Different Religious Backgrounds Project Assignment

Using the course reading, lectures and research, choose one of the following three projects (Newsletter, Teacher Training Session, or Ministry Plan) to complete on the topic of your choice (Buddhism, Islam, Jehovah’s Witness, Mormonism, Roman Catholicism, Secular Humanism). Each project should include an Objectives and Evaluation section along with the Different Religious Backgrounds Project element. Be sure to refer to the Children of Different Religious Backgrounds Project Grading Rubric before submitting your assignment.

Project #1 – Newsletter

Written communication is one tool available for communicating with teachers and/or the community regarding topics of interest to them. For this project, include the following:

Objectives and Evaluation Section:
• What you want to accomplish with this newsletter
• How you will evaluate the effectiveness of the newsletter
(This section should be one page, double-spaced.)

Actual Newsletter
Use the course content as well as your research to create a newsletter that you could use in your ministry setting to provide teachers with specific background information and practical ideas to minister to children of this specific religious background. The newsletter should be two pages (front and back), include appropriate images, and follow effective newsletter design guidelines.
You may use a template of your choice (Word or Publisher, for instance, or a template used by your local ministry) to help format the letter, then save as a PDF file to be submitted.

A Newsletter Training DVD/CD Combination is available through CEF Press^®. This training will provide practical ideas to help you write and design an effective newsletter. Microsoft Publisher 2003 is used in the demonstration. Click here for information on purchasing this training resource.

Project #2 – Teacher Training Session

A teacher training session is a way that you can help teachers and volunteers in your area to have a basic understanding of children of different religious backgrounds and ways that they can personally minister to these children and their families. For this project, include the following:

Objectives and Evaluation Section:
• What you want to accomplish with this training session
• How you will evaluate the effectiveness of the training session
(This section should be no more than one page, double-spaced.)

Actual Group Meeting Plan:
Use the course content as well as your research to create either a PowerPoint presentation, student notes, or a teaching outline that you could use in your ministry setting to train a group of teachers to minister to the religious group that you chose. The finished product should be detailed enough that you could teach from it.
(The teacher training session should be a minimum of two pages, double-spaced and a maximum of six pages, double-spaced. If you would like to learn how to create effective and attractive PowerPoint presentations, you could benefit from the Be a Better Presenter seminar offered on CMI Online. There is a $20.00 fee for this seminar. Once enrolled, you will have unlimited access to this resource. Click here to learn more about the Be a Better Presenter seminar.)

Project #3 – Ministry Plan

A Ministry Plan will help provide structure for you as you seek to equip and mobilize your ministry team to effectively reach out to families of different religious backgrounds. For this project, include the following:

Objectives and Evaluation Section:
• What you want to accomplish with this plan
• How you will evaluate the effectiveness of the plan
(This section should be no more than one page, double-spaced.)

Actual Ministry Plan
• Use the course content as well as your research to create a ministry plan that discusses specific ministry changes that you can make that will help you more effectively reach the religious group that you chose.
Include:
• Specific ways that you will create a friendly, welcoming environment where children from these backgrounds feel accepted, loved, and respected.
• Practical ideas for working with families and/or children that you will implement (ex. how to develop relationships, resource center, etc.)
• Specific steps that you will take to implement these changes (ex. training volunteers, collecting resources, being involved in community activities, etc.)
(This document should be a minimum of two pages, double-spaced, and a maximum of six pages, double-spaced.)

Use this document to see how your Children of Different Religious Backgrounds Project will be graded.