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<\/a><\/p>\nIt\u2019s the\u00a0Encounter<\/strong>, a middle school Bible study with, you guessed it, Mark Hart. Here\u2019s the synopsis:<\/p>\nEncounter <\/em>is more than a Bible study program. It is a life-changing experience that speaks directly to the hearts and minds of middle-school-aged kids. Designed specifically for sixth to eighth graders, Encounter <\/em>uses the color-coded Bible Timeline<\/em>\u00a0learning system to reveal the story of our Faith and God\u2019s plan for our lives. As your students are drawn into this story, they will come to a new and profound understanding of who God is. Most importantly, they will see God not as a distant doctrinal concept, but as a loving Father who desires a meaningful and lasting encounter with them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nNow, before you go all googly-eyed and think that I just haven\u2019t had enough coffee, I thought the description was over-the-top. I thought it might be, well, a\u00a0tad bit<\/em> of \u201cmarketing language\u201d taken to the extreme.<\/p>\nAnd then I watched it.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s pretty hard NOT to be excited when you\u2019re watching Mark Hart,\u00a0<\/strong>have you ever noticed that? And I agree with him in the introduction when he points out that the reason no one else has done any Bible studies for middle schoolers is \u201cthey\u2019re scared to!\u201d\u00a0Mark Hart said to the in-studio audience, \u201cI\u2019m not afraid of you [middle schoolers]. I have the power of God.\u201d I about fell over from laughing\u2013and maybe some shock. Ascension LET THIS BE RELEASED THIS WAY.<\/p>\nAll of a sudden, I\u2019m paying attention in a whole new way.\u00a0And I think maybe Mark Hart drinks coffee that I need to get ahold of.<\/p>\n
The in-studio crew looks totally REAL. They are BORED to begin with. I have BEEN THERE (both as a student and as a catechist). By the end\u2026they can\u2019t help it. They are enjoying<\/em>\u00a0themselves.<\/p>\nThough it\u2019s designed for middle schoolers, I want to use it for parents.<\/strong><\/p>\nI\u2019ve been a catechist for quite a while, and in the last three or four years, I\u2019ve done more with our older kids, between 5th and 8th grades, both for religious education classes and Confirmation preparation. I\u2019ve also done more with adults, both through my online and writing work and in our parish.<\/p>\n
You know what I\u2019ve found? This is what adults need.<\/p>\n
Mark Hart has energy, he\u2019s honest, and his material is impeccable.<\/p>\n
Most of the adults in our parish don\u2019t know more than our Confirmation students. And they\u2019re hungry (though they are also about ten times as busy and have absolutely no time for anything).<\/p>\n
These resources are as beautiful as they are useful.<\/strong><\/p>\nFor one thing, the videos are entertaining, well-produced, and packed with great information. They are worth watching and paying attention to. As a group study dropout, I don\u2019t say any of this lightly.<\/p>\n
Even better, the workbook and leader\u2019s guide are awesome. I say that as both a catechist and a parent. I took quite a few pictures to demonstrate how they great they are (see the image above), but I\u2019m going to spare you the play-by-play of me posting them and raving about each one. Because here\u2019s what I am still saying, page by page, \u201cWow! Oooo! REALLY?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kids now have high expectations\u2013and why shouldn\u2019t they? A full-color workbook is expensive\u2013I know that. It\u2019s also TOTALLY wonderful to use. Maybe it\u2019s overkill. Or maybe it\u2019s attention getting. When I try this study with actual middle schoolers, I\u2019ll have a better sense of that.<\/p>\n
The leader\u2019s guide is also full-color, and it\u2019s also filled with a step-by-step process, as well as great tips and tricks for the leader.<\/p>\n
I guarantee I\u2019ll be using this with some group of middle schoolers (maybe even during our Confirmation follow-up series this fall\u2026).<\/p>\n
Every part of this is designed for middle schoolers. (Yeah, even so, I hold to what I said before: I may try it with parents too!) From the graphics to the video presentations, this was done by people who know kids in 6th-8th grades and are striving to meet their needs.<\/p>\n
Highly, HIGHLY recommended.<\/p>\n
Now, pardon me, I have to start my Mark Hart Stalking Activities. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My first exposure to Mark Hart was when our youth ministry and director of religious education (who I\u2019ll just call \u201cKelly\u201d for short) started talking about him a few years ago. I first saw Mark Hart in action last year during our summer Confirmation Boot Camp (which I co-teach), when Kelly used one of his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1133,"featured_media":1698,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[169,17],"tags":[344,341],"class_list":["post-1697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-study","category-review","tag-bible-study","tag-review"],"yoast_head":"\n
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