week.”

CALLING PARENTS TO THE PROMISES MADE AT BAPTISM

“It has taken Faith Inkubators 15 years to change the way the Lutheran church does confirmation ministry,” says Melheim, an ordained Lutheran pastor under specialized call from the St. Paul Area Synod (ELCA).

“Now that the church has embraced the model of large group/small group ministry for adolescents and brain-based methods of teaching on an arts-based platform, it’s time we find ways to help churches bring it on home! The next wave of Christian education will be longer and later… and a whole lot earlier. And it will call the parents to the promises they made when they first held their babies in their arms and equip them to be the chief faith mentors, guides and role models for their own children with the church as reinforcement – not replacement – in their children’s faith incubation. "

CRADLE TO GRADUATION

The Faith Inkubators family of resources runs from cradle to graduation, with additional systems and curricula for intergenerational ministry.

In 2011-12, churches can enjoy “Bible Song” Children and Family resources for Sunday School, “Head to the Heart” adolescent ministry resources for confirmation, “Faith Stepping Stones” Family Ministry resources to connect parents with their own children every night, and "Faith Inkubators Seasonals" curriculum (Advent, Lent, and/or Stewardship) for cross-generational ministry.

PARTNERSHIPS WITH PARENTS

"We are working to find simple and effective ways to help you create true partnerships with parents – starting when they bring their babies home from the hospital and extending all the way to graduation Sunday," says Melheim.

“Everybody’s talking about the importance of getting the parents involved. We’re designing and testing simple methods that do just that.”

"We intend to invest the next 15 years reframing Christian education from a church-led artificial program into a family involved natural process. We are calling on the most passionate, innovative, committed pastors, Christian education leaders, and parents in the church to join us, test these approaches and materials, and spread it across the world.”

THE LIVING JOURNALS

To support this strategy, eight vibrant “Living Journals” have been designed to connect the church curriculum to caring conversations at home. In addition to the colorful and animated PowerPoint-enhanced curriculum and beautiful journals, a number of fun online components are also available for Faith Inkubators members in 2011-12.

“We’re taking the tech-savy nature of kids seriously,” says Monty Lysne, Director of Youth & Family Ministry.

“We’ve designed all of our materials to allow churches to engage parents more effectively. Every system has adult/parent handouts that do this. We’ve also got some great resources that will allow kids and families to hop online and experience each week’s theme Bible verses in music, art, devotions and engaging learning games. Faith Inkubators members can also enjoy online Bible verses in song and sign language, plus 100+ of our articles on excellence in youth and family ministry to help them build and run more effective ministries.”

FAITH INKUBATORS INTEGRATED RESOURCES FOR 2011-12:

Head to the Heart Confirmation materials (90 themes in art, music, learning games, Bible study, and cartoons)

Head to the Heart Journals (Now offered as nine 10-lesson editions)

• The Old Testament, The Life of Jesus, The New Testament

• The Ten Commandments, The Lords Prayer, Hot Topics (sex, drugs, war, materialism, suicide)

• Luther and the Catechism, The Apostles’ Creed, Lutheran Life and Worship

Bible Song Sunday School materials (75 themes in cartoons, music, sign language, Bible stories, and learning games with 45more on the way)

Bible Song Home Journals

• The Books of Moses (Genesis – Deuteronomy) - Available now.

• Into the Promised Land (Joshua – Job) - Available now.

• The Songs of Israel (The Psalms – Available late summer 2010.

• The Good News (Matthew – John) - Available now.

• Word Spreads (Acts – Philemon) - Available now.

Faith Stepping Stones Parenting Courses

• Raising a Healthy Baby (3 sessions on physical, emotional spiritual care of infants and the people who love them)

• Raising a Healthy Toddler (3 sessions on physical, emotional spiritual care of toddlers and the people who love them)

• Entry Kindergarten (3 sessions on physical, emotional spiritual care of kindergartners and the people who love them)

• My First Bible (8 sessions taking young readers and their parents from Genesis to the Revelation)

• Livin’ Forgiven (3 sessions on the gifts of Holy Communion and the importance of saying “I’m sorry” in a family)

• How to Survive Adolescence (3 sessions of practical advice for parents and confirmation-aged youth)

• Confirmation (3 sessions on making your confession of faith, confirming your convictions, and claiming your calling)

• Graduation (3 sessions to prepare graduates and their parents for saying “goodbye” with love and humor)

Faith Inkubators Seasonals (involving and including the entire congregation)

• Faith Inkubators Advent (Four weeks of learning and fun in cross-generational faith family groups using the Revised Common Lectionary texts)

• Faith Inkubators Lent (Six weeks of learning and fun in cross-generational faith family groups using the Revised Common Lectionary texts)

• Faith Inkubators Stewardship (Six weeks of time, talents and treasures in cross-generational groups)

INTRODUCING DR. HE QI

All resources include the amazing Bible art of He Qi (www.heqigallery.com) , NRSV Bible verse songs by the Faith Inkubators Music Guild, humorous cartoons by Rich Melheim, skits by the Faith Inkubators Writing Guild, online games and more.

“It’s effective, it's fun, it's beautiful” says Melheim. “There’s simply nothing like this in the Christian education world. If you’re ready to pull parents into the process of their own children’s faith life, the Faith Inkubators team is now prepared to help.”

	For more information on Head to the Heart Confirmation, contact Monty Lysne, Director of Youth & Family Ministries, at mlysne@faithink.com or 888-55FAITH.
	For more information on Bible Song, GIFT, or Faith Stepping Stones, contact Debbie Streicher, Consultant for Children & Family Ministries, at dstreicher@faithink.com.