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In learning about the faith (and the practice of the faith) we will follow the catechism, An Outline of the Faith, found on pp. 845—862 in The Book of Common Prayer, using the Q & A found there, while also importing materials for study and projects from other sources.

1.     What will you need?

1. Plan on spending one hour each week in working with your child/children.
   1. On Sunday mornings (0915—0945) Sunday School will meet as a single class, facilitated by parents and with the older children mentoring the younger children.
      1. Sunday morning classes will focus on Q & A follow-up and hands-on projects. New material is will be introduced in home lessons.

Unit 1:           Human Nature (prayer book p. 845): 17 September

Q. What are we by nature?

A. We are part of God’s creation, made in the image of God.

Discussion: If “nature” is just the way something is, let’s explore:

1. If something, even a person, is, what’s where did it/he/she come from of?
   1. Why is anything here for us to experience?
      1. Who made you?

• Creation refers to everything that is—all of it, and how it fits together.
  • Have your child describe how two different things or people in his/her life relate to each other.
    • How do we describe how things relate?
      • Explore examples like: rain and grass; food and getting bigger/taller

• Because we are made in the image of God, what does this mean about us? What does it mean about God?

Exercise: Draw a picture of your image of God. Why this way?

Now: Color the supplied picture of Jesus. Bring your picture to

 class on Sunday.

Q. What does it mean to be created in the image of God?

A. It means that we are free to make choices: to love, to create, to reason, and to live in harmony with creation and with God.

Discussion: We are free to make choices and reason.

1. How does this make us different from anything else in all of creation?
   1. What are the differences between a good choice and a bad choice?
      1. How do we decide whether a choice is good or bad?
      1. Talk about how making decisions makes us different from a cat or dog.

Q. Why then do we live apart from God and out of harmony with creation?

A. From the beginning, human beings have misused their freedom and made wrong choices.

Discussion: Describe what it means to live in harmony.

1.  How do our choices affect God’s plan?

Q. Why do we not use our freedom as we should?

A. Because we rebel against God, and we put ourselves in the place of God.

Discussion: What does it mean to put yourself in another’s place?

1. Describe a time when somebody else made a decision for you, and it wasn’t their place to do so.
   1. How did this affect you?
   1. How did this affect your relationship with that person?
   1. Now, reverse the situation to one in which you made a decision for somebody else.

Q. What help is there for us?

A. Our help is in God.

Discussion: Even though it is our own bad choices that have disrupted the harmony

of creation/God’s plan, it is God who makes things right.

1. When we have hurt someone, and the person who has been hurt reaches out to us to make things right, what happens in relationship?

a.  Use examples in parenting!

Q. How did God first help us?

A. God first helped us by revealing himself and his will, through nature and history, through many seers and saints, and especially through the prophets of Israel.

Discussion: Because we can’t see God, He makes Himself known to us (for example, in the Bible).

1. Talk about people you know and love, who you may not often see. How do they let us know about themselves?
2. Nature points to the existence of a Creator? How?
3. History is a kind of story. How do we learn about someone from a story?