SPARKING FAITH AT SHEPHERD OF THE VALLEY!
At Shepherd of the Valley, we’re fostering a love of God’s Word in our youngest members through the award-winning Spark Story Bible. This engaging Bible features 150 captivating stories told in a way that resonates with children, accompanied by vibrant illustrations that bring the Bible to life.
SQUIGGLES BIBLE READING PROGRAM
PRESCHOOL AND KINDERGARTEN
Each week after Shepherd’s Kids, families are invited to read the Bible story at home again and bring it to life through play, imagination, asking questions, and sharing stories. The weekly parent email prompts parents to read at home and gives some great ideas for how to pass on and grow faith in their family. Throughout the year, by theme, families receive READ ALONG WITH SQUIGGLES READING PROGRAM POSTCARDS that can be kept inside the front cover of the child’s Spark Bible. On the postcard, families cover each story read with a Squiggles sticker and put a sticker in the Bible on the story too. Completed postcards are returned for a Bible reading prize.
GRADES 1-3
Kids in Grades 1 – 3 Shepherd’s Kids Sunday School are encouraged, but not required, to participate in our SQUIGGLES BIBLE READING PROGRAM. This is self-led and done entirely at home as a way for kids and their families to engage in faith at home. There are 10 different bookmarks, with 15 Bible stories on each. Once they’ve read the 15 stories, an adult signs the bottom of the card, they turn it into their leader, and they can move their name on the banner [hanging in the Sunday School hallway] to show their progress. Then they pick up the next bookmark and continue through the program at their own pace. Once they’ve completed all 10 bookmarks they turn the last one to receive a prize!
ALIGNING WITH THE CHURCH YEAR
By aligning our children’s ministry with the common lectionary, which is used by many churches - including SOTV, we create a seamless connection between Sunday School and worship. Children hear familiar stories in both settings, making worship more meaningful and accessible. This shared experience also facilitates deeper family discussions about faith at home. By following the stories of the lectionary, we are hoping to make it easier for families to talk about their reflections in worship and in Shepherd’s Kids because they’re hearing the same stories. Kids can follow along in the Spark Story Bible in the pews, and the story is familiar from what they learned in Shepherd’s Kids that week. Parents can answer questions because they are also familiar with the story from worship, and the ideas central to it are showing up in the sermon and the music. Following the lectionary also makes it possible for us to talk about the church calendar in Shepherd’s Kids, and share about the important holidays and festivals throughout the church year.
CONNECTING FAMILIES AND FAITH
We provide ongoing support for families through weekly emails with reading suggestions, family activity ideas, and encouragement for deepening faith together. We believe the Spark Story Bible is a valuable resource for nurturing a lifelong love of God’s Word in our children. We encourage all families to participate in our Squiggles Bible Reading Program and embark on this exciting journey of faith together!
HOW DID WE CHOOSE THE SPARK STORY BIBLE?
The Spark Story Bible does a great job of taking big concepts, complex characters, and difficult stories and making them accessible and easy to understand for kids. It helps foster excitement for God’s story and creates wonder in kids about what it would have been like to live in biblical times and be witness to these events. Squiggles the Caterpillar is a beloved and expressive character who shows up on every page with a huge variety of facial expressions and helps readers to understand the emotions of each story’s events.
WHAT ARE OUR FAMILIES SAYING ABOUT THE SPARK BIBLE?
“When we got our Spark Bibles at the beginning of [Shepherd’s Kids], our kindergartener wanted to read it front to back during our typical bedtime reading. We read a couple of stories each night and we recently made it through the entire Bible. For our three year old, we try to read the story of the week sometime during the week. We keep our cards in the Bible so we can reference which story we need to read. The kids enjoy putting a sticker on their cards after we have read the story.” - PKK parent