Stir

A New Curriculum To Help Stir One’s Faith Imagination

Back in 2015, I spent time speaking with youth workers and asking them about curriculum. One of the main things I took from those conversations was that most youth workers weren’t using curriculum in the same manner as it is still being written. Many youth workers that I talked with expressed how they would pick and choose elements to use as a part of their talks or lessons. They weren’t looking for “paint by the numbers” resources, but rather things that would help them stir the faith imaginations of the students they lead. With those conversations in mind and with the help and creativity of many different pastors, youth workers, and teachers, we dreamed of a resource that could be used as a standard curriculum, but also function in a way that youth leaders of today need. Stir is our response to that need. Our hope is that it will help youth workers to create resources that will supplement the good work they are doing and stir the faith imaginations of their students.

The theme for our first Stir is creation. God’s creation and our role within God’s creation is a big topic. Our hope is that using Stir will give you the tools you will need to inspire young people to be in awe of God’s creation, see our role in its brokenness, and be moved to come alongside God as partners in the redemption of God’s beautiful creation.

The curriculum is broken into 3 lessons, focusing on God’s Good, Broken, and Redeemed creation. Within each lesson are three parts; Head, Heart, and Hands. Head represents a teaching about that specific lesson. For instance, there may be scripture discussion, sermon outline, talking points, lesson video, etc. Heart will be the creative or evocative portion that may have lesson video, liturgy, song reflection, etc. Hands will be activities or ways that your group can move toward action.

Stir can be used as small group lessons, theme and material for retreats or camps, or part of a sermon series, but one of the main goals was to give you lots of unique and helpful tools so you can incorporate them into talking with your group about God’s creation. We can’t wait to hear about all the ways you use Stir and how it helps to stir your and your group’s faith imagination.

How To Use Stir Curriculum

Stir allows you to pick and choose elements from the curriculum so that you can use it in a multitude of ways. The full Stir curriculum includes:

The Stir leader’s guide contains three lessons with each having three parts designed for you to pick the elements that you want to use and three videos created specfically to be used within each lesson or to be used on their own.

You can purchase Stir curriculum as a full curriculum or just pay for which elements you want to use.

For more information or to purchase contact Nathan Wheeler nwheeler@cumberland.org